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Transportation Alternatives
@TransAlt
We reclaim NYC from cars, transforming our streets into safe, sustainable, & equitable places to walk, bike, take transit