"Mayor Bloomberg's sustainability plan will make the Big Apple a whole lot greener," says Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White. "The plan shows that the Mayor cares deeply about the future health and prosperity of our City and our planet."

Transportation Alternatives commends the Mayor and his sustainability team on the ambitious agenda outlined today and looks forward to working with his office and City agencies to make the streets more inviting to those who use them most efficiently: walkers, bus riders and bicyclists.

We applaud the Mayor's initiatives that incentivize mass transit and enthusiastically support his plan to pursue an $8 congestion pricing cordon for Manhattan south of 86th street and to apply the revenue to much needed transit improvements.

This is an important revenue boon, but the more valuable benefit is traffic relief. Less traffic means improved health and quality of life for New Yorkers. And less traffic means more street space that can be reprogrammed for wider sidewalks, bus corridors and bike lanes.

Those who say that congestion pricing is unfair are not speaking for the majority. Only 5% of commuters who live in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx commute to the CBD by auto. The other 95% use public transportation to reach CBD jobs or work outside the congestion pricing zone.

We also applaud the Mayor for his commitment to put a pedestrian plaza in every neighborhood in New York. It is a strong first step that sets the stage for many commonsense walking initiatives. New York is a pedestrian city and much can be done to increase the safety of our pedestrians and the walkability of our streets.

By committing to build a pedestrian plaza in every community district, the Mayor is sending a clear message that the health of New Yorkers, the quality of our streets and the sustainability of our environment are one and the same.

"Transportation Alternatives hears about too much traffic and dangerous streets from neighborhood groups from Jackson Heights to Saint George," says Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White. "Polls show that New Yorkers think traffic is bad and that streets are dangerous. The Mayor's plan lays a solid foundation to improve NYC and ensure the good health, safety, and prosperity of its citizens for years to come."