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This week, more than 11,000 researchers, engineers, advocates and government officials are gathered here in Washington, DC, for the annual Transportation Research Board meeting. Glancing through the 328-page program this weekend, I had to admit that much of the content looked like a foreign language: I can’t say I’m familiar with the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide or well-versed on Inland Waterway Infrastructure. But being at the conference, I’ve discovered there’s a lot of buzz around biking and walking — even in the sessions that don’t have active transportation in the title.

Yesterday, for instance, I elbowed my way into a packed session on “Mobility Strategies for the 21st Century.” The panel included transportation commissioners from Chicago, San Francisco and New York City and, despite their diverse cities and populations, each of their presentations focused largely on their efforts to boost biking and walking.

“We’ve made lots of significant changes to the streetscape in the past four years,” Janette Sadik-Khan, New York City’s visionary transportation commissioner said. “Prior to 2007, we looked at everything with the planning ethos of 1950. We looked at streets through the eyes of a car. But simply adapting cities to pick up more and more vehicles, more and more traffic, is not a great strategy… So we’re rethinking how we use our streets and realized they weren’t really designed to meet the demands of the population.”

So, since Sadik-Khan took the reins, NYC has started thinking about streets as places, where limited space needs to be allocated to the safety and benefit of all users. Perhaps the first and most visible evidence of this paradigm shift, Sadik-Khan said, was turning Times Square into a pedestrian plaza. In very short order, the city realized massive economic benefits. “Since we closed Broadway [to cars], major flagship stores have moved in,” she said. “Retail rents have doubled in two years and Times Square has turned into one of the top 10 retail locations on the planet.”

Sadik-Khan also highlighted the city’s success in building out its bicycle network and the imminent debut of the Big Apple’s bike share, which will be the largest in the United States. And she wasn’t alone in showcasing bike-ped improvements as the top mobility strategies in her nation-leading city. Edward Reiskin, director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, also touted the Bay City’s upcoming bike share system. He shared that, at any given time, s staggering 30 percent of the congestion in downtown San Francisco is motorists simply looking for parking, and the city’s effort to boost other modes of travel, including biking and walking. He highlighted his agency’s successful and growing use of parklets — re-appropriating parking spots and turning them into pedestrian parks and cafe patios — and raved about the power of people “taking back the streets” during the city’s recurring Sunday Streets ciclovia initiative.

And Gabe Klein, the new commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation, added to the chorus of bike-ped enthusiasm. Known for his role in bringing bike share to Washington, DC, when he served as the transportation director in the nation’s capital, Klein shared a funny story that summed up the Windy City’s trajectory. Yes, Chicago is getting bike share, too, but that’s just the beginning of an ambitious plan to make the city more bicycle-friendly. On the day that Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced his new DOT director, Klein was reading through the Mayor’s remarks. When he saw that Emanuel’s speech promised 100 miles of protected bike lanes, Klein got a bit anxious. Was there really the political will and public support to add such significant lengths of cycletracks? Trying to hedge his bets, Klein crossed out the word “protected.” But when the Mayor read his speech he barely stumbled before reinstating that significant distinction. And guess what? The first protected bike lane on Kinzie Street has been phenomenally successful, boosting bicycle mode share on that stretch from 22 to more than 50 percent.

Listening to those inspired transportation officials, all fired up about biking and walking as critical and integral transportation solutions for the 21st Century, I couldn’t help but think of the incredible advocates in those cities who have made that shift possible. From the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition to the Active Transportation Alliance in Chicago to Transportation Alternatives in NYC, advocates have laid the foundation for this groundswell by doing the tough, long-term work of elevating the voices and need of people who walk and bike in their communities.

Stay tuned for more from TRB…

PHOTO: Transportation officials in major U.S. cities are excited about bike share as a mobility solution.

Last week, we hosted a trio of top-notch advocates and agency staff on our Safe Routes for Seniors Mutual Aid Call.

For years, many Alliance organizations have worked on Safe Routes to School programs that encourage more kids to walk and bike to school. In 2003, advocates with Transportation Alternatives in New York City applied that concept to the aging population, launching their Safe Routes for Seniors initiative. The effort was the first program of its kind to address the unique needs of elderly pedestrians and consider the role of street design in maintaining good cardiovascular health in old age.

