December 4, 2005

Dear Friend,

Thanks to your support, TIME’S UP! had a banner year in 2005 and is making a real difference in our community and beyond. We now have over a hundred active volunteers offering free weekly indoor workshops and events and a greater variety of educational rides. Our work and the enthusiasm of our volunteers have helped increase the popularity of bicycling in New York and all along the East Coast. However, lasting change does not come easy, and we need your continued support to keep up the momentum.

Through its leadership and promotion of group rides, which provide a confidence-building transition for new cyclists, TIME’S UP! has played a key role in supporting the growing number of people who choose this form of transportation to get around the city. The bi-monthly calendar of events we began publishing some 10 years ago has now grown into a wonderful array of rides that appeal to thousands of people of diverse backgrounds and interests. TIMES UP! has also become an important voice in the media, garnering both local and national press at a time when climate change and challenges to our civil rights are in the news.

In 2005, we were able not only to substantially expand our ongoing efforts, but also begin some new and exciting projects, including:

• TIME’S UP! Space: Since July 2004, we’ve had a fantastic storefront location thanks to the generosity of Steve Stollman, whose deep interest in the public realm has been a boon to TIME’S UP!. We have energized more than 100 new volunteers, who collectively contributed a million dollars worth of time this year. This has enabled us to greatly expand our workshops over 100 were offered in 2005 and other educational activities. Several days a week, we provide much-needed services to the community, including workshops; bicycle repairs and sales; movie nights and documentary screenings; and an info kiosk. With the sale of the building imminent, however, we are about to lose this space. See below for ways you can help.
• Education and Outreach: TIME’S UP! continues to conduct ongoing educational activities, including ecological tours in the South Bronx, the Lower East Side, and along New York City’s waterfront. We have been invited to make presentations at schools and other public events, including eco-positive festivals and workshops. For the fourth year in a row, TIME’S UP! has made the famous Clearwater Revival Festival a bike-friendly event. A new documentary, Still We Ride, highlights TIME’S UP! and the struggle of the New York City bicycling community for safe streets and improved infrastructure. This video documentary is currently touring the country, awakening people in car-choked cities to actions they can take to address policies that impact our community’s health and vitality.
• Safer Streets: Despite all the positive changes, New York City streets remain a hostile place for bicyclists and pedestrians. This year, far too many pedestrians and riders were seriously injured or killed by automobiles, which are the source of 650 accidents each day in the five boroughs. In response, TIME’S UP! has helped revive a memorial stenciling campaign. We are also working with several other groups to put pressure on the city to strengthen its laws on holding drivers accountable when they injure or kill. This coalition is also pressuring the city to improve its cycling infrastructure and more actively enforce rules to protect cyclists. TIME’S UP! speaks up whenever the benefits of non-polluting transportation is undermined, such as the current crackdown on pedicabs.

The efforts of local organizations such as TIME’S UP! are critical in ensuring that issues that affect our community remain in the forefront of the public debate. This is particularly important in light of the increasing crackdown on our civil liberties and the erosion of environmental protection on national and local levels.

2005 has seen many extreme weather events: the result of years of careless development and over-reliance on fossil fuels is now being seen and felt around the world. For over a decade, TIME’S UP! has not only been educating people about toxic emissions and greenhouse gasses but has been doing something meaningful about it. Our direct action concepts and campaigns have been copied and adapted by communities up and down the East Coast. The time is right for change, and TIME’S UP! will continue doing its part, with your help.

It is likely you were one of over 3,000 participants in a TIMES UP! event this year so please remember us as you make your year-end contributions. TIME’S UP! is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, and your donations are tax-deductible.

This year, we also have a special request: help us find a new space for our office and workshops. We need your help; consider making an extra donation specifically targeted toward securing a space, or help us find a ground floor and/or basement.

We hope you’ll join us in 2006 for , and other activities. Together, we can build a more peaceful, sustainable world, starting in our city. Thanks for your support!

Sincerely,

Bill Di Paola

Executive Director, TIME’S UP!
P.O. Box 2030
New York, NY 10009

PS: Remember TIME’S UP! merchandise for your holiday purchases! We have t-shirts, hats, bags and more. Go to our online store for more information, or drop by our space at 49 E. Houston Street.

Join TIME’S UP! or Make a Donation.