The Public Advocate

for the City of New York

Letitia James Public Advocate
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL AND U.S. MAIL
July 21, 2015

Polly Trottenberg, Commissioner

New York City Department of Transportation
55 Water Street
New York, NY 10041
Dear Commissioner Trottenberg:
I want to begin by commending both yourself and Mayor Bill de Blasio for your work on
implementing Vision Zero in New York City. Far too many New Yorkers are killed or
injured in traffic, and it is our children and seniors that are the most vulnerable. I want to
work with the Transportation Department and the administration in any way I can to
make the citys streets safer for everyone.
At the same time, I have some questions in relation to the Citys plans to expand the
bicycle network, and in particular the addition of protected bike lanes. First, I would like
to learn more about how the decision was made to not include bike lanes in the redesign
of 8th Street in Manhattan, which has a width of about 34 feet. The City must take every
opportunity to install bicycle lanes when there is excess width on the street. Wide streets
encourage higher speeds, and bicycle lanes, by narrowing the roadway, both protect
cyclists and encourage drivers to maintain safe speeds. Bicycle lanes should be the
default option when a street is up for a redesign, to be excluded only when communityspecific factors make a bike lane inappropriate. This is especially true of the 25 Arterial
Slow Zones identified by the City, and I ask that bike lanes be the default option on
these streets.
I would also like to discuss whether it is possible for the Department, given its plans for
future street resurfacings, coordinate its bike network planning with the schedule for
resurfacing projects and include bicycle lanes as part of the resurfacing project, when
appropriate. I understand this would require the cooperation and approval of local
stakeholders, but this type of coordination may enable the Department to rapidly and
efficiently expand the bicycle network.

Additionally, I would like to learn what factors the Department uses to determine whether
it will install an unprotected, painted bicycle lane or a protected lane. Protected bicycle
lanes have proven to reduce crashes and injuries for all users, including motor vehicle
occupants, as data from your Department clearly shows. Total injuries are down 20
percent on the Manhattan avenues that have had protected bicycle lanes for at least three
years, while the number of bike commuters has grown, and businesses have thrived.
Given the success of protected bicycle lanes, and the imperative behind Vision Zero to do
all that is possible to eliminate traffic deaths and injuries, the City must work harder to
bring protected lanes to as many arterial streets as possible. The plan for protected lanes
along Queens Boulevard is a good start, but I urge the Department to explore every
opportunity to introduce these safety-enhancing measures across the five boroughs.
Finally, I would like to ask whether there are any bicycle network projects in the works
for the Bronx. According to the DOT website, there were no bike projects in the Bronx in
2014 and there are none planned for 2015. Currently the Bronx has the second-fewest
bike lane miles among the five boroughs, with only Staten Island having fewer bike lane
miles.
Again, thank you for all the work your Department has done up to this point to improve
safety and save lives. Overall, I would urge the Transportation Department to think
ambitiously when considering new street designs. Accomplishing Vision Zero will not be
an easy task and it will take bold action and careful communication with New Yorks
diverse, multifaceted communities. I look forward to working with you to continue this
important mission and to make Vision Zero a reality.
Sincerely,

Letitia James
Public Advocate for the City of New York