It's easy for the Congestion Commissioner to make changes quickly when she doesn't need approval from any community boards or elected officials, but only from one person, her boss, the dictator of New York City.

Thank you, Alfredo, for posting this. But for you, I would have missed this.

What I want club members to know about Commissioner Sadik-Khan is she IS accessible and responsive.

For example, two or three years ago, I called her office, spoke of the uplifts, depressions, cracks, and crevices in 177th St. between Ft. Washington and Cabrini, where we approach the bridge. The office sent someone to look at what I described. Before too long I was called back by the head of street paving for Manhattan who said that street would be re-paved...and it was.

I called her office to inform them of a large steel plate in Madison that was covering a massive construction hole which had become displaced, leaving a gaping maw that would all too easily swallow a bicycle wheel especially unseen in the dark. It was promptly replaced.

I procrastinated bringing the dreadful 142nd St. and Riverside intersection to the attention of the commissioner's office but did so a few weeks ago in conjunction with my asking her for a note of greeting from her I might read to the marathon bicycle escorts for wheelchair racers. She not only sent such a greeting, but I was told that intersection would be examined and repaired if found to be as I described it.

My sole point here is this: I hold no portfolio, special or otherwise, that gains me access to her; all I have is the interest in and commitment to improving circumstances for cyclists in the city. http://newyorkbike.com/. And, as it turns out that is enough to get me--and, more importantly, YOU--a hearing. You, yes, YOU, can single-handedly bring about change, if you want. You should want.

And that's my lesson for the day.