Friday, Feb. 13, marks the forty fourth day of Zohran Mamdani’s time period as mayor. New York News is following Mamdani round his first 100 days in workplace as we carefully observe his progress on fulfilling marketing campaign guarantees, appointing key leaders to authorities posts, and managing town’s funds. Right here’s a abstract of what the mayor did.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani introduced on Friday the restart of 4 bus and bike lane initiatives that had been halted beneath his predecessor.
It’s a part of Mamdani’s early push to hurry up transit, increase biking infrastructure, and fulfill a marketing campaign pledge to make buses quicker and ultimately free.
Talking at a Bronx bus depot alongside transit officers and advocates, Mamdani stated the initiatives have been geared toward giving riders faster journeys and safer streets, notably in neighborhoods that rely closely on buses and bicycles.
“We are bringing the streets master plan back to life,” Mamdani stated, saying the resumption of building on “four critical street redesign projects.”
The plans embrace new offset bus lanes alongside Fordham Street, the Bronx’s busiest bus hall. About 130,000 riders use buses on the route, the place speeds can drop to roughly 4 miles per hour, the mayor stated.
To enhance journey occasions, town will set up devoted lanes set off from the curb, a design supposed to cut back conflicts with parked and turning autos. Mamdani stated the administration is focusing on not less than a 20% enhance in bus speeds on precedence corridors.
“Our goal here is outcomes,” he stated. “The outcome that we are intending … is a 20% increase in bus speeds.”
He stated related offset bus lanes on Hillside Avenue in Queens elevated speeds by as much as 28%, and the administration would measure outcomes and make adjustments if needed to fulfill the goal.
The Adams administration axed plans to construct a busway on Fordham Street following protests from native enterprise house owners and native politicians like U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat and Metropolis Council Member Oswald Feliz.
Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn stated town would transfer shortly to finish initiatives introduced Friday that had been beforehand delayed, saying that work would get underway “when the weather allows.”
“We’ll be acting with urgency to finish these projects that are supported by New Yorkers, backed by data, and are long overdue,” Flynn stated, including that officers would monitor outcomes and “not hesitate to make additional upgrades as needed.”
He added that town would not permit “the safety of New Yorkers” to be handled as “a bargaining chip for back-room deals made by the last administration,” framing the revived road initiatives as a break from prior political interference.
Photograph by Lloyd Mitchell
The mayor additionally signaled that the administration may take into account additional measures if the initiatives fail to ship the focused enhancements, emphasizing that the 20% velocity enhance could be the “North Star” for bus-priority efforts.
In Brooklyn, town can be reviving a long-delayed redesign of Ashland Place, changing the block right into a shared road with expanded pedestrian area and a two-way protected bike lane. The venture will full a steady protected biking route from Sundown Park to Dumbo, with connections towards Greenpoint and Queens.
The Adams administration eliminated the Ashland Place block between Hanson Place and Lafayette Avenue from a 2023 protected bike lane plan after Adams’ senior adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, allegedly intervened on behalf of a developer with property on the block.
Officers described the block as the ultimate lacking hyperlink in a north–south protected route throughout Brooklyn.
The administration additionally introduced protected bike lanes alongside Brooklyn and Kingston avenues in central Brooklyn, an space with 10 close by colleges that has seen a excessive variety of visitors accidents. The plan features a protected loop round a close-by park and extra typical bike lanes on adjoining streets.
A fourth venture will advance a broader bike community throughout the neighborhoods of Midwood, Flatbush, and East Flatbush. As soon as accomplished, officers stated, the plan will create a community of 16 protected and standard bike corridors.
Mamdani stated the initiatives have been meant to handle long-standing rider complaints about gradual buses and unsafe streets, notably in working-class neighborhoods with out subway entry.
“For the millions who live in neighborhoods without subway access, buses and bikes are how they get where they need to go,” he stated.
Janno Lieber, MTA chair and CEO, stated bus service is dependent upon road circumstances and praised town’s determination to prioritize bus lanes.
“The buses can only move as fast as the conditions at the street level allow,” Lieber stated. “That’s why today’s announcement is so important.”
He stated the MTA would proceed discussions with town about different points, together with the mayor’s proposal for fare-free buses.
Mamdani stated any free-bus program would require alternative income and could be a part of ongoing funds negotiations with state officers.
“We want to ensure we’re actually continuing to fund the critical operations of the lifeblood of this city,” he stated. “Today we are unlocking the speed of it, and we’ll continue to look to unlock the affordability of it.”
On the occasion, Tiffany-Ann Taylor of the Regional Plan Affiliation stated the initiatives have been an necessary step towards enhancing mobility and security.
“Today’s announcements are another important step in providing riders more options to get around faster and safer,” she stated, including that prioritizing bus riders early within the administration was “an important step toward transportation equity.”
The mayor stated town would proceed neighborhood engagement across the initiatives, together with conversations with enterprise teams which have raised issues about visitors impacts alongside Fordham Street.
He stated the administration had already begun discussions with enterprise enchancment districts and would proceed outreach as designs transfer ahead.
Flynn stated the Bronx hall carries heavy visitors however that engineers have been contemplating all elements, together with entry for drivers and companies.
It is a creating story and can be up to date.
