“If Mayor Adams wants to make New York a better place to raise a family, he needs to fix his streets” – Statement from Transportation Alternatives after Mayor Adams’ State of the City Address

NEW YORK — Today, Transportation Alternatives released the following statement after Mayor Adams’ State of the City Address. 

Statement from Ben Furnas, Executive Director at Transportation Alternatives: 

“If Mayor Adams wants to make New York a better place to raise a family, he needs to fix his streets. Families deserve to feel safe crossing the street, to have protected places to bike together, and to be able to rely on efficient buses – but in New York City today, our buses remain the slowest in the nation, bike lanes touch barely 2% of streets, and the leading cause of injury-related death for children under 14 is being struck by a car. During Mayor Adams’s tenure, 342 pedestrians, 74 people on bikes, 160 seniors, and 44 children have been killed on his streets.”

“Today’s speech included huge promises and serious commitments – but was a striking missed opportunity to deepen his commitment to safe streets, efficient transportation, and new public spaces. The mayor was also mum on congestion pricing. While ‘switching on’ congestion pricing was a state issue, it’s Mayor Adams’ job to seize this generational opportunity to transform the City’s streets and public spaces to ensure all New Yorkers feel the benefit of less congested streets.”

“Mayor Adams should embrace this opportunity by making walking, biking and riding the bus safe, efficient, and accessible. As he announces a ‘Manhattan Plan’ for new housing in Manhattan, the City should complement these changes with transportation and street upgrades. Mayor Adams should fund and expedite the construction of safe sidewalks and intersections across the city, with raised crosswalks and daylighting, a protected bike lane network that feels safe and comfortable for people of all ages, and new car-free bus lanes and busways where bus riders suffer through the slowest bus routes. Where New Yorkers commute into and throughout the congestion relief zone, we need safe and expanded transportation options, adding new space for biking, walking, and buses from the Queensboro Bridge to Canal Street to 42nd Street to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.”

“The greatest city in the world deserves the greatest streets in the world, and it’s the job of a mayor to get that done.”

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