How did TA fund and win their campaign? How has the New York City Department of Transportation implemented and advanced the program as its own? How have advocates and partners outside the city limits built on the successes of NYC?

Learn more by:

• Listening to the call recording
• Downloading the call Tip Sheet
• Reviewing the host of new resources in our online library, including a host of reports from TA’s campaign

Thanks again to our incredible panelists for sharing their time and insight: Noah Budnick, deputy director for Transportation Alternatives, Ann Marie Doherty from the New York City Department of Transportation and Will Stoner with the New York state AARP.

If you’re working on Safe Routes for Seniors in your community and have resources to share, send them my way: Carolyn@PeoplePoweredMovement.org.

By Mike Samuelson, Alliance Opens Streets Coordinator

For a few hours, one of New York City’s most famous streets was transformed from a frenzy of car horns, squealing brakes and congestion to an oasis of people powered transportation. The reason for change: Summer Streets.

Held during the first three Saturday’s in August, Summer Streets creates a car-free route from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, including 60 blocks on Park Avenue and connecting streets. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, from all types of backgrounds, took the opportunity to explore their city in a way they seldom have available.

As part of the Alliance’s recent grant to launch the Open Streets Project, I traveled to New York to learn more about one of North America’s largest open streets initiatives. This was my first time attending an event, and I was blown away by what I saw! Along with cyclists and walkers, the street was packed with scooters, trikes, rollerbladers and just about every other type of human propelled movement. While some spandex-wearing riders weaved in and out of the crowd, most folks took advantage of the ability to go slow and see their city from a whole new angle.

At several points on the route, there were rest stops that allowed participants to take a break and engage in fun and educational activities such as yoga classes, musical performances and bike safety demonstrations. Of course, local Alliance member organization Transportation Alternatives was on hand offering free bike valet, and using the opportunity to engage New Yorkers in T.A.’s campaigns to create safer streets for all users.

Along with taking in the excitement that is Summer Streets, I was also able to meet with some of the great folks at NYC DOT who put on the initiative, and learn what it takes to put on such a successful event. Despite the difficult financial times, NYC DOT hasn’t cut back a bit on Summer Streets because of its popularity and support from private funders.

I’m looking forward to the launch of the Open Streets website this fall, which will allow cities across the continent to share their successes and plans. Open Streets are more than an opportunity to have fun on a street normally used for cars; they’re a chance to re-imagine the way our cities could be.

T.A. probably said it best in one of their recent newsletters, “For three days every summer, we don’t need schematics and modeling to understand what New York City would look like if pedestrians were prioritized. For three days this summer, our dream is reality.”

This month, Transportation Alternatives embarks on the fourth year of Summer Streets, a program that gives bike enthusiasts and new cyclists alike the opportunity to test-ride select streets of New York City free from motor vehicle traffic. According to the latest StreetBeat, this trial period has proved successful in bringing new people onboard with T.A.’s mission.

In conjunction with this year’s Summer Streets, advocates at T.A. are extending the trial concept to its membership by launching its newest membership level: the T.A. campaign friend.

For just $10, those who fear the commitment of full membership can test out what it’s like to be part of T.A. and receive discounts at T.A.-hosted events, access to the PDF version of Reclaim (T.A.’s quarterly magazine), and e-mail updates on the group’s ongoing campaign work.

These new members join the tight-knit T.A. family by signing on as friends of one of T.A.’s two most prominent campaigns: Biking Rules, a campaign for safe and civic cycling in NYC, and Rider Rebellion, which unites transit riders in support of affordable fares, better service and the end of service cuts.

“We’re trying to reach New Yorkers outside of our already-involved, already-committed pool of prospects,” Elena Santogade, Director of Membership for T.A., explains. “The pitch is a little harder to make for folks who aren’t yet aware of T.A.’s work, so a $10 price point and association to one of our more visible campaigns seemed like a good way to bring those people into the membership.”

Street teams will pitch this newest membership level as they receive signatures for various petitions and pledges for campaigns. “Our goal is to make 10 percent of those signers become Friends,” Santogade says.

And while T.A. just unveiled this new membership level last week, it’s likely something that will stick around. “As long as we have on-street advocacy teams interacting with the public, I think this will be a permanent fixture,” Santogade says. “It’s not something that we’re going to heavily promote to other prospects. It will be focused toward the people who sign petitions [and] write letters in association with our on-street campaigns.”

