Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Traffic

With Congestion Getting Worse, City Wants to Stem Flood of Uber Licenses

By Stephen Miller | Jun 23, 2015 | 14 Comments

The de Blasio administration and the City Council want to slow the growth in new black car licenses over the next year. With companies like Uber adding tens of thousands of black cars to the mix over the past few years, mainly in the most congested parts of Manhattan, the city wants to get a better handle […]

It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way

By Ben Fried | Jun 1, 2015 | 46 Comments

Quick thought experiment… Imagine for a moment that New York City has a toll system where there are no free rides. No reason for drivers to toll shop, clogging up the routes to free bridges. There is, effectively, a uniform fare for every car trip into the incredibly crowded center of town, revenue from which […]

Trottenberg: DOT Skipped Its Legally-Required Data Report Last Year

By Stephen Miller | Apr 30, 2015 | 2 Comments

DOT is almost six months past due on a report card required by city law that measures whether the city is meeting its goals of reducing car use, improving safety, and shifting trips to walking, bicycling, and transit. Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg says her department is skipping a year and will instead issue a report covering […]

Margaret Chin: Toll Reform Will Protect New Yorkers From Truck Traffic

By Brad Aaron | Feb 12, 2015 | 25 Comments

City Council Member Margaret Chin today introduced legislation to require the city to examine the effects of New York City’s dysfunctional bridge toll system on traffic safety. The bill would also mandate regular DOT safety audits for all city truck routes. Trucks account for 3.6 percent of vehicles on city streets but are involved in 32 […]

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The Feds Quietly Acknowledge the Driving Boom Is Over

By Phineas Baxandall | Jan 7, 2015 | No Comments

The Federal Highway Administration has very quietly acknowledged that the driving boom is over. After many years of aggressively and inaccurately claiming that Americans would likely begin a new era of rapid driving growth, the agency’s more recent forecast finally recognizes that the protracted post-World War II era has given way to a different paradigm. […]

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The Importance of Driving to the U.S. Economy Started Waning in the 70s

By Angie Schmitt | Dec 18, 2014 | No Comments

Earlier this year, following a slight uptick in U.S. traffic volumes, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a press release, “More people driving means our economy is picking up speed.” He’s not the only person to equate traffic with economic growth. Even former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg once said, “We like traffic, it […]

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