NYC 25×25, New York aims to remove a quarter of its streets from cars

As with other cities around the world, Covid has also shocked New York City by upending its transportation needs and removing significant portions of street space for pedestrian use. Traffic-laden streets are rapidly becoming public spaces, for the needs (and also the benefits) of an increasing number of pedestrians.

After necessity, ingenuity. In the (not too) post Covid, the city is now asking itself: “why don’t we continue like this?”. This question became a real plan, dubbed NYC 25×25 and supported by Eric Adams, the mayor of New York. I link it to you here.

A quarter of all roads are for pedestrians

The NYC 25×25 proposal is simple: by 2025, 25% of New York’s urban space will be converted to squares, pedestrian areas, bike paths, green spaces and green bus lanes. Not bad is not it ? New York’s response to other cities’ policies. For example Seattle, which from Covid he “returned” to people 32 kilometers of roads previously intended for cars. Or Ljubljana, Slovenia, which gave pedestrians (and automatic shuttles) all its historic center. And Paris with its Plan Vélo for bicycles, or Barcelona and Madrid with the superblocks project: there are many examples.

The logic is that in New York (as elsewhere), the vast majority of car-dominated streets do not benefit most city dwellers. Not even cars, to be honest. In the Big Apple in the crowded streets there it moves at an average of 8 kilometers per hour (5 mph). Almost like walking, half the speed of a bicycle. And private transportation is responsible for much of the city’s emissions, pollution, and municipal waste.

We mean how difficult it is for pedestrians and cyclists (not to mention the staggering number of people killed or injured in accidents) to extricate themselves between busy roads and parked vehicles?

In summary: rethinking the space of the street would make it possible both to clean up the city and better serve its inhabitants.

NYC 25×25: fewer cars, more quality of life

The executive director of the think tank behind the NYC 25×25 proposal is called Danny Harris. He is seen (in a good way) as a radical in public transport and urban reorganization, and in a recent interview he explained the rationale for the project to the British newspaper The Guardian.

If you live in a place where buying a car and spending $10,000 a year to maintain it is your only way to get around, then your leaders have failed. Using roads to get around and parking cars is simply a waste of space. We are blindsided by the auto industry wanting to put an SUV in every garage and we give most cities to cars. What if sidewalks were bigger? What if we could ride a bike or take the bus more easily? What if we didn’t have piles of cars and garbage on every corner?

The plan of Transportation Alternatives (this is the name of the think thank) for New York provides for the creation of ben 800 kilometers (500 miles) of bus lanes, another 800 kilometers of protected cycle paths, new waste containers and other interventions.

Ultimately, NYC 25×25 will involve the equivalent of 13 Central Park public spaces taken from cars and given to pedestrians.

keep it up

As mentioned, NYC 25×25 has been approved by the Mayor of New York and is preparing to enter its operational phase.

The first steps have already been taken, with the extension of pedestrian zones in Times and Herald Square and the creation of a large protected cycle path in Central Park West. There’s still a lot to do, but if all goes according to plan, New Yorkers will soon be able to enjoy cleaner, less noisy, and (most importantly) cleaner air.

It’s up to you, New York!

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