Just $10 sure sounds like a foolproof way to introduce bike-ped newbies to advocacy. Want to learn more about this new membership level? Check out Transportation Alternatives on the web and be sure to subscribe to StreetBeat for all the latest news.

Last week, advocates at Transportation Alternatives turned the spotlight on a stunning fact: Over the past 10 years, more New Yorkers have been killed by traffic than murdered by guns.

This crime against city residents is outlined in Vision Zero: How Safer Streets in New York City Can Save More Than 100 Lives a Year, a report from T.A. and the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy. According to the analysis, traffic violence takes the life of a New Yorker every 35 hours, with an average of 317 fatalities and 3,774 serious injuries per year.

“New York’s streets are downright deadly,” Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, said in a press release about the report. “Though the city has made impressive strides in recent years to reduce traffic fatalities, traffic violence still claims the lives of hundreds of New Yorkers every year and seriously injures thousands more: over 70,000 people every year. Any number higher than zero is simply unacceptable. It’s time to challenge the culture of acceptance that acts like traffic is as uncontrollable as weather, and get serious about saving lives.”

The report commends recent improvements to the city’s streets — like bike lanes, curb extensions, speed bumps and narrower intersections — which have helped reduce fatalities. But that progress is just the first step in a much longer journey to catch up with leading cities, like Berlin, Paris and Stockholm. Those models, the advocates explain, provide a road map for saving lives. “If New York’s traffic fatality rate were the same as Stockholm’s, for instance, there would have been 1,195 fewer traffic fatalities between 2001 and 2007,” the authors’ point out. “If the rate were the same as Berlin’s, 1,426 live would have been saved. Thousands of life-altering injuries would also have been avoided.”

But the report isn’t just an outline of infrastructure recommendations. To truly transform the transportation system, the city must directly confront the deadly culture of acceptance — the notion that “accidents” are unavoidable. “New Yorkers must understand the human costs and the ethical implications of traffic crashes,” the report emphasizes. “Otherwise it will be difficult to gain the political support necessary to implement changes to the streetscape.”

That’s where T.A.‘s exciting, new campaign — Vision Zero — comes in.

“The release of the report kicks off a robust street safety campaign called Vision Zero,” the advocates announced last week. “Vision Zero means zero deaths, zero injuries and zero fear of traffic. The Vision Zero campaign will directly target one of the largest obstacles to street safety: the culture of acceptance. By educating New Yorkers and policymakers on the scope of the danger, as well as challenging the unspoken assumption that traffic violence is unavoidable, Transportation Alternatives will build momentum and support for real solutions. To that end, T.A. will continue to release reports and hold events highlighting the dangers of traffic violence. T.A. will also work with community partners and public officials to deploy the policies recommended by the Vision Zero report to reduce these dangers, with the goal of eliminating them completely.”

Click here to download the report.

In 2009, during the very first round of Advocacy Advance Grant awards, the Alliance bolstered an innovative effort by Transportation Alternatives to bring together stakeholders for safer streets in New York City. The result was a comprehensive, hard-hitting and widely read report that took the media by storm and laid out specific recommendations for improvement. Just last month, that report led to a major victory.

According to T.A., Executive Order: A Mayoral Strategy for Traffic Safety is a key reason Mayor Michael Bloomberg just signed a new law that will throw open the previously closed doors on vital, actionable traffic data. As T.A. explains in the March edition of Streetbeat, “the best advocates don’t believe in armchairs,” so their 2009 report was “hefty with actionable recommendations to improve the system.” One of the most important suggestions was aimed at the police department: Release all traffic safety data, including crashes, contributing factors and summonses. With support from the Alliance Advocacy Advance Grant, they used that springboard to launch a legislative campaign that included the Saving Lives Through Better Information Bill, a measure that addressed that public data deficiency. Last month, the bill was passed by the City Council and signed by the Mayor.

