Post Type: FACT SHEETS
NEW YORK CITY’S VAST TRANSIT SYSTEM, COUPLED WITH THE CITY’S DENSITY, HAS ENABLED OUR SUSTAINED GROWTH, ADVANCED HEALTH EQUITY, AND ALLOWED US TO MAINTAIN A SMALLER PER CAPITA CARBON FOOTPRINT THAN ANY OTHER BIG CITY IN THE UNITED STATES.
However, the declining reliability of our subways and bus systems poses serious threats to a city existentially reliant on public transit. As more than half of New Yorkers get to work using transit, delays and disruptions can cascade across the city. Over the past five years, subway delays have almost tripled, deteriorating on-time performance. Over the same time period, ridership has decreased, particularly on weekends, even though the population and economy are growing. While new revenues sources identified in the State budget help address gaps in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) capital program, sustainable long-term funding will always be needed.
Investments through Vision Zero have improved our quality of life by making city streets more navigable and pleasant places to be. We have expanded the bicycle network, adding 244 miles of bike lanes—including 77 miles of protected lanes—since 2015. With new infrastructure and the dramatic expansion of bike share, daily bicycle trips rose to nearly half a million by 2017—three times more than in 2000.
Since 2015, the usage of app-based FHVs and ferries has increased. New FHV services have provided improved transportation options,
especially in outer borough neighborhoods, but have disrupted traditional taxi services and exacerbated congestion. The City is taking steps to improve regulation of the FHV industry to maximize benefits while minimizing adverse impacts. NYC Ferry offers a new option to the transportation network, cutting travel times from many parts of the City, while connecting more New Yorkers to the waterfront. Since its launch in 2017, NYC Ferry has served close to eight million riders and will expand with new routes and stops.
The City does not control the subways but does manage the streets on which the buses run. Since 2015, in partnership with the MTA, the City upgraded nine corridors to Select Bus Service (SBS). To date, SBS has improved service and shortened travel times for about 300,000 daily riders. Further efforts are underway to optimize and expand the bus network and to use enforcement measures to increase the priority of buses on City streets. At the same time, the state budget enacted new revenue sources which will allow the authority to make needed upgrades and improve service and accessibility across the system.
November 1st, 2021 at 4:59 pm
The mass transit system is the nerve of NYC
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