NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Mayor Eric Adams announced the allocation of $904 million over the course of five years to improve traffic safety in the budget he is currently negotiating with City Council — over $2 billion less than the Council called for at the beginning of April.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and other City Council leaders called on the mayor to allocate $3.1 billion in funding for street redesigns to make navigating the city safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
Traffic safety non-profit Transportation Alternatives released a report on Tuesday that found New York City traffic deaths increased by 44% in the first quarter of 2022. About half of those who died were pedestrians, as opposed to motorists or cyclists.
So far, 2022 has been the bloodiest year for pedestrians since former Mayor Bill de Blasio implemented Vision Zero, a program that dozens of other cities have used to successfully reduce traffic deaths.
The program involves reducing speed limits and redesigning streets to make travel safer for pedestrians and cyclists, but New York City has been slow to implement street redesigns.
This allocation will bolster Vision Zero’s existing budget of almost $3 billion over the course of 10 years and contribute to the five-year “Streets Master Plan” passed in 2019.
The SMP obligated the city to build 250 miles of protected bike lanes and 150 miles of protected bus lanes by 2024.
During his mayoral campaign, Adams promised to build 300 miles of protected bike lanes in his first term. Whether or not he intends to fulfill that promise remains to be seen.
City Hall, City Council and the Department of Transportation have declined to specify how close the city is to meeting its goals, according to Gothamist.
In his announcement, Adams struck a bullish tone and promised to “harden” 20 miles of bike lanes across Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan by the end of 2023. Hardening involves erecting physical structures in between the bike and car lanes in order to protect cyclists.
“This investment is a game-changer,” said Adams. “Too many New Yorkers have lost their lives to the traffic violence crisis, and we are seeing cities across the country struggle just like us, but this historic investment will allow New Yorkers to walk and cycle around our city without fear.”
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