“The Saving Lives Through Better Information bill was T.A.‘s brainchild because we understand enforcement will only get better with better data,” T.A. explains in Streetbeat. “Because of T.A. advocacy, soon each month every NYPD precinct will publish online:

• Locations of every crash, pinpointing dangerous locations
• Number of crashes, fatalities and injuries of motor vehicle drivers and passengers, cyclists and pedestrians
• Contributing factors (like unsafe speed or red light running) that caused each crash, creating a priority list for summonsing efforts
• Summonses issued, indicating whether precincts are responding to problems

This summer will come with access to a wealth of information that before was hidden—all in real data you can take right to your precinct Community Council and ask what for.”

Click here to read more about T.A.’s innovative campaigns. Learn more about Advocacy Advance grants here. 

There’s no doubt that Americans are hungry for fresh, local food. Over the past decade, the number of farmers markets has doubled, with a 16 percent increase in 2010 alone. Even in the heart of New York City, urban residents savor the opportunity to wander in the open air, connecting with their regional growers.

This summer, bike-ped advocates at Transportation Alternatives came up with an innovative way to partner with their local farmers markets — and prove that kids have an appetite for open streets.

In July and August, TA worked with the Strategic Alliance for Health, an arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Harvest Home Farmer’s Market, a non-profit organization that runs 20 farmer’s markets in low-income neighborhoods, to produce a series of events called Play Street.

In the unused areas of farmers markets in East Harlem and the South Bronx, the streets remained off-limits to traffic and open to area children. Kids from the surrounding neighborhood turned out in droves to jump rope, play sports and even take yoga classes. Hosted in areas where more than one-third of residents live below the poverty line and more than 40 percent of primary school children are overweight or obese, Play Street drew more than 1,200 children and teenagers.

“Streets and sidewalks make up 80 percent of our public space in New York City and we need to make sure these streets benefit everyone, not just private vehicles,” Julia De Martini Day, director of transportation and health at TA, said in a press release last week. “Play streets are a great way to demonstrate the potential for NYC streets to be healthy places where kids and adults can socialize, play and exercise.”

The Play Street events went so well that advocates are hoping to expand the idea to eight other farmers markets next year. And to make their case, TA hooked up with the New York Academy of Medicine to conduct a survey of the events’ participants. The results, released last week, included some moving numbers.

- If not at the Play Street, 64 percent of children would have been doing something sedentary, like watching TV or playing video games

- Because of the Play Street, 84 percent of families felt their neighborhood was safer

- More than 90 percent said they would recommend Play Street to their friends and neighbors

“In New York City, our streets are our backyards,” Paul Steely White, executive director of TA, said. “By creating a safe space from cars at our doorsteps, play streets make the healthy choice the easy choice by allowing people to incorporate play and exercise into their daily routines.”

Read more about the project and download the Play Street report from our Resources Library.

Truth be told, I had no earthly idea who Paul Goodman was. So, when Jonathan Lee first contacted us at the Alliance, it was the title of his upcoming documentary, Paul Goodman Changed my Life, that made me curious.

With just a few clicks on the internet, I soon discovered this Goodman guy was a car-free visionary. A philosopher, author and poet, Goodman (pictured) proposed banning private automobiles from Manhattan way back in 1961. “Important and immediate are the relief of tension, noise, and anxiety; purifying the air of fumes and smog; alleviating the crowding of pedestrians; providing safety for children,” Goodman wrote in his proposal. “Subsequently, and not less importantly, we gain the opportunity of diversifying the gridiron, beautifying the city, and designing a more integrated community life.”

For those of us who consider ourselves part of the bicycle and pedestrian advocacy movement his arguments sound familiar. But consider the time.

Goodman penned “Banning Cars from Manhattan” before Rachel Carson published Silent Spring or activists rallied for the first Earth Day. It came a full decade before local bicycle advocates coalesced into New York’s Transportation Alternatives. It was a good half-century before Mayor Michael Bloomberg first proposed charging motorists to drive into the heart of the city — and the concept still couldn’t get past the city council.

So, if the bicycle and pedestrian movement has a family tree, Goodman is weaved into our roots. But, for many, he’s a long-lost relative. Filmmaker Jonathan Lee is trying to bring Goodman back into the cultural fold and, in particular, reintroduce him to his biking brethren. Beyond educating residents of this forgotten radical, though, he’s challenging us all to follow Goodman’s lead. To help do that, JSL Films is partnering with the Alliance for a contest that could earn you a brand new bicycle.

