Website Comment Summary
The congestion goal provoked the greatest volume of public comments. There is widespread acknowledgement among the comments that the current system is greatly overloaded and requires some degree of expansion. Comments disagree, however, over what degree and type of expansion will be required. Most comments address particular deficiencies in the current road and public transit system, but some advocate a radical shift in transit priorities such as entirely banning passenger vehicles, constructing a parallel light-rail or monorail system, or building borough "superhighways." Comments acknowledge the compatibility of the congestion goal with the air quality, climate change, and energy goals.

The greatest number of comments broadly address the improvement or expansion of the subway and rail system to reduce congestion. Many comments suggest the expansion of a particular component of the subway system, such as the Second Avenue Subway, a rail link to LaGuardia, or transit connections to Staten Island and New Jersey. Others suggest reconfigurations of the existing system, such as re-routing existing subway service, extending station platforms, and improving subway signaling and passenger loading technology. Many encourage improved management of the existing system, such as an explicit focus on reducing travel times, improved information about arriving trains, and less disruptive maintenance activities.

Additional comments tend to support the creation of a supplementary transit system in addition to the existing subway system. Many note that this supplementary system should be an interconnected part of the existing transit system. Many suggest creating a Manhattan or Staten Island light-rail, trolley, or monorail system that would reduce both subway and road congestion. Expanded ferries and a modified Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system are also popular suggestions.

Of the comments directed at road congestion, the vast majority of comments advocate the imposition of a congestion pricing scheme, while only one comment opposes this proposal. Comments suggest that these revenues should be directed toward improving public transit, constructing pedestrian- and bike-friendly streets, and reimbursing outer borough commuters faced with inadequate transit access. Other proposals include increasing bridge tolls, improving bus service, and constructing a dedicated freight tunnel or freight-only rail system. Creating dedicated bike lanes and infrastructure, increasing parking fees, and creating a residential parking permit system are popular responses as well. Several comments suggest the establishment of a resident parking scheme in some neighborhoods and the revocation of free City parking privileges. Many comments advocate some type of road infrastructure construction, such as a direct tunnel between New Jersey and Long Island, a Staten Island-Manhattan tunnel, and additional Manhattan highways.

Some comments make more broad-scale policy suggestions, such as banning cars in Manhattan, providing tax incentives to use public transit, and making subsidies available to developers that construct bike- and pedestrian-friendly projects. Multiple comments suggest that NYC should move away from a singe business district (Manhattan) and toward a more decentralized urban design, thereby eliminating the one-way rush-hour commute.

Town Hall Comment Summary
Improve and Encourage Use of Mass Transit Options
The greatest number of congestion comments were offered in support of mass transit as the top solution for easing congestion.

• Incentives and Infrastructure Improvements: To encourage greater use of mass transit, the most common suggestion was to modernize our subway/bus equipment and infrastructure and to "improve the travel experience on public transit." With respect to subways and buses, there were numerous calls for increased frequency of service, affordability (e.g., reduced fares, "prorate Metrocard according to poverty/income") and financial incentives (e.g., "reevaluate Transit Check program" and "build disincentives to car travel"), efficiency (e.g., "faster-scanning Metrocards"), cleanliness, improved usability (e.g., "implement timing announcements in subway"), more park and ride systems, and other "passenger amenities at transit hubs." Other individual suggestions included: "be sure public transportation can serve non-English speaking immigrants," "decrease availability of private transportation," and "implement a bus hub-and-spoke system."
• Specific Transit Types: There was widespread support for increasing the number, frequency and quality of all forms of mass transit. Numerous participants strongly encouraged implementing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system ("dedicate lanes"…"and make it work"), increasing buses and bus speeds (especially express buses with dedicated lanes), significantly increasing ferry service and other waterborne transit for commuter and freight (e.g., water taxis), building light rail, encouraging pedicabs, and expanding the subway system (and "make the subways world-class with higher quality service"). Individual suggestions were made to implement trolleys and an integrated regional rail system as well as to "reduce the number of NYU buses."
• Geographic Areas and Specific Transit Lines: The most commonly-mentioned transit line was the 2nd Avenue subway, with numerous requests by participants from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens for extensions into their boroughs and timely project completion. Participants from all boroughs also made general and specific requests for improving transit to the outer boroughs and within them.

Increase Biking and Walking
Comments offered strong support for improving the "walkability and bikeability of the city." Several themes were echoed by participants, including:

• Enhance biking infrastructure (e.g., dedicated and physically-separated bike lanes, incentives or requirements for indoor and outdoor bike parking/storage facilities, coordinated traffic signals, methods "for buses and subways to transport bikes," and a well-developed bikeway network) i
• Improve pedestrian infrastructure (e.g., "reduce sidewalk obstructions," "raised sidewalks and pedestrian overpasses")
• Promote safety measures for bikers and pedestrians (e.g., enforce bike traffic rules, "more NYPD attention to bike theft" )
• Encourage and educate people on benefits of walking and biking. Ideas include giving landlords tax breaks for providing indoor parking and to "implement a city bike sharing program like Zipcar."

