April 29: NYC Streets Plan, Brooklyn Bridge party, and the city’s car fleet reduction
Thanks to you, we have 904 million reasons to celebrate! On Saturday, Mayor Adams and DOT Commissioner Rodriguez announced a $904 million commitment to funding the NYC Streets Plan.
We’ve made no secret about it: Implementing the NYC Streets Plan is key to reclaiming our streets from cars and is a pathway to achieving NYC 25x25.
Because of your advocacy and our 60+ organization-strong coalition, hundreds of millions of dollars will be invested in building new protected bike lanes, car-free busways, a million square feet of pedestrian space, intersection safety improvements, and more.
There’s more work to be done, but let’s celebrate today.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
Mayor Adams announced a key reduction to the city’s car fleet. Earlier this week, Mayor Adams announced a four percent cut to the city’s car fleet. This is an important step toward reducing congestion, traffic violence, and our city's reliance on cars — but must be paired with reclaiming space from cars as we’ve outlined in NYC 25x25.
We’re hiring a Field Team Coordinator. After a two-year hiatus, our ambassador program is returning from May to November. The Field Team Organizing Coordinator will oversee effective and varied field outreach to empower thousands of New Yorkers to support safe streets. Learn more and apply for the part-time position.
In the news. Here’s what we’re reading this week:
The containerized trash pilot is getting off the ground (Yes, you read that right). Read about new DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s announcement in 6sqft.
Our only path forward is built on streets for people, not cars. Watch our interview on NY1 about how New York City must respond to the crisis of traffic violence.
The e-scooter pilot in the Bronx has been a success, reports Streetsblog. During Phase I of the pilot, more than 505,000 trips were recorded. Now, we need continued investments in safe streets as the pilot expands into Phase II.
TWO THINGS TO DO
Free party celebrating Bike Month in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Come celebrate Bike Month with Transportation Alternatives on Friday, May 20 at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Eat, drink, play games, and dance the night away as we mark the beginning of summer!
Do you have something to say about street safety? The Vision Zero Cities Journal is published annually in the fall, with articles focusing on the global effort to build streets on which no one dies from traffic violence. To apply, send your proposal for a 1000-word article to info@transalt.org by May 16th!
ONE ACTION TO TAKE NOW
Join the NYS Safe Streets Coalition in Albany. We’re going on the road to pass the Crash Victims Rights and Safety Act and you’re invited to come with us. Join Families for Safe Streets and the Coalition on May 4 for our Albany Lobbying Day and rally for CVRSA passage, meet with lawmakers, and be inspired to make change happen. RSVP today — we’ll provide lunch, snacks, and round-trip transportation.
Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend,
Jacob and the TA team
P.S. You shouldn’t have to be a mountain climber to get around New York City.
Are hulking trash mountains the best use of our sidewalks? Shouldn’t our public spaces be for, you know, people? Watch our new video and learn about how our city can solve this stinky issue.