Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Traffic

In his "State of the City" speech on Monday, Mayor de Blasio said he'd soon release a plan to address growing congestion in the city. Photo: NYC Mayor's Office

4 Ways the Mayor Can Reduce Congestion Without Congestion Pricing

By David Meyer | Feb 15, 2017 | 19 Comments

Mayor de Blasio's forthcoming congestion plan won't call for traffic pricing, but the mayor has plenty of other options to reduce traffic congestion. Here are four policies that would provide much-needed congestion relief on NYC streets -- it's difficult to imagine any City Hall traffic reduction initiative that doesn't include some of these ideas.

Get a Glimpse of Barcelona’s “Superblocks” in Action

By Angie Schmitt | Feb 13, 2017 | No Comments

Barcelona is making headway on its "superblocks," clusters of nine city blocks where car traffic is restricted and public space is expanded. This BBC video shows how a superblock functions: Most of the street space is reserved for walking and biking, while motor vehicles are limited to narrow, indirect rights-of-way.

Tolling Toronto's Gardiner Expressway and one other highway could help the city function better. Photo: Wikipedia

Toronto’s Simple Measure to Cut Traffic and Improve Transit: Toll Highways

By Angie Schmitt | Dec 9, 2016 | No Comments

American elected officials are notoriously skittish about turning freeways into toll roads, but in Canada's biggest city the political stars are aligning to put a price on two major highways.

America Has a Terrible Traffic Safety Record Because We Drive Too Much

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 8, 2016 | No Comments

Even though the U.S. traffic fatality rate per mile driven has fallen by two-thirds in the last 50 years, America today still has the deadliest road system per capita in the developed world. Much of the improvement from safer driving and better emergency care has been wiped out by increases in total traffic. The American approach to traffic safety has emphasized seatbelt use, vehicle standards, […]

Study: High-Traffic Arterial Roads Reduce Quality of Life, Even Blocks Away

By Angie Schmitt | Aug 17, 2016 | No Comments

Seminal research by Donald Appleyard in the 1970s found the volume of traffic on a street affects quality of life for residents in profound and unexpected ways. For example, the amount of social contact people had with their neighbors was curtailed for those who lived on high traffic streets compared with those living on quieter streets. People even defined their “home […]

Ryan Russo on DOT’s “Mobility Report” and the Need for Better Bus Service

By David Meyer | Jun 10, 2016 | 3 Comments

DOT’s “New York City Mobility Report” [PDF], released earlier this week, is the agency’s first overview of NYC transportation trends in three years. As the number of people and jobs in the city has grown prodigiously in the past five years, DOT reports, the subway system and, increasingly, the bike network have allowed more New Yorkers to get […]

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