Press Releases

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2024
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov

NYC DOT Celebrates Record of Accomplishment in 2024, Improving Street Safety, Sustainability, and Building People-Centric Public Spaces

Traffic Fatalities Reach Lowest Level Since 2020

Cyclists and pedestrians travel along the latest Broadway Vision project, which redesigned Broadway from East 17thStreet to East 21st Street.

Cyclists and pedestrians travel along the latest Broadway Vision project, which redesigned Broadway from East 17th Street to East 21st Street. Credit: NYC DOT

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today celebrated a record of accomplishment at NYC DOT in 2024. NYC DOT properties, including streets, account for roughly 25 percent of all land in New York City and the Adams administration has prioritized its use for greater safety, growing the city's economy, and better accommodating all road users. This year, NYC DOT completed transformative street safety projects, expanded bike and bus infrastructure, invested in projects to build people-centric public spaces, invested in infrastructure, and took major steps to better manage how deliveries are made.

"From day one, our administration has focused on creating a safer, more affordable New York City. In 2024, we continued to deliver on that vision and 'Get Stuff Done' for working-class New Yorkers," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "Thanks to our extraordinary public servants, America's safest big city got even safer this year, with overall crime down and thousands of illegal guns, mopeds, and ghost cars taken off city streets. We passed historic legislation to turn New York into a 'City of Yes,' shattered affordable housing records once again, and put billions of dollars back into New Yorkers' pockets. We broke records for the most jobs and small businesses in city history and moved millions of trash bags off our sidewalks and into containers. But we know that there is even more we can do to continue to uplift working-class families. As we look to the future, our administration remains committed to keeping New Yorkers safe and making our city more affordable for the millions of New Yorkers who call our city home."

"It has been another incredible year of accomplishment for the New York City Department of Transportation, and I am grateful for the hard work of our nearly 6,000 dedicated employees who serve their fellow New Yorkers each and every day," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "Thanks to the work of our employees, we achieved incredible milestones this year and reimagined how our streets can better serve all New Yorkers. Under the leadership of Mayor Adams, we are also taking major steps to adapt our streets to modern realities."

STREET SAFETY

  • This year marked the 10th anniversary of Vision Zero and, while one traffic death is too many, traffic fatalities have reached the lowest level since 2020, down five percent since the start of the Adams administration. Senior pedestrian fatalities are at their lowest number in recorded history, down 17 percent from 2023. Fatalities for riders of motorized two-wheelers are down 24 percent from 2023, following the launch of our education efforts.
  • Thanks to the hard work of advocates, state, and city partners, New York City achieved significant legislative milestones, including quadrupling the number of Red Light Cameras and enacting Sammy's Law, which allows NYC DOT to lower speed limits in select locations.
  • NYC DOT is on pace to install a substantial number of protected bike lane miles in 2024, including new wider lanes on the busiest routes. Notably, the agency completed the final phase of the Queens Boulevard redesign adding protected bike lanes in Sunnyside and Long Island City, helping to reduce injuries and fatalities on what was formerly known as the 'Boulevard of Death'.
  • NYC DOT is also on track to add daylighting at a record 1,000 locations. Daylighting is the process of limiting parking nearest the intersection to improve visibility between pedestrians and drivers.
  • Through public education events across the five boroughs, the agency distributed over 23,000 bicycle helmets and 9,600 bicycle lights. The agency hosted 45 delivery worker outreach events, interacting with 5,700 delivery workers and distributing over 50,000 materials.  
  • The city saw tremendous success with its public e-bike charging pilot and trade-in program, reaching hundreds of delivery cyclists to safely use e-bikes.

INVESTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE

  • NYC DOT repaved more than 1,100 lane miles of streets in 2024, enough to stretch from New York City to Des Moines, Iowa. Thanks to sustained investments in better and more frequent repaving, across the first three years of the Adams administration, the number of potholes has been cut in half, from over one million in the first three years of the previous administration to 500,000 during the first three years of this administration.
  • The agency oversaw a very special and precise historic restoration of the Brooklyn Bridge Arch Blocks in both Manhattan and Brooklyn with cleaning and pointing the masonry towers highlighted by dramatic new lighting with 56 LED efficient lights. This capped over 10 years of continuing structural preservation and rehabilitation.
  • NYC DOT successfully completed interim repairs to three spans of the city-owned portion of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street. The city also completed its BQE Corridor vision, unveiling the BQE North and South: Safe, Sustainable, Connected report that details the city's vision to equitably reimagine the BQE North and South Corridors in Brooklyn, as well as a summary report of the BQE Central Vision. NYC DOT and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYS DOT) won a $5.6 million federal Reconnecting Communities grant to fund planning work to improve quality of life for residents living near the BQE, particularly those from disadvantaged communities.
  • The agency worked with NYS DOT, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), and NYC DCP to reimagine the Cross Bronx Expressway, unveiling concepts to reconnect communities at public workshops this fall and in a draft vision document funded through a US DOT RAISE grant.
  • DOT's Prior Notice Sidewalk Repair Contracts performed sidewalk repairs adjacent to 15 NYCHA developments with a total cost of approximately $4 Million thus far. This includes the construction of over 120,000 Square Feet of sidewalk and 7,500 Linear Feet of curb.
  • NYC DOT secured over $181 million in grant funding this year, advancing critical infrastructure and safety initiatives. This includes NYC's largest bike infrastructure grant to date for the expansion of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway network to Inwood. NYC DOT was also awarded funding to expand NYC's Electric Vehicle charging network, provide micromobility charging options to low-income New Yorkers, improve data analysis of crashes, address roadway safety issues, and innovate roadway inspection processes. NYC was also awarded funds to deploy innovative ITS technologies to improve traffic signals to prioritize transit and multimodal safety and upgrade NYC DOT's traffic management center. These investments and more will continue to foster our commitment to a sustainable and safe transportation network that enhances the lives of all New Yorkers.

REIMAGINING PUBLIC SPACE

  • NYC DOT expects to finish the year with a record amount of newly pedestrianized space. This includes new pedestrian plazas, curb and sidewalk extensions, pedestrian safety islands, and traffic triangles. NYC DOT complemented and beautified this work and more with the installation of over 72,000 square feet of asphalt art murals across all five boroughs. The Adam's administration has converted more than 486,000 square feet of roadway into pedestrian space.
  • The agency also continued to grow its programs to deliver more welcoming streets for people, expanding the hours of Summer Streets in all five boroughs for the first time in the program's 16 years and continued to grow Open Streets, with a total of 249 locations across the five boroughs. Open Streets included a record high 71 locations outside of schools, creating safe spaces for kids to play during recess and for parents to pick up and drop off their children from class. Open Streets programs have shown to be a vital piece of the city's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic; the Department of City Planning (DCP) published a storefront vacancy report showing that storefronts located along Open Streets experienced a lower vacancy rate than the citywide average and experienced significantly less vacancy than their surrounding neighborhoods as a whole. The NYC DOT Art program worked with almost 20 partner organizations to permit over 40 temporary art installations this year.
  • NYC DOT made outdoor dining a permanent part of our streetscapes by launching Dining Out NYC, the nation's largest permanent outdoor dining program. Under legislation passed by the New York City Council, the program allows for year-round sidewalk dining and seasonal roadway dining setups. The program preserved what New Yorkers came to enjoy about outdoor dining while addressing sanitation and quality of life issues.  
  • As of late November, NYC DOT received 3,670 license applications from 2,995 restaurants. This is more than double the size of the pre-pandemic program. Dining Out NYC also retained a higher percentage of restaurants that participated in the emergency outdoor dining program launched in 2020 than a similar seasonal outdoor dining program that launched in Paris, which has a long tradition of outdoor dining. 
  • This year, the city also opened more public space on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, adding nearly 15,000 square feet of public space ''to 'The Arches.' These enhancements to the Brooklyn Bridge build on this administration's investment in vibrant, new public spaces in all five boroughs to improve New Yorkers' quality of life.
  • Mayor Adams also announced a major investment in the city and the Future of Fifth Partnership's plan to transform Fifth Avenue between Bryant Park and Central Park into a world-class, pedestrian-centered boulevard – bolstering the iconic corridor's status as a catalyst for economic growth and job creator for New York City.

