The police department reported 269 fatalities in 2020 and 288 in 2021, making it the deadliest period in at least ten years. More than 2,000 individuals, or 250 on average per year, have been killed in car crashes since de Blasio entered office in 2014.
Recently, the local government took serious actions, which included lowering the speed limit to 25 mph from 30, increasing the number of speed and red light cameras, installing pedestrian-friendly crosswalk lights, adding more speed humps, widening walkways, and other things.
To meet the city’s demands by 2030, Plan NYC suggests extensive improvements to reduce commute times. With better road management and congestion pricing, the measures aim to enhance New York City’s transit system, lessen traffic and regulate the speed. Each month, several speeding tickets are issued in New York for reckless driving. On an average, a speeding violation on your driving record results in a 22–30% increase in insurance costs. To avoid points on your speeding tickets, they can be contested, delayed, or completed to keep them off your driving record.
Initiatives related to transportation include the following:
- Enhance and expand bus service
- Improve local commuter rail service
- Increase capacity on key congested routes
- Provide new commuter rail access to Manhattan
- Expand transit access to underserved areas
- Encourage cycling, and tighten up enforcement of traffic laws.
Key Project: Pilot Congestion Pricing
Although safety, efficiency, and aesthetics have improved, the NYC subway system still needs massive and all-encompassing renovations. Congestion pricing is a widespread method that has emerged globally. This method reduces traffic congestion by charging a tax to enter the city center. Interestingly, congestion pricing is used in London, Stockholm, and Singapore.
Congestion pricing has been effective in reducing traffic both inside and outside the “congestion zone,” accelerating bus service, slashing delivery times, improving air quality, and reducing glasshouse gas emissions, with no significant effects on the economy, including retail activity in the area where the charge is levied.
According to PlanNYC, it is important to underline that congestion pricing is just one element of a larger strategy to enhance the city’s transportation system and win support.
The three primary objectives of congestion pricing are:
1) Decrease traffic congestion and speed up transit
2) Reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses
3) Produce income
On weekdays from 6 am to 6 pm, automobiles would be assessed a daily fee for entering Manhattan’s CBD (Central Business District). It is hoped that drivers will choose to take public transportation instead of paying the levy. As a result, there will be less traffic in the CBD zone and the surrounding neighborhoods and regions where major roads connect to the Manhattan bridges.
Even though it is a controversial program, it has been successfully implemented in a few places around the world, especially in Stockholm and London where:
- Congestion has decreased by 30% on average.
- An average 37 percent improvement in traffic speed.
- A 20% decrease in fossil fuel use and CO2 emissions.
- An increase of 30% in bus riders during rush hour
Subway
Expansion and Green Solutions
Additionally, it’s critical to recognize that the existing congested subway system would be expanded with revenue raised by congestion pricing. New York City is predicted to gain 1 million new residents by 2030, so expanding the subway system will be essential to meet the City’s expanding need for public transit. The annual revenue produced is expected to be $491 million, and all of it can be utilized to pay for MTA expansion. 11 of the 26 subway lines in the City are now at their most congested. These consist of:
– The L line
– The 4-5-6 Lexington Avenue line
– The E-F line
There will therefore be about 18 additional passengers per subway car.
Transportation Alternatives’ NYC 25×25, which pushes New York City’s leaders to transform 25% of car space into space for people by 2025, is one means to achieve these objectives. It is supported by more than 200 groups from New York City’s economic, educational, environmental, labor, and public health sectors.
