In Manhattan, traffic is a necessary evil. Or is it?

A new study released this morning by Transportation Alternatives, titled "Necessity or Choice? Why People Drive in Manhattan" explodes five long-held myths about driving. The study, by Schaller Consulting, is informed by new data and finds that driving is not essential to sustaining commuting and shopping.

Key findings of the study:

• only 14% of trips to the CBD are by car
• 80% of car drivers have time-competitive transit alternatives
• only 6% of shopping trips involve the use of a car

"Historically, the Mayor's options to taming traffic have been limited by the fear of stifling the economy," says Paul Steely White, the Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "This study opens the door to wider sidewalks, more bike paths, parking reforms and other transportation improvement strategies that have, until now, been sparsely applied or not applied at all."

The study is being heralded by the city's increasingly pedestrian-minded business improvement districts. In a recent letter to Deputy Mayor Doctoroff, several of the city's leading BIDs stated that the study provided a mandate for the city to "go far above and beyond current piecemeal efforts to curb traffic and promote alternatives to driving."

The study is highly relevant to the prospects for implementing London style congestion pricing, eliminating free parking for thousands of city employees, and reclaiming more street space for pedestrians at dozens of high traffic locations, including Times Square, Astor Place, Union Square and Houston St.