Times Up! Bike Clowns, Bring Brooklyn BP Markowitz a Gift Bicycle and do some Caroling

New York, NY (Thursday, December 16, 2010) -- Thursday morning at 9:30am, the "Love Your Lane" cyclist clowns of environmental organization Time's Up! Braving chilling weather, came to Brooklyn Borough Hall dressed in holiday- and festive-colored costumes. They tried to present Borough President Marty Markowitz's office with his holiday gift of a donated bicycle painted gold with pro-biking messages, and to sing telegrams with their own versions of the song "My Favorite Things", Jingle Bells and other holiday standards.

This is Time's Up!'s response to Markowitz's own clownish behavior last week. That's when his rendition of "My Favorite Things" to the City Council's Transportation Committee hearing on NYC Bike Policy illustrated his anti-bike lane stance. By contrast, the "Love Your Lanes" clowns' songs feature positive messages about bicycling.

"Markowitz used his time last week to sing a song, rather than give any real facts to explain his opposition to the Prospect Park West Bike Lane," said Barbara Ross of Time's Up! "Meanwhile, a packed house of New Yorkers in favor of more protected bike lanes waited for hours in below-freezing weather for their turn to testify. Many didn't."

"If Marty wants to clown around, we can too," said Ross. "His stance is not shared by most New Yorkers. Marty does his constituents no favors by lacking both knowledge and a desire to be educated on the challenges faced by pedestrians and cyclists alike."

Ross noted that other officials like Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and such Council members as Tish James and Gale Brewer came prepared with a both a real sense of the current situation and realistic solutions for bike policies.

"Don't be a schlemiel Marty, love your bike lanes," added Ben Shepard, a Time's Up! volunteer. "We have an obesity epidemic in this town. It can be fought with daily exercise like bicycling. Look at the cyclist who lost 30 pounds commuting to work. How can you not embrace the idea of biking as both transportation and a model of healthy urban living?"

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

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• http://www.bikeblognyc.com/

[jputterman26]

Marty, Vat vil de goyim tink?

[zqueenbean]

Way to make a point.

[OriginalName83]

I dont know what Marty looks like but if I see him out on that bike he'll be hard to miss.

[Gammablog]

Short, sweet and funny.

[friendsofbrookpark]

"It's Marty's bike" Ha!