But, before the details, a bit more about Goodman. Why did this guy catch Lee’s attention, anyway?

“I got the idea in 1988 after talking with his literary executor, Taylor Stoehr, who had been researching a biography on Goodman,” Lee tells me. “He told me that again and again, people would say to him, ‘Paul Goodman changed my life’ and he suggested that it could be fascinating to do a film on some of these people to find out how and why Goodman so influenced them and how his influence had played out in their lives 10, 20, 30 years later.”

We’re not just talking about Jane Doe Academic, either. Goodman made an impression on icons like Allen Ginsberg and Woody Allen. “His impact is all around us,” Noam Chomsky said of Goodman. But, as Lee started working on the film he discovered that younger generations — people like me — had never heard of the man who was dubbed “the philosopher of the New Left.” So it became Lee’s mission to revive his memory and introduce him to a new audience. “Because the issues Goodman addressed are still very much with us, I think that he still has much to offer — his way of thinking about political issues and life, as well as some of his specific ‘utopian-practical’ proposals,” Lee says.

One of those utopian practical proposals: “Banning Cars from Manhattan.” In it he proposed that ridding the heart of NYC from private automobiles would be the first step in creating a patchwork of vibrant, self-directed communities with plenty of space for play and recreation. Reducing the footprint of cars, he argued, would be more than a practical solution; it would teach us to think differently about urban planning. “It does not merely remedy an evil or provide a way to do the same things more efficiently,” Goodman wrote, “It opens the possibility to think about ideal solutions, human values, and new ways to do basic things.”

Now, in honor of Goodman’s vision, JSL Films wants you to come up with new ways to deal with transportation challenges in your community. To participate in the Paul Goodman Changed My Life Bicycle Contest all you have to do is write your local government — your mayor, or city council — with five ideas that could be implemented in your area to promote forms of transportation that reduce global warming. Then, send a copy of that letter to the folks at JSL Films. At the end of the month, they’ll randomly draw one person from North America to win a new bike donated by Breezer.

“The bike contest is designed to encourage people to think and act locally on reducing greenhouse gas-emitting forms of transportation — something Paul Goodman was addressing before we even knew about greenhouse gases,” Lee explains.

But priming the pump for innovative ideas and political engagement across the country isn’t Lee’s only goal in producing the upcoming documentary. It’s more personal than that. He wants people like me to recognize Goodman’s name. He wants my generation to reflect on his groundbreaking ideas. And he hopes that adding Goodman’s page to our collective history will make the bicycle and pedestrian movement stronger.

“It’s empowering to discover that one has political-intellectual ancestors who were addressing the same issues you care about,” Lee says. “Restoring some of the now semi-forgotten history of the 1950s and ‘60s can help bike advocates today learn about and connect to a heritage from which they can draw inspiration.”

Click here to learn more about the film and bicycle contest.

When money gets tight, the wheels of government often grind to a halt. A tough budget year becomes politicians’ excuse for letting important issues simmer on a back burner while they tend to the financial inferno.

But, even during a particularly difficult session in the New York state legislature this year, Transportation Alternatives managed to pull out several notable victories. According to the NYC-based advocacy organization, state lawmakers in Albany passed two bills that will make cyclists’ and pedestrians’ commutes “safer and speedier.”

“The bus lane enforcement camera provision included in the State Budget and pending legislation that will establish penalties for reckless and careless drivers who claim the lives of vulnerable street users are huge breakthroughs in their issue areas,” the advocates note in their latest newsletter. “They each represent real progress, demonstrate the prowess of Transportation Alternatives’ Albany operations and punctuate the growing strength of our organization.”

And it takes a little muscle to get things done. According to T.A., state legislators can see upwards of 18,000 proposed bills each year. Barely nine percent of those pass and only a tiny sliver are issue-oriented measures, like provisions pertaining to biking and walking. “That we managed to fight for, and pass, two bills in this notoriously nasty and crowded session is truly remarkable,” T.A. says.

Read more about their legislative campaigns.

Transportation Alternatives has released its annual estimate of how many New Yorkers ride bicycles daily. There are now 236,000 daily cyclists in the five boroughs. The figure represents a 28% increase over the previous year, continuing recent double-digit growth trends.  More than 200 miles of bike lanes have been installed in New York City over the past three years. These bike lanes are helping to fuel the dramatic growth in cycling across the city. For more information, visit Transportation Alternatives.

