I want to see Move NY adopted sooner, not later. I am disheartened how Governor Cuomo has dismissed it as a non-starter when in truth this is the most realistic way to both tackle congestion and raise badly-needed revenue for the MTA. Every day we hear more and more complaints about subway overcrowding, bus delays, etc. - those will not improve without more funding, but we all saw just how difficult it was to plug the gap in the latest MTA Capital Plan. And the worse public transportation services get, the more likely people are to abandon them and turn to cars, whether their own or for-hire vehicles. That only makes congestion worse. If we want to reduce the number of cars in the CBD, then we need to make the alternatives more appealing. Move NY will provide the money needed to do that.
Bike lanes do not worsen congestion, contrary to popular belief. Data from the DOT has shown that congestion can actually be reduced by street redesign that adds bike lanes because when everybody is in their designated place, traffic flows more smoothly. Plus, a well-designed bike lane that feels safe and gets you where you want to go encourages more people to try cycling, and there is safety in numbers. Fewer cyclists will run red lights or ride on the sidewalk out of fear for their own safety if our streets are designed to be safer. I know it's hard for drivers to accept proposals that may reduce on-street parking in their neighborhood, but we're facing a crisis of both congestion and safety. We need redesigned streets from which all New Yorkers can benefit, and so we're going to have to accept fewer parking places. Cars are private property being stored on public streets, and they shouldn't be allowed to have a stranglehold over redesigns from which everyone can benefit. That's simply a sacrifice that needs to be made for the sake of saving lives and moving everybody around faster.
I want to see Move NY adopted sooner, not later. I am disheartened how Governor Cuomo has dismissed it as a non-starter when in truth this is the most realistic way to both tackle congestion and raise badly-needed revenue for the MTA. Every day we hear more and more complaints about subway overcrowding, bus delays, etc. - those will not improve without more funding, but we all saw just how difficult it was to plug the gap in the latest MTA Capital Plan. And the worse public transportation services get, the more likely people are to abandon them and turn to cars, whether their own or for-hire vehicles. That only makes congestion worse. If we want to reduce the number of cars in the CBD, then we need to make the alternatives more appealing. Move NY will provide the money needed to do that.
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Bike lanes do not worsen congestion, contrary to popular belief. Data from the DOT has shown that congestion can actually be reduced by street redesign that adds bike lanes because when everybody is in their designated place, traffic flows more smoothly. Plus, a well-designed bike lane that feels safe and gets you where you want to go encourages more people to try cycling, and there is safety in numbers. Fewer cyclists will run red lights or ride on the sidewalk out of fear for their own safety if our streets are designed to be safer. I know it's hard for drivers to accept proposals that may reduce on-street parking in their neighborhood, but we're facing a crisis of both congestion and safety. We need redesigned streets from which all New Yorkers can benefit, and so we're going to have to accept fewer parking places. Cars are private property being stored on public streets, and they shouldn't be allowed to have a stranglehold over redesigns from which everyone can benefit. That's simply a sacrifice that needs to be made for the sake of saving lives and moving everybody around faster.
View this comment in the discussion thread