New legislation commits City to build 250 miles of protected bike lanes and 150 miles of dedicated bus lanes over five years, submit new street design master plans regularly
Mayor Bill de Blasio signed new safe streets legislation into law, the latest step in the Administration’s progress implementing Vison Zero to make New York City’s streets safer. The legislation was introduced by Speaker Corey Johnson.
“I’m proud to sign this new safe streets legislation that will further the ambitious commitments we’ve begun under Vision Zero,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We thank Speaker Johnson for his leadership and look forward to continuing our work with elected officials and communities on creating new bus lanes and protected bike lanes in their districts even before this new plan takes effect. Over the next two years, we will continue to lay the critical groundwork that will allow this plan to be put into motion on Day One, and we are confident that this new plan firmly cements New York City’s reputation as the nation’s leader on street safety.”
“Today we take a giant leap closer to reclaiming our streets and making them safer for our residents,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “The Streets Master Plan, now signed into law, will revolutionize the way New Yorkers use our streets, creating more bus and bike lanes, more pedestrian space and safer street infrastructure. This law helps us make alternative transportation options more viable, which is necessary in our fight against climate change. Today would not have been possible without the hard work of transportation and street safety advocates, including families who lost love ones on our dangerous streets. Their persistence and passion led to a plan that will ultimately make New York City a more enjoyable place to live, work and play. New Yorkers for generations to come will be safer because of them.”
The new law requires DOT to implement a master plan for street design every five years, and contains specific targets for protected bike lanes, accessible pedestrian signals, transit signal priority and stop upgrades for buses, and new pedestrian public space. As part of the first master plan, the City will build 50 miles of protected bus lanes and 30 miles of protected bike lanes annually. In the first two years, one million square feet of pedestrian space will also be constructed. With today's announcement, the City also committed to ramping up the process to be ready to meet master plan commitments, both for DOT and for other city agencies, including DSNY, NYPD, FDNY, DPR, DDC and DEP.
Intro 1557-A was passed last month by the New York City Council under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson and City Council Transportation Committee Chair Ydanis Rodriguez. The law will go into effect immediately, with the first master plan due from DOT no later than December 1, 2021.
Since 2014, DOT has made unprecedented improvements in street design, including building nearly three times as many miles of on-street protected bike lanes as every other mayor combined. In the Mayor’s Green Wave plan announced this summer, DOT committed to install over 80 miles of new protected bike lanes by the end of 2021, with a focus on high-fatality areas and neighborhoods with high ridership that lack adequate bike infrastructure. The City has committed $58.4 million in funding over the next five years for the Green Wave plan.
“No other American City has ever changed its streets at the pace that DOT has undertaken in the Vision Zero era, and so I offer DOT’s congratulations to Speaker Johnson and the Council for a new law that further enhances the rate that these major safety improvements will arrive on our streets,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “The Master Plan sets key benchmarks, but DOT’s work has already begun: prior to drafting the first plan and as part of Green Wave and Better Buses efforts, we will be busy getting ourselves ready for a dramatic surge in our work.“
“I am proud to have worked alongside my colleague Speaker Johnson on a number of bills that have increased protections for all cyclists and pedestrians. This Master Plan represents an ambitious and fundamentally different approach to our City’s streets, prioritizing people over cars, and safety over parking,” said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Chairman of the Transportation Committee. “Since being elected and appointed chair of the Transportation Committee I have made it a top priority to ensure we keep pedestrians and cyclists safe through redesigning streets, building protected bike lanes, and working on congestion pricing. I will continue working with Speaker Corey Johnson, colleagues, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, and advocates to ensure we continue expanding road protections across the 5 boroughs.”