Limit Parking and Discourage Car Use
Many comments offered support and ideas for reducing congestion through limiting parking and discouraging car use. The most popular suggestions were for implementing congestion pricing, promoting carpooling such as through more HOV lanes, making it more expensive or difficult to park by encouraging market rates, decreasing spots or enforcing parking laws, reinstating the commuter tax, decreasing large "gas guzzlers and SUVs" with taxes or surcharges, establishing more car-free streets, and tolling the East River Bridges. Individual comments included eliminating free parking for city officials, discouraging city employees from driving, "finding ways for people to work closer to where they live," and "eliminating car traffic into Manhattan."

Improve Roads and Driving
Some suggestions were made to improve the roads and driving experience in the City. There were shared sentiments regarding the need to enforce current traffic rules and improve road safety (particularly for school children through the Safe Routes to School program). Specific individual suggestions to improve traffic flow included a new tunnel from Brooklyn to Manhattan, "Staten Island needs wider roads," "more one way streets and avenues," "make taxis wait on corners, not drive around," "two-way tolling on the Verrazano Bridge," and "expand reverse commute capacity."

Freight/Commercial Traffic
Suggestions for ameliorating the role of congestion played by freight/commercial traffic included: incentivize or mandate off-peak or alternative delivery times, "use the water network to get trucks off the road," "close off some streets to private vehicle traffic," and "build the Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel."

Miscellaneous
Several participants encouraged flextime, staggered workdays and telecommuting to reduce rush hour loads. A few also supported incentivizing commercial development and promoting job creation in outer boroughs to reduce commute times. A few remarks highlighted the importance of promoting fuel/energy efficiency, cleanliness (in terms of air pollution) and overall sustainability of the City’s subways, buses and taxis. Individual miscellaneous comments included: "build underwater moving sidewalks," "allow citizens to issue traffic tickets," "link transportation growth to expected population growth," and tear down underused roads. A question raised was: "how will displaced persons be compensated if North Shore RR is built?"

Community Leader Comment Summary
Improve and Encourage Use of Mass Transit Options

• Incentives and Infrastructure Improvements: Shared ideas for mass transit improvements included make mass transit more affordable with reduced fares and tax incentives and build more park and ride facilities. Individual suggestions included integrating MetroCard in every transit mode, upgrading to modern equipment, updating subway signal system, implementing GPS in buses, and improving two-mode commuting.
• Specific Transit Types: There was widespread support for increasing the number, frequency and quality of all forms of mass transit, including those for underserved areas. Comments addressing improvement and increased availability of specific transit types included: ferries, bus, subway, light rail, electric trolley, and train. Several leaders asked that the city open, restore and improve the LIRR.
• Geographic Areas and Specific Transit Lines: "Outer boroughs feel neglected": Numerous calls to build more transit options within and between the outer boroughs. Many also asked the city to improve and increase transit access to airports through Airtrain and subway connections, and to provide more cross-town transportation/subways.

Limit Parking and Discourage Car Use
Community leaders from virtually all boroughs recommended the implementation of congestion pricing and earmarking the money for transit improvements. Several suggested discouraging car use by limiting the availability or increasing the cost of parking. Ideas included: reduce/eliminate/charge for government employee parking, implement resident-only permits, increase parking prices, enforce parking regulations, and reduce parking requirements for developers.
Other ideas for discouraging car use included: Implement the commuter tax, encourage telecommuting, increase bridge tolls, penalize employers for employees who commute by car, "establish no-car zones in high density areas", and give "disincentives to drivers, use the smoking ban as a guide."

Improved Roads and Driving
Several individual suggestions were made for improved road design to ease congestion, including: reduce auto lanes, "build an offshore expressway to bypass city center," "expand outer borough ‘thru’ streets," among others. Additional groups suggestions included improving enforcement of traffic rules and providing "more driver info during peak hours on highways."
Four specific suggestions were made: to move the police plaza out of lower Manhattan ("it’s a parking nightmare"), add a second level to the Flatbush Avenue Conduit, convert the Staten Island Expressway bus lane to a High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane, and enforce SI Expressway bus lane rules.
While one group commented that "double-decker highways should be a last resort," two groups suggested that abandoned or updated elevated lines/tracks could be used to expand the transit system.

Increase Biking and Walking
There is widespread support to "make all of NYC ‘bikable,’" and community leaders suggested that the city become more bike and pedestrian friendly by expanding the relevant amenities and infrastructure, such as bike parking, "permanent bike paths," and "pedestrian boulevards."

Freight/Commercial Traffic
Suggestions for ameliorating the role of congestion played by freight/commercial traffic included: promote use of barges and rail for cargo movement and mandate night-time/off-peak cargo delivery.

Miscellaneous
Individual suggestions for this goal included: distribute economic centers, think and plan regionally, educate people about shortcomings of car traffic and highways, and minimize big box stores ("that generate a lot of traffic"). A comment to provide incentives for low emissions vehicles should be applied to Goal 7 (Climate Change) and Goal 8 (Air Quality).