Time's Up!

Time's Up! is a grassroots environmental group that seeks to promote a more sustainable, less toxic New York City. For 20 years, it has been committed to improving the environment by empowering individuals to become active in their community.

In New York City it publicises the leaderless Critical Mass bicycle rides throughout the city.

From 2005-2007, New York police tried to identify Time's Up! as organizer of New York City's Critical Mass rides, following the organisation's promotion with fliers, web listings, banners, props, special bikes, etc. [http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0608,ferguson,72239,2.html] The bicycle collective also often uses its downtown Manhattan space for parties after for the ride. The City of New York filed a lawsuit against Time's Up! and four of its volunteers, claiming a need for permits for the monthly rides. The case was dropped after two years. [http://www.onnyturf.com/articles/read.php?article_id=509]

Time's Up! has been involved in advocacy and memorials for cyclists killed by motor vehicles. Each year, a memorial ride visits every Ghost bike memorial placed during the previous year, to reflect on these tragedies and publicise safe cycling. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B03EFDA1530F93BA35752C0A9619C8B63]

Time's Up! also organizes less political community bicycling events, including moonlight rides through Central Park and Prospect Park.

History

1987 Time's Up! environmental group is founded in New York City. The group is committed to improving the environment by empowering individuals to become active participants in their communities. The first campaign focused on raising public awareness through posters which drew attention to issues including rain-forest destruction, animal testing, renewable energy, and water pollution.

1990 Time's Up! launches a campaign to promote nonpolluting transportation, focusing on hybrid electric and electric bikes. Teaming up with Light Wheels and other activists, Time's Up! volunteers conduct technological research, create early prototypes, and educate the public about these alternative modes of transportation through workshops, seminars, and school presentations.

1992 Time's Up! supports the creation of the first Green Map of New York City, educating people about sustainability by pinpointing local sites that have an environmental impact such as community gardens, power plants, parks etc. Under the leadership of Modern World Design, the concept went global in 1995 with the birth of Green Map System, a NYC based non-profit, which, as of 2007, has fostered the creation of locally-led Green Map projects in over 400 cities in 50 countries worldwide. Annual Green Apple Cycling Tours co-sponsored by Time's Up and Green Map System visit sites on the local [http://GreenAppleMap.org Green Apple Map] . These rides create a fun environment that fosters new commuter cyclists while educating them about sustainability and inspiring them to work toward a greener New York City.

1993 Time's Up! launches a campaign to reclaim public space from automobiles. Time's Up begins weekly traffic calming rides through Central and Prospect parks. These rides promote shared road use with the eventual goal of car and pollution-free parks. Since this, traffic calming rides have spread to other parks across the boroughs and raised awareness about the importance of clean, public spaces in cities.

1994 Time's up volunteers are integral in the design, assembly, and introduction of twelve original pedicabs to the streets of New York City. The industry has since expanded to over 500 pedicabs in NYC alone and inspired similar programs in other cities. These cabs reduce carbon monoxide emissions by providing yet another nonpolluting transportation alternative in urban areas.

1995 Time's Up introduces its first monthly calendar of group bike rides and events aimed at raising environmental awareness in a fun, positive setting. The bike rides attract riders of all skill levels and socioeconomic classes, fostering community and highlighting the benefits of nonpolluting transportation. They build the confidence of new bike riders to become everyday commuters. Time's Up's calendar has been successful in creating new riders, which in turn puts more pressure on the city to create safer infrastructure.

1996 Time's Up! teams up with Wetlands Activism Collective in a campaign to raise awareness about animal rights, the preservation and protection of virgin forest and rainforest ecosystems. Time's Up has continued working with Wetlands to date.

1996 Time's Up pioneers the Street Memorial project. In conjunction with Right of Way, Time's Up volunteers identify intersections citywide that are especially dangerous to cyclists and pedestrians. They draw attention to the deceased in several ways including Ghost Bikes Memorials, Memorial bike rides, and candlelight vigils. These actions successfully raise public awareness about automobile caused pedestrian and cyclist fatalities and pressure the city into changing the design of many intersections, creating bike lanes, and issuing harsher punishments to hit and run offenders. This project is essential to increasing nonpolluting transportation because it enables its users to feel increasingly safe utilizing shared roadways. The enormous success of this project in New York City has inspired similar programs in other cities including Chicago, and San Francisco. Presently Time's Up is teaming up with Visual Resistance art collective to create the actual memorials in the ghost bike project.

1997 Time's Up! teams up with the lower east side collective to protect and celebrate community use of public space, especially community gardens. Time's Up volunteers accented the environmental benefits of green spaces through bike tours, paddle events. Time's Up! celebrates its tenth anniversary. The group grows to over 50 volunteers coordinating dozens of environmental campaigns and events. Time's Up! begins to gain a reputation for effective grassroots campaigns successful at increasing environmental awareness, promoting nonpolluting transportation, defending cyclists rights, and protecting and creating green public spaces.

1998 Time's Up! introduces its award winning video documentary team, enabling the entire world to view the effectiveness of Time's Up! events.

1999 Time's Up! teams up with the More Gardens Collective to create new community gardens, and support and protect endangered existing gardens.

2000 Time's Up! and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance rally public support for the building of green-ways, public waterfront access and support for nonpolluting transportation. In conjunction with Friends of Brooke Park, Time's up organizes bike rides to raise awareness about the these important issues surrounding public waterfront access all over Manhattan and the Bronx. Time's Up continues working with several groups to eliminate breaks in the green ways with the ultimate goal of a continuous public green-way around Manhattan island.

2001 Time's Up! teams up with Green Thumb and Trust for public land, sponsoring hundreds of workshops and community garden cleanups in each of the five boroughs. Time's UP volunteers educate locals about the importance of gardens for human and environmental health as well as teaches them gardening techniques. They work to unite communities in constructing community gardens on vacant lots and protecting gardens that are threatened by development.

2004 Time's Up! begins occupying the ground and basement floors of 49. East Houston Street. The group is able to expand its educational programs to include seminars, guest speakers, movie nights, and bicycle repair workshops.

2005 Time's Up! steps up to defend the right of every New Yorker to assemble. Since its inception, Time's Up has been dedicated not only to protecting the environment, but to insuring the community's right to freely assemble. Right after the Republican National Convention in 2004 special interests using the New York city police department begin cracking down on all forms of public assembly and nonpolluting transportation. Acclaimed civil rights attorney Normal Seigal has led the way as hundreds of law firms and independent lawyers team up with Time's Up to protect people's first amendment right and especially the right to assemble and use nonpolluting transportation without a permit.

2007 Time's Up! celebrates two decades of initiating environmental change. Nonpolluting transportation and environmental awareness is at an all time high and continuously on the rise both in New York city and across the country, as Time's Up! is at its all time largest point of growth.

Indoor events at the Houston street space include free movie nights and activist workshops. Time's Up! runs and maintains a bike co-op in the basement at 49 E Houston, offering repair classes and open shop hours.

ee also

*Utility bicycle
*Utility cycling

References

* [http://www.gothamist.com/2005/04/29/matthew_roth_bicycle_enthusiast_times_up.php Matthew Roth, Bicycle Enthusiast, Time's Up] (April 29, 2005)
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/02/magazine/02consumed.html?ex=1285905600&en=ee8a035b6ea174fa&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss Critical Mass] New York Times, (October 02, 2005).

External links

* [http://times-up.org/ Times-up!]