IMPROVING HOW PEOPLE MOVE ACROSS THE CITY

  • New York City continues to lead the nation in accessibility for blind and low-vision pedestrians, having installed Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) at more than 790 intersections in 2024. There are now more than 3,000 accessible signals in NYC making it safer and more convenient than ever for blind and low vision pedestrians to navigate the city.
  • New York City installed new traffic signals at more than 100 intersections this year, helping pedestrians, cyclists and motorists safely navigate and providing clear direction on right of way.
  • NYC DOT, through in-house crews and capital contracts, successfully completed the construction of over 7,700 installed or upgraded pedestrian ramps, further enhancing accessibility and inclusivity throughout the city.
  • With the rollout of new cycling infrastructure, NYC DOT has recorded record-high bike ridership in the city. For the first time ever, more than 620,000 cycling trips are made in the five boroughs each day. The agency documented record ridership in and out of midtown Manhattan and over the East River Bridges. More than 28,000 trips were recorded over East River bridges during an average in-season weekday, representing an 8.4 percent increase from the nearly 26,000 average daily riders recorded over the spans at the same time last year and, remarkably, 17 times greater than the ridership recorded in 1980, when the city first began recording bridge cycling levels. NYC DOT also recorded record cycling ridership through midtown; new data shows more than 43,800 cycling trips were recorded during an average 12-hour window across Manhattan avenues at 50th Street, a 12.5 percent increase compared to 2023.
  • This year, the agency delivered high-impact protected bike lane projects across the city, including on Bedford Avenue and McGuinness Boulevard in Brooklyn, Second Avenue in Manhattan, and Hunts Point Avenue in the Bronx. The city also took a major step to launch a network of 500 secure bike parking locations beginning next year.
  • To further encourage safe bike riding, NYC DOT launched a new e-bike public education campaign 'Get Smart Before You Start' to promote the safe use of e-bikes. The agency also launched "my bike, my city" a new public campaign geared toward promoting biking among women, girls, transgender, and gender-nonconforming New Yorkers.
  • In addition to cycling, NYC DOT also took on projects and enforcement programs to make bus commutes faster and more reliable for thousands of New Yorkers, most notably through the dramatic expansion of bus-mounted camera enforcement on 34 routes in partnership with the MTA and through new bus priority projects on Manhattan's 96th Street, Second Avenue, Allen and Pike Streets, Flatbush Avenue at Utica Avenue/Avenue S in Brooklyn, as well as additional pedestrian and bus boarding island infrastructure on University Avenue and Gun Hill Road in the Bronx.
  • NYC DOT also made ADA improvements to over 25 bus stops, making them accessible to everyone, and installed shelters at 50 bus stops.
  • NYC DOT continued to transform New York City's streets to be safer and more welcoming for pedestrians. This year, the agency completed a new phase of Broadway Vision and delivered permanent redesigns to existing Open Streets, including Jennings Street in the Bronx.
  • NYC DOT organized the first Interagency Transportation Taskforce Committee on Staten Island this year. The agency held four quarterly meetings that addressed several cross-jurisdictional issues through partnership with all Staten Island elected officials and seven city agencies.

