StreetFilms: Making a Difference

I'm a commuter cyclist here in San Francisco, so I'm not exactly crazy about cars, and when I first read about this amazing example of citizen journalism on Steven Johnson's blog, I bookmarked it so I could keep up with this developing story about the streets of my old stomping ground, Park Slope, Brooklyn. Transportation activists and community groups were upset about a proposal to turn 6th and 7th Avenues (currently two-way streets) into one-way streets. Here's a little snippet about the controversy from the StreetFilms blog.

Most advocates believe that two-way streets function better for pedestrians, cyclists, commerce, and livable streets. In fact all across the country, hundreds of cities are changing one-way streets back to two-way ... In this StreetFilm, advocates from each of the NYC Streets Renaissance partners show just how much 8th Avenue differs in its street geometry and car speeds and how it would impact neighborhood life on 6th and 7th Avenues. link

The good news is that the plan was scrapped last week due to "community outrage." Clarence from StreetFilms, wrote on their blog, "I'd like to think we had a little something to do with this." I think so, too.

If you've got a transportation situation going on in your neighborhood, make a film about it, upload it and tag it "streetfilms." They are posting the best on the StreetFilms site.