Yes, even as New York City under Mayor Adams has failed to live up to its own goals of zero traffic deaths and more miles of protected bike lanes, it stands out as the only one of 27 cities in the U.S. that saw traffic fatalities drop after officials made Vision Zero commitments to bring road carnage down to zero, according to the Post's analysis.
The plaza includes tables and chairs, bike corrals, and space for community members to host local events. This new permanent plaza reimagines nearly 11,000 square feet of roadway, creating a new community hub. It gives neighbors a place to rest, gather, connect, and celebrate their cultures, outgoing DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said during a Dec. 4 news conference. This plaza is proof of what happens when a city invests in people, in safety, in cultural space, he added.
Every day, New Yorkers confront the failure of our government to adapt to decades of accumulated change - and nowhere is that failure clearer than on the city's streets and sidewalks. The perpetual question is: Why does everything take so long? Busways, bus lanes, bike lanes, open streets, pedestrian plazas, day-lit intersections, red light cameras, speed cameras, outdoor dining sheds - why do all of these policies take far longer to implement than anyone ever anticipates?
They love congestion pricing - and they're beefing over the Svengali of Gov. Kathy Hochul's congestion pricing "pause." Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé turned their friendship into a defining image of Mamdani's mayoral campaign. The duo gained the support of street safety advocates across the city, given their support of congestion pricing, bike lanes, and other improvements. But the two politicians are on the outs after Mamdani discouraged Ossé from primarying House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who persuaded Hochul to indefinitely delay the long-awaited implementation of congestion pricing last year.
As a result, the roadway is a confusing mess featuring a protected bike lane on one side of 31st Street between Broadway and 30th Avenue that isn't technically in effect. As a result drivers mostly leave the future bike lane clear on the east side of the street between Broadway and 31st Avenue, but have turned the block between 31st and 30th avenues into a default double-parking lane: Drivers are parking along the curb and in the offset parking lane DOT painted over the summer.
Work is finally underway to remove telephone poles from the center of the sidewalk-level bike lane on Fruitvale Avenue, which runs from the Fruitvale BART station to Jingletown and the estuary. "The work should be done on Monday," said a uniformed AT&T worker at the intersection of Fruitvale and San Leandro. That means cutting down the old pole and filling the hole it leaves behind. As seen in the lead image, the new pole is already installed and the wires have been moved over.
They understand that predatory delivery apps demand routes and times that are impossible without battery power, but also want to be able to cross the street without worrying for their safety. That's why I'm introducing a bill alongside nearly one-third of my fellow City Council members from both sides of the aisle that will defend pedestrians, protect delivery workers, and demand safety on our streets: the Ride Safe, Ride Right Act.
Streets that road users find boring and depressing are more likely to be the site of higher volumes of non-motorist car injuries than ones they rate as beautiful, a new study finds - and to be proactive about saving lives, transportation leaders might be wise to consider how their residents feel on their streets, in addition to how often they get hurt.
