Sometimes we get so used to our surroundings that we dont even notice small changes.  Whenever a friend sees my baby, I inevitably hear about how big she has gotten.  I dont even notice.  I see her everyday, and these small changes just dont register with me.

Thanks everyone who came out to help officially "welcome" the new bike lane to the community. With food, lemonade, and free bike goodies giveaways, it was a great time.

 Thanks Innovation Bike Shop for Hosting!

As New York City braces for the impact of the ongoing financial turmoil on Wall Street, governments, non-profits, commuters and neighborhoods will face a stark choice in the months and years to come. The choice will be whether we will let the lack of financial resources dramatically reduce of quality of life, or if we can find ways to actually improve quality of life with less resources.

This past Saturday, a handful of happy UWS cyclists met up at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at 10am. Their destination? Summer Streets, of course!

It was a beautiful day to be outside, an opinion shared by the thousands of New Yorkers that the UWS riders encountered when they arrived at Summer Streets. Though the crew quickly dispersed into the jubilant crowd, a great time and a great ride were had by all.

This week, we're featuring our first installment of the new "Letters from the Members" posts. Every couple of weeks, we'll be posting a letter from one of our Upper West Side Streets Renaissance members about happenings in the neighborhood.

Have something to say? Don't let us stop you! Just click "Write a post" on the right-hand side of the "Blog" page, and let 'er rip. Don't hold back on our account. If you have questions about how to post, you can also email Nathan at nathan [AT] transalt [DOT] org.

As summer rolls on, we continue to make great strides in spreading the message of livable streets across the Upper West Side. And as we talk to the residents and businesses that are the lifeblood of the neighborhood, we hear one thing over and over again: Do something about the delivery cyclists.

The West Side Spirit has published a glowing article about our recent win in bringing a bike lane to West 106th Street, and about the UWS Streets Renaissance generally. Check it out here.  We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

Even the Wall Street Journal is on board with the DOT's new Summer Streets program. Check out what they had to say about the value of car-free streets:

"On three August Saturdays this summer, New Yorkers will be able to ride their bikes all the way from the BrooklynBridge to Central Park a 6.9-mile route - without a single cabbie honking at them or absent-minded driver smashing them into a parked car.

Last Wednesday, the students of P.S. 87 took turns recording the speeds of vehicles traveling down Columbus Avenue. Armed with a radar gun, a speed display-board and an innate feeling of safe and dangerous, these kids were seeing first hand the common sense of livable streets.

UWS Streets Renaissance member, Columbia Urban Planning graduate student, intrepid volunteer and all-around advocacy all-star Inbar Kishoni was perusing a copy of Marie Claire recently when she noticed that its editorial staff had judged Bike to Work Day "iffy" in its monthly feature "The Good, The Bad and the Iffy". Not one to take such an obvious and egregious misjudgment sitting down, she penned this letter, which she's been good enough to share with us:

First and foremost, thanks again to the over 40 people who showed up at Community Board 7 to express their support for the DOT's proposal to install buffered bike lanes on W. 106th St., which will provide a crucial crosstown park-to-park linkage.  In the wake of that first meeting local stakeholders, including the Jewish Home and Hospital and Greenmarkets, have been taking part in ongoing discussions about how to best implement the bike lane plan without disrupting residents daily lives.

On Tuesday, April 8, the NYC Department of Transportation is coming to Community Board 7 to present a new plan to add bike lanes to West 106th Street.  This proposed bike route will provide a vital link between NYC's two busiest biking facilities in Central and Hudson River Park.

Friday, February 15^th, West End Avenue @ 81^st Street: The brisk winter morning air was no match for the third grade students of The Calhoun School as they unveiled their new No Idling sign to a packed crowd of parents, teachers, and community members. 

There was a distinct buzz floating through the halls and auditorium of the New-York Historical Society on the evening of January 28th. Nearly 300 people had gathered to hear Streetsblog's Aaron Naparstek moderate a panel discussion featuring seven all-star change-makers from across the city.

On Saturday, January 12th, more than two dozen people from around the city came out to Fordham Universitys Lincoln Center campus and showed their dedication to the cause of Livable Streets by learning how to make decisions usually reserved for planning professionals at Livable Streets 101: Intro to Designing Streets for Neighborhood Life.

On Saturday, November the 10th, an enthusiastic group of cyclists met up at 72nd and Central Park West for a fortifying dose of bagels and history before setting out on a relaxing bike tour of the Upper West Side.

As the riders pedaled sedately through the neighborhood's scenic landscape, they passed many historic and contemporary points of interest; the ride paused at three of them for brief but edifying talks by Upper West Side advocates. Many questions were asked and answered, friends were made, and fingers were chilled nearly (but not quite) to the bone.