Thanks to Claire Gron for contributing this member news.

According to Transportation Alternatives (T.A.), “First and Second Avenues (in New York City) are about to get a whole lot better for bikers, walkers and transit takers.

In response to T.A.‘s East Side campaign, the Department of Transportation has committed to building better bus, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure from South Ferry to 125th Street. Included in the agency’s plans are bike lanes, bus lanes and improved pedestrian crossings that will not only make these notoriously congested avenues safer, but also better-performing.

Though the DOT has yet to identify the exact configurations it will use when construction begins this June, all of the possibilities are huge improvements over the order-less mess that now rules the roads in this part of Manhattan, and we commend them, as well as the Volunteer Committee members, community stakeholders, local politicians and countless activists who helped the plan come together.

To ensure that this wave of street reform doesn’t simply splash on to two avenues and wash away, Transportation Alternatives is organizing an East Side Streets Coalition to help spread these changes. With the support of T.A.‘s Volunteer Committees, citizens and civic organizations from East Harlem to Chinatown, the East Side Coalition plans to push for streets that reduce pedestrian and cyclist injuries and fatalities from vehicle crashes by 50% in the next decade.”

T.A. is issuing a call to action. “Visit the East Side Streets Coalition website to take an online survey about current conditions and future possibilities, find out about upcoming community workshops and join the Coalition.”

According to New York City’s Transportation Alternatives (T.A.), “The completion of Brooklyn’s new Sands Street protected bike lane makes getting on and off the Manhattan Bridge as easy as pedaling. It also closes a painful chapter in the history of New York City bike advocacy.” In 2005, Noah Budnick, T.A.‘s Senior Policy Advisor, was seriously injured when he hit a pothole while biking on Sands Street and crashed. After four years of hard work, T.A. celebrated the opening Sands Street Bike lane (aka “Budnick Bikeway”) on August 7th.

For more information on T.A., visit here…

On August 6th, New York City’s Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) released a new report titled Streets to Live By: How livable street design can bring economic, health and quality-of-life benefits to New York City. According to T.A., the report, “compiles and analyses the most recent data on the benefits of great streets.  The study reveals outcomes of livable streets projects around the world. According to T.A., the report “finds that street designs that make people comfortable and draw them in are, in fact, the very groundwork for a healthy community and local economy. The study also details the benchmarks of livable streets, including physical activity, better air quality, more social cohesion and increased economic activity; benchmarks that City agencies can use to measure the livability of any given street or neighborhood.”

Download a copy of the report…

The New York Cycle Club, a 1,600+ member organization located in New York City, is conducting a worldwide bicycle accident survey for education and advocacy purposes. The results will be published as part of a cycling risk assessment study that will be available to the public at the conclusion of the survey. It contains dozens of data points and is streamlined to get folks through the survey as quickly as possible. Please take a moment to provide your feedback and pass along to your organization’s members for input.

Click here to take the survey.

On April 1st, New York City (NYC) Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Act into law. It requires the NYC Department of Transportation to analyze the city’s most dangerous intersections, recommend preventative countermeasures, and take steps to implement them.

On April 1st, New York City (NYC) Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Act into law. It requires the NYC Department of Transportation to analyze the city’s most dangerous intersections, recommend preventative countermeasures, and take steps to implement them. This will prevent scores of injuries and save dozens of lives each year. Currently crash data shows that 50% of all pedestrian-related crashes occur at just 10% of all intersections. Transportation Alternatives says that institutionalizing the process of making improvements at the most crash-prone locations will systematically prevent traffic injuries and fatalities.

Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) held its fourth annual Tour de Brooklyn fundraising ride on May 25th. According to T.A.’s StreetBeat, “Close to 3,000 riders celebrated the Brooklyn Bridge’s 125th birthday with a sun-soaked 18-mile bike ride that started in DUMBO, stopped for a snack in Bushwick, sailed through the Navy Yards and finished up at Walt Whitman Park.  It was a perfect day made even better by thousands of smiling faces, hundreds of helpful volunteers, scores of skilled marshals and the beautiful borough of Brooklyn.”

View video from the ride from StreetFilms.org.