NEW YORK, NY — New legislation commits New York City to build 250 miles of protected bike lanes and 150 miles of dedicated bus lanes over five years.
“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.”
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.
“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.