TRANSPORTATION EQUITY

  • Equity is central to every project NYC DOT accomplishes and this year the agency delivered a number of critical projects in communities that have been historically underserved. The Washington Bridge redesign brought safer bike and bus connections between Washington Heights and the Bronx, while the redesign of Corson Avenue and Victory Boulevard on Staten Island's North Shore brought an expanded pedestrian space, safer crossing, and vibrant asphalt art mural in an area with high foot traffic. NYC DOT also completed a transformative, multi-year redesign of University Avenue in the Bronx, where the agency added 3.58 miles of bus-only lanes and 2.2 miles of protected bicycle lanes, improving bus service for 23,911 daily riders on a critical north-south corridor, from the Washington Bridge to Kingsbridge Road.
  • The city began outreach on building a Queens Waterfront Greenway that will better connect residents to the East River and Long Island Sound through new bike paths and pedestrian space.
  • NYC DOT expanded resources available to in-need Open Streets, plazas, and other public spaces for the 2024 season through its Public Space Equity Program. Resources included direct funding for public programming, maintenance and horticultural care, technical assistance, and support to pilot new public spaces.
  • To further expand access to micromobility, the city expanded its e-scooter program to Eastern Queens. And working with Citi Bike partners at Lyft, NYC DOT will oversee a system expansion deeper into the outer boroughs that will add more than 250 new stations and will bring 2,900 new bikes into service, about half of which will be electric bicycles. There have been more than 44 million Citi Bike rides so far this calendar year — already a new annual record. When this expansion is complete, in combination, Citi Bike and the e-scooter share program will provide more than 75 percent of New York City's residential population with access to a shared micromobility service.
  • The agency hosted its first ever Equity in Motion summit, convening 400 leaders in transportation and urban planning from around the world to exchange best practices, develop strategies, and establish partnerships to advance equity.
  • The agency made historic progress contracting with minority and women-owned businesses. The agency's contractors better reflect the talents and diversity of all New Yorkers, with 32 percent of contract dollars awarded to M/WBE firms, compared to 11 percent when Mayor Adams and Commissioner Rodriguez took office.

REIMAGINING HOW GOODS MOVE

This was a historic year for the future of how deliveries are made in New York City. Key initiatives announced this year include:

  • NYC DOT changed traffic rules to authorize delivery companies to use pedal-assist e-cargo bikes, a more sustainable alternative to large delivery trucks.
  • NYC DOT launched and expanded the LockerNYC program. Under the program, New Yorkers have the option of having package deliveries from select carriers delivered to secure on-sidewalk lockers. The lockers will not only help cut down on package thefts but also have safety and environmental benefits through centralized drop-off locations instead of deliveries to individual homes.
  • NYC DOT began implementing its Smart Curbs program on the Upper West Side, where it is taking a blank-slate approach to how curb space is managed. This program reimagines how curb lanes are used. This includes using space for more than just private vehicle storage and allowing more space for vehicle loading zones as well as updated regulations that are more reflective of vehicular demand.
  • The agency also announced it installed more than 500 new loading zones that address public feedback on where New Yorkers commonly see double parking and blocked bike and bus lanes due to vehicle loading and unloading.
  • NYC DOT advanced rules to establish a Microhubs program that will provide centralized locations for larger delivery trucks to unload and transfer packages onto cargo bikes and other smaller and greener delivery methods for the final delivery. This will have significant safety and environmental benefits.
  • Secured $5.6M USDOT RAISE Grant to launch first-in-nation city-led urban freight lab dedicated to innovating and improving urban freight logistics to transform the future of freight movement in New York City.

UTILIZING TECHNOLOGY

  • This year NYC DOT launched a first-in-the-nation automated enforcement of truck weight limits program on the city-owned portion of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The technology, known as weigh-in-motion (WIM), led to a 64 percent reduction in overweight vehicles along the triple cantilever of the BQE, preserving this critical piece of infrastructure.
  • NYC began testing the use of renewable diesel fuel on the Staten Island Ferry, a petroleum-free alternative to traditional diesel fuel. Renewable diesel reduces carbon emissions by 60 percent or more and its use in the ferries will help nearly 30 million annual riders navigate the city's waterways in a more sustainable way.
  • The city kicked off the citywide rollout of upgraded, modern parking meters in Upper Manhattan, completing the retrofit of over 1000 meters by the end of 2024. The meters' new Pay-by-Plate technology is paperless and allows users to enter their license plate number instead of displaying a receipt on their vehicle's dashboard. The new meters are easier to use, utilize tap to pay technology, cut down on paper receipts, improve enforcement, and allow for greater flexibility with payments.
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