­­­­­Apologies for the delay in the minutes from Thursday’s meeting. (I’m gonna blame it on the time change.) Around fifteen of us gathered in our usual haunt, the Long Island College Hospital on Atlantic & Hicks. Always good to see new faces – welcome!

1. Chair Remarks

Paco shared wonderful news: we now hav­e 200 members on our Google group. Bigger group = more diverse discussion = more advocates for our causes!

We decided to postpone discussing & voting on 2010 goals until next month. However, we have started to brainstorm goals on the Google group. Thank you to everyone who already sent their ideas; please don’t stop the stretch, keep’em coming! The more we flesh out the ideas online, the more productive we can be in our meeting. As we discuss the ideas, keep in mind that every project needs a leader! You can be that leader!

­Paco invited everyone to ride over to the Brooklyn Greenway Iniatitive FIND Benefit after the meeting. According to our friends at BGI, the fundraiser was a success. Thanks to everyone who made it happen – future BGI events are listed here.

2. Project Updates

a. The 5^th Avenue Bike Lane ride – all the way to the Verrazano Bridge – was fun. It was an exploratory ride to check out 5^th Avenue as a connector-route through Brooklyn. Turnout of about 15 people. Read all about it on our blog, here. This month’s ride is tentatively scheduled for Sun., 11/22. Watch for a confirmation email from Larry.

Going forward: In the coming year, we’d like to campaign to extend the 5^th Avenue bike lane all the way to the Verrazano, as well as work with the businesses along the northern part of 5^th Avenue to put the Biking Rules! campaign into action among their delivery fleets.

We discussed that there are different kinds of bike lanes: some are thruways, vital connectors (such as the Kent Avenue lane), while others are destinations. The 5^th Avenue lane is important because people ride to the shops & restaurants located there.

b. New Bike Lanes for Outer Brooklyn

Sholom, Murray, Carolina, & other volunteers conducted surveys at Kings Highway. They spoke to long lines of people waiting for buses in long lines. They will review their results & report to the group. In the meantime, there is fierce resistance to bicycle lanes on the Community Board level in South Brooklyn; we need to refocus, come up with a wider set of livable streets proposals that will benefit the entire community (where speeding & other traffic violations are rampant), increase our attendance & voices at the CB meetings & ultimately build a coalition. If you or someone you know lives around Kings Highway, please email Sholom at brodes20(at)gmail.com – this is your chance to join the good fight & make a difference on your streets!

c. Pulaski Bridge Coalition

The Pulaski Bridge, a critical Greenpoint-Long Island City connector, is mobbed with pedestrians & bicyclists. (This is a good problem!) Marin is forming a coalition of community stakeholders to ask the Dept. of Transportation for short-term & long-term solutions. Please email Marin at marin.tockman(at)gmail.com if you want to help her build the coalition.

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3. Presentation: Community Boards:

Elena Santogade, TA Volunteer Coordinator spoke about Community Boards. Attending these meetings is a terrific way to get involved in decisions that affect your neighborhood – and it’s a perfect activity for the cold winter months. TA recognizes the difficulty of being on a Community Board – you might find yourself a minority voice in support of livable streets initiatives. That’s why TA is hosting its 2^nd Annual Community Board Jammy Jam on Mon., 11/23, at The Open Planning Project space at 148 Lafayette. Please RSVP here by 11/18. There will be dinner & drinks, neighborhood-specific application materials & a notary to notarize them. Plus there will be current CB members who will speak about their experiences.

­­ Last year, eight people applied to CBs at the Jammy Jam; five of them were accepted. TA members joined CB 7 & CB 8, boards that were historically opposed to bike lanes. They educated their members about livable streets issues and this year, both CBs passed resolutions in support of bike lanes on Amsterdam/Columbus Avenues & First/Second Avenues. You can join a subcommittee as a public member – the most relevant committees for our causes are Safety, Transportation, Housing, Land Use. Paco reminds us that whenever anything comes up for discussion, they always ask, Is there anything in the CB file? So any letters you send, do get considered! ­To find your Community Board, check out this website ­­ Questions? Please email Elena at volunteer(at)transalt.org or Wayne, our Committee’s resident CB expert, at ayinfonyc(at)gmail.com. ­

Going forward: if you plan on attending on a CB meeting (or a DOT workshop/presentation, etc.) even if you decide that morning, please email the group. It’s easier to speak up if you bring a friend!

­ 4. Break Out Groups :

­We wrote thank you letters to City Council Member Simcha Felder, whose office funded the reconstruction of the Ocean Parkway mall between Avenues M & O. Felder represents Boro Park, Midwood & Bensonhurst. The $1.35 million facelift includes the reconstruction of pavement, improvements to benches & railings, freshly-laid lawn areas  the restoration of an asphalt bike path, & new markings for pedestrians & cyclists.

5. Next Meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tues., 11/24 – because our usual last Thursday of the month is…Thanksgiving! Watch for a confirmation email from Paco. ­­­