NYC Dept of Transportation Says Biking Is Up And Streets Are Safer

NYC Dept of Transportation Says Biking Is Up And Streets Are Safer

 Biking continues to go up in New York as driving and transit ridership stays nearly flat, according to a report being released today by the New York City Department of Transportation. The report found that bicycle commuting into Manhattan increased by 13 percent in 2010. During that same period, subway and bus ridership dropped by a little bit over 2 percent, while car traffic rose slightly.

The report comes after several other reports, including reports out of NYU and Rutgers, say cycling is only a small percentage of commuters. But the NYC DOT says that is based on older data gathered by the US census, and that census data is an inexact measure of bike commuting because it only measures “primary” methods of commutes.  The DOT says its methods are more accurate because they measure actual bicycle riders, consistent with national traffic management measures.

American Society of Civil Engineers Gives New York Worst Grade Ever

American Society of Civil Engineers Gives New York Worst Grade Ever

The American Society of Civil Engineers gives New York its worst report card ever:  42 percent of bridges are structurally deficient, drinking water needs a $15 billion investment, and nearly half of major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.

WXXI of Rochester’s Bob Smith spoke to Transportation Nation Director Andrea Bernstein about how it has come to this…and why negative political campaigning has created a populace skeptical of government spending of all forms…including infrastructure spending.
You can listen to the program here — part of New York State Public Radio’s series State of Disrepair — Transportation Nation