Report: Open Streets Program Requires Renewed Ambition to Solve NYC’s Transportation Crisis

Transportation Alternatives Commends City’s Effort to Reclaim Streets from Cars, but Says Open Streets Must Be Expanded to Address Transit Woes, Revive Economy and Address Inequity

NEW YORK -- A new report released Wednesday by Transportation Alternatives (TA) finds that New York City’s Open Streets program, an essential tool to support the city’s recovery, lacks ambition and has so far fallen short of expectations. As it exists today, the Open Streets program has resulted in a disconnected collection of public space “islands” which, however commendable, will not solve the city’s transportation crisis or revive its economy.  

In the report, The Unrealized Potential of New York City’s Open Streets, TA argues that Open Streets are essential and must be reimagined as connected car-free networks for moving people by bus, bike or on foot; reopening schools, restaurants, cultural institutions and retail; and redistributing space to address decades of inequity. Key findings of the report include: 

• Open Streets average 0.22 miles in length.

• Not counting pop-up bike lanes, the NYPD manages 77 percent of Open Streets, business improvement districts (BIDs) manage 12 percent, and local partners manage 10 percent.

• Only 37 percent of New Yorkers live within walking distance of an Open Street.

• More than a quarter of Open Streets mileage is located in or adjacent to parks, where open space is least needed. 

• Only 7.88 miles, or 44 percent, of the proposed 18.07 miles of “pop-up” bike lanes have been implemented.

• Until a wave of Black Lives Matter protests swept across the city in June, Open Streets were largely concentrated in wealthier, majority-white neighborhoods. Before the protests, of those New Yorkers who lived within walking distance of an Open Street, only 16 percent were Black. Today, 20.5 percent of New Yorkers who live within walking distance of an Open Street are Black.

• Manhattan will receive 54 percent of “pop-up” bike lane mileage, despite already being the borough with the most bike lanes; Brooklyn and Queens will receive 21 percent and 25 percent; Staten Island and the Bronx will receive none.

• The majority of Open Restaurants utilize both the sidewalk and streets, but in Staten Island and the Bronx, nearly half of Open Restaurants locate their seating on the sidewalk alone.

The current approach to open streets has been a lifeline for restaurants and a critical tool for physical distancing, and must be expanded to mitigate mounting traffic congestion and improve conditions for the growing numbers of bus riders or cyclists. Consider Paris’ closure of 60 miles of streets to cars, with a focus on closing the most traffic-clogged streets. By contrast, New York’s disconnected and limited Open Streets segments are located on some of the least-used streets in the city, and are largely ineffective for transportation purposes. 

“Open Streets have the potential to support New York City’s recovery and create a more equitable city,” said Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris. “The Department of Transportation deserves credit for what it has achieved so far -- reclaiming space from cars is never easy in this city. We look forward to continuing to work together on a more ambitious program that can fully embrace the endless possibilities of Open Streets.” 

Some recommendations from the report include:

• Lengthening and connecting existing Open Streets, and refocusing them as transportation corridors by converting arterials which parallel subway lines into Open Streets.

• Making the most successful Open Streets permanently car-free or car-restricted, which can help not only with the stated goals of Open Streets, but also reduce crashes, address equity issues related to public space, and help meet climate goals.

• Locating new Open Streets in locations where there is the least open space and the fewest transportation choices.

• Investing in communities to avoid police-managed Open Streets, and creating a system for local participation so neighborhoods can define their own needs for and help maintain Open Streets.

• Prioritizing seating for Open Restaurants in the street, not on the sidewalk, to maximize space for pedestrians, and protecting restaurant patrons from reckless drivers by restricting traffic on streets with Open Restaurants and/or lowering speed limits to 10 mph. 

At a time when the MTA is facing massive budget cuts amid record low subway ridership, Open Streets can be a game-changer for how New Yorkers get around their city. Bus ridership has surpassed subway ridership for the first time in 50 years and bicycling is booming. Our elected leaders have a responsibility to ensure that these space-efficient modes take priority. Broadening the goal of the Open Streets program to include not just recreation and dining but also transportation, can prepare New York for recurrent outbreaks and seed the ground for long-term recovery. But that future will remain out of reach without bold political leadership and necessary resources to expand this critical program. Transportation Alternatives stands ready to support our partners in the City to make this a reality for all New Yorkers. 

“The Open Streets program currently lacks the vision to directly benefit the city’s residents who were most impacted by coronavirus and most impacted by park closures - not surprisingly, those are communities of color. Along with appropriately funding our parks and open spaces, the open streets program should be seen as an essential program to support New Yorkers and our city’s recovery, and the City must treat it as such,” said Adam Ganser, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks.

"New York's Open Streets offer riders safe routes to public transit and, for short trips, alternatives to crowded buses and trains," said Riders Alliance Executive Director Betsy Plum. "Now Mayor de Blasio has to roll them out equitably and afford access to many more New Yorkers. Our streets should be as welcoming and inclusive as possible. Putting pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and working drivers ahead of private cars citywide is a bold step toward an equitable recovery and a much fairer city."

“The Open Streets program has shown the disparities within different communities across our City. We should rethink our streets and our public spaces. This program proved that our streets can hold thousands of small businesses, like street vendors, without jeopardizing public safety,” said Mohamed Attia, Director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center. “It’s the right time for the City to lift the caps on vending permits as the bare minimum of a just recovery for such community that was hit-hard by the pandemic and didn’t receive any support from the government.”

“Open Streets is a promising start for creating more open space for people, which is now even more critical than ever,” said Carter Strickland, New York State Director for The Trust for Public Land. “To address existing inequities, however, we need more, longer, and safer Open Streets in places that don’t have a lot of parks, like central Brooklyn, central and eastern Queens, and eastern Bronx.”

“We commend the Department of Transportation, for advancing New York City’s Open Streets program during this very difficult period.  However, we know much more must be done for Bronx residents so they can be more physically active.  Adding the promised Open Streets 'pop-up' bike lanes as well as increasing the length and mileage of Open Streets in the borough will help to ensure that," said Bronx Health REACH Project Director Charmaine Ruddock.