Photo by Ethan Kent, Project for Public Spaces

A New Year, a New Future

Mayor Bloomberg has a Sustainability Plan for 2030. What about 2007, 2008 and 2009?

What Mayor Bloomberg Can Do by 2009 >>

How old will you be in 2030? How old will your children or grandchildren be? What kind of city will you inhabit?

It's likely that your New York life will be fraught with overcrowding, gridlock and the consequences of global warming. Rush hour will last nearly 12 hours each week day, virtually every subway and commuter line will be crammed beyond capacity¹, and rising temperatures, intensified storms and escalating sea levels will wreak havoc².

Mayor Bloomberg deserves a lot of credit for publicly acknowledging these perils and creating PlanNYC 2030 to avoid them. But the big question is: what actions will he take in the short term, during his remaining three years in office?

The Mayor need look no further than NYC streets to identify effective short term actions. Currently our car-oriented streets promote waste of natural resources and precious public space. Cars contribute a large portion of the city's carbon emissions and car trips require much more street space than bus, bike or walking trips³.

It is within Mayor Bloomberg's power to replace a significant portion of the city's car traffic with transit, walking and biking before he leaves office. Doing so would drastically reduce carbon emissions and free thousands of acres for conversion to wider sidewalks, ribbon parks and greenways.

Here are a few things Mayor Bloomberg can do by 2009:

Reform Parking Free and discounted parking encourages needless driving. Eighty percent of Manhattan-bound drivers have a time-competitive transit option and as much as 28% of neighborhood traffic consists of cars circling the block for a curbside spot. It's common sense that every driving trip starts and ends with a parking spot: If the Mayor were to reform parking regulations he would reform driving habits. Click to enlarge "Subway/BRT Accessibility" map Expand Bus Rapid Transit More City and State funding for Bus Rapid Transit routes will meet the community needs of NYC's few transit-poor neighborhoods and help reduce crowding in subways. Improved above-ground transit will also lay the foundation for strong car-restriction measures like congestion pricing. Improve Biking Infrastructure Click to watch "Streetfilms: The Case for Separated Bike Lanes in NYC" There are good reasons why 22% of driving trips citywide are one mile or less and 56% are three miles or less. Biking is too dangerous and bike parking is too scarce. The Mayor has already made a good start with his plan to roll out 200 new miles of bike lanes before he leaves office in 2009. He should go further by making sure that the majority of these lanes are protected from traffic. Design Streets for Senior Citizens In 2030, New York City will be home to 44% more senior citizens. By extending crossing time and installing modern traffic calming devices the Mayor can make streets more walkable for seniors, children and everyone in between. He can start in the City's 73 census tracts where seniors already make up 30% or more of the population.

Take Action!

Be sure to give the Mayor feedback on his NYC2030 Plan, encourage him to focus more on what he can do before he leaves office and stay tuned for public forums in each borough. Remember if we want a City Sustainable in 2030, by 2009 we'll need:

• Parking reform
• Expanded BRT
• Better bike infrastructure
• Streets designed for seniors

Forward this email to friends, family, coworkers and anyone else who is interested in a safer, smarter and sustainable future. This is an unprecedented opportunity to shape New York City streets and communicate directly with City Hall. It should not be missed.

Also--get involved in the planning process yourself, by serving on a Community Board. Attend an info session on January 22nd co-sponsored by T.A. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Transportation Alternatives, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, NYPIRG's Straphangers Campaign, Tri-State Transportation Campaign and Citizens for NYC.