Wednesday's Headlines: Big Game Edition - Streetsblog New York City

"Council Transportation Committee Chairman Shaun Abreu reminded Mamdani's new DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn that the benchmarks required in the first Streets Master Plan are legal requirements, not optional, and he gave the prior administration "a big fat 'F'" for its efforts."

"According to the master plan update released just before the hearing, the DOT built 18.2 miles of protected bike lanes (far short of the 50-mile requirement) and 20.8 miles of protected bus lanes (far short of the 30-mile requirement)."

"On those bus lanes, of course, there was some voodoo math: The DOT itself rolled out the red-paint carpet along far fewer miles of roadway, but the number was inflated because the MTA added cameras to many routes last year to catch bus lane blockers (those lane miles count under the Streets Master Plan law)."

The DOT failed to meet mandatory benchmarks established by the 2019 Streets Master Plan during a Transportation Committee oversight hearing. The administration built only 18.2 miles of protected bike lanes against a 50-mile requirement and 20.8 miles of protected bus lanes against a 30-mile requirement. Council Transportation Committee Chairman Shaun Abreu criticized the prior administration's performance, emphasizing these benchmarks are legal requirements, not optional. The DOT's bus lane numbers were artificially inflated through MTA camera installations on existing routes. New DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn and officials blamed limited staffing capacity and misaligned priorities for the shortfalls.

Read at Streetsblog