Earlier this year, Mayor Bloomberg's hopes for a congestion pricing plan to reduce traffic, lesson pollution, and open up space on Manhattan's streets for car-free transportation was undercut by the State Assembly's stubborn refusal to even bring it to vote.  Still, despite it's failure (and don't count out another attempt from Bloomberg to pass it in a now-likely third term), there's an impressive revolution taking place on New York City's roadways, as livable streets efforts are taking root--and gaining public support--throughout the city.  The City's Department of Transportation--which for over a generation has served automobiles at the expense of every other form of transit--is in new hands with a progressive, alternative-transportation friendly commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, and the changes to the streetscape are already apparent.  For the next couple of weeks, I'll be exploring a few different fronts of the battle for NYC's streets.  Here's a quick survey of what will be covered:

--Summer Streets:  This summer, for three consecutive Saturdays in August, nearly seven miles of Manhattan's streets--from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge--were closed off to cars in the biggest car-free event in New York's history.  Reviews were rave as New Yorkers were reintroduced to the concept of the street as a social space, and not merely a path for cars. 

--Bike Lanes and Greenways:  In 2006, the Bloomberg administration lifting cyclists' spirits by announcing a plan to nearly double the total length of bike lanes in the city--from 220 to 420 miles--by next summer.  Since then, many new routes have been laid down, including 48 new miles in Brooklyn.  Many are still simply a stripe painted on the street, but some are more advanced and better protected, like the concrete-barrier buffered lane down Ninth Avenue that was built as a test and a demo for broader implementation. 

--Pedestrian plazas:  Newly reclaimed chunks of road throughout the city are proving that New Yorkers will take whatever space they're given.  With the so-called Broadway Boulevard, a stretch of the nation's most recognizable street from 42nd to 35th has reclaimed a lane of traffic, now buffered from cars on the cheap with highly-visible orange DOT barrels and was re-graded with a pebble-textured surface.  Elsewhere in Manhattan and Brooklyn, four other pedestrian plazas have been taken back from automobiles, filled with planters and cafe tables, and have seen capacity use through even the hottest summer months. 

--Car-free parks:  The city's two crown green spaces--Central Park and Prospect Park--are still plagued by roadways that carry cars.  Fortunately, the times automobiles are allowed on these roads have been reduced, through vocal activist campaigns, to rush hours.  Not yet content, livable streets and open space advocates are calling for complete car-free parks by next year, and the DOT is running traffic simulations to gauge the feasibility. 

It should be noted that none of these car-free advances would've ever been made without the tireless efforts of many local citizens, community groups, and--most of all--the non-profit Transportation Alternatives.  Through over thirty years of dedicated work--Transporation Alternatives has established itself as the city's strongest advocate for livable streets, pedestrianism, cycling, and mass transit.

Stay tuned in coming weeks as we delve into the battle for livable streets towards a more sustainable New York City.