Teresa Toro
Streetsblog Basics
Preview: District 33 Transpo Smackdown
Tonight's candidate forum for the 33rd City Council district, which covers the Brooklyn neighborhoods closest to the East River, bears special significance for livable streets policy.
Outgoing rep David Yassky was an early supporter of congestion pricing
in the City Council and later carried the banner for the Bicycle Access
Bill, which passed earlier this summer. Will the next council member from the 33rd build on that legacy?
September 1, 2009
Teresa Toro is Back in the Saddle at Community Board 1
Here's some good news: The Brooklyn Paper reports that livable streets advocate Teresa Toro has been reinstated as chair of the transportation committee at Brooklyn Community Board 1.
February 11, 2009
Cyclist Turnout Impressive at CB1 Meeting on Kent Ave Bike Lane
Supporters of the besieged Kent Avenue bike lane made a strong showing at last night's meeting of Brooklyn Community Board 1. About 150 people showed up, says Transportation Alternatives' Elena Santogade, and of the 60 or so speakers, only three opposed the current configuration.
January 14, 2009
Dispute Over Kent Avenue Bike Lanes Keeps Rolling
The controversy over the new bike lanes on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg (which recently resulted in the ouster of livable streets activist Teresa Toro as chair of the CB1 transportation committee) was chronicled in the New York Times over the weekend:
January 5, 2009
The Livable Streets Backlash Claims a Victim at Brooklyn’s CB1
Teresa Toro, one of New York City's most productive livable streets activists in recent years, has been deposed as chair of Brooklyn Community Board 1's Transportation Committee. CB1 covers the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods of Brooklyn and has recently been embroiled in bitter fighting over the new bike lanes on Kent Avenue. CB1's executive committee voted unanimously to remove her.
December 24, 2008
Separated Bike Path Isn’t Gay Enough for CB4
Manhattan Community Board 4's transportation committee unanimously approved DOT's plan to install a physically-separated bike path on Eighth Avenue in Lower Manhattan. The committee enthusiastically recommended the plan to the full board on Wednesday. The board then voted to ignore their own committee and block the plan. Apparently, some members feel that complete streets and safe bike infrastructure are somehow incompatible with the neighborhood's gay-friendly environment. Chelsea Now has the play-by-play:
August 1, 2008
Brooklyn CB1 Approves Bike Path in Place of Parking
Here's how space is divvied up on Kent Avenue today...
April 10, 2008
MTA: Not Stealing Bikes. Just Following the Rules.
The MTA has been taking a lot of flack following yesterday's dust-up over MTA workers seizing bicycles locked to the Bedford Avenue subway station stairwell railing in Williamsburg. Perhaps the wrong transportation agency is taking the hit on this one.
October 25, 2007
An NYC First: On-Street Parking Spaces Replaced by Bike Racks
The new bike racks have been installed at the Bedford Avenue L subway station in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As the Dept. of Transportation announces in today's press release, "The
facility marks the first time car parking spaces have been removed to
accommodate bicycle parking in New York City."
July 12, 2007
Breaking News: 94th Precinct Clipping Bikes on Bedford Ave
Police officers from Brooklyn's 94th precinct are, at this moment, clipping bike locks and seizing bicycles parked along Bedford Ave. according to Community Board 1 Transportation Chair Teresa Toro. The precinct gave Community Board members no advanced notice of the police action. Phone calls to the precinct have gone unanswered. Toro, who also works for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, reports that Council Member David Yassky's staff is looking into the situation and says:
June 28, 2007