July 15: Reclaiming Parking Spaces for Pedestrians, NY-10 Candidate Forum, #CitiBike4All on SI
Of the 19,000 lane miles of streets in New York City, more than 75 percent is devoted to the movement and storage of cars, despite just 30 percent of New Yorkers using a car to get around. Walking, micromobility, and public transit — used by 70 percent of New Yorkers — share a mere 24 percent of this street space.
Our NYC 25x25 vision would reclaim 25 percent of that space currently allocated to cars by 2025, and repurpose it in ways that benefit the majority of New Yorkers who don’t own a car.
That’s 500 new lane miles of dedicated bus lanes, plus 500 miles of new protected bike lanes, plus a one-block long car-free multi-use space outside of each of the city’s 1,700 public schools — and even with just those items combined, we’d still have 14.5 more square miles of space to work with.
SEE WHAT ELSE WE CAN BUILD WITH NYC 25X25
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1️⃣ How many bus lanes have been built this year? Our friends at Riders Alliance are tracking Mayor Adams’ proposed 21.3 miles of bus lanes in 2022. So far, his administration has built just 3.4. We need to see progress now, especially as 150 miles of bus lanes are required by the NYC Streets Plan by 2025. Be sure to check out the Riders Alliance tracker.
2️⃣ Join us at NY-10’s Environmental Candidate Forum. Next Tuesday, we will co-host an Environmental Candidate Forum for the 10th Congressional District alongside the New York League of Conservation Voters and other advocacy groups. RSVP to attend the forum in person, which is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19 at Cooper Union in Manhattan.
3️⃣ In the news. Here’s what we’re reading this week:
The Atlantic looks at how infrastructure changes such as slowing down cars, narrowing streets, and adding trees can improve city life for children and families.
A crash on Staten Island on Sunday killed three teenagers. This means that traffic violence has killed 15 New Yorkers aged 18-and-under in 2022, the most in any year since Vision Zero began. Read the Staten Island Advance’s coverage and our full statement in response to this tragedy.
Denver offered residents rebates of up to $1,700 toward the purchase of a new e-bike, as 5280 Magazine reports. The city offered a total of 2,000 vouchers during this application period, and plans to open additional application windows each month through the end of the year. As part of our Seven Steps policy platform, we proposed a similar “Micromobility Tax Credit” for Mayor Adams to offer New York City’s lower-income residents and local small businesses.
TWO THINGS TO DO
1️⃣ Want Citi Bike on Staten Island? We’re hosting a #CitiBike4All picnic at the Hill Street Community Garden in Stapleton on Saturday, July 23. Come out anytime between 3 and 6 p.m. to learn about our campaign to deliver public funding for Citi Bike so it can expand to all five boroughs, including Staten Island. Stick around afterward for a happy hour at Kills Boro Brewery!
2️⃣ Ride and reflect in the Bronx. Join safe streets advocates for the seventh-annual Ghost Bikes Bronx Memorial Ride on Sunday, July 24. Set off on a 10-mile ride starting at 10 a.m., stopping at Ghost Bike sites along the route to honor cyclists lost to traffic violence in the Bronx over the past year.
ONE ACTION TO TAKE NOW
Tell the MTA that you want better bike and pedestrian access. The MTA is developing a strategy for improving bike, pedestrian, and micromobility access, and they want to hear from you. Tell them you want shared bicycle and pedestrian paths on the Verrazzano, Whitestone, and Throgs Neck bridges.
Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend,
Ted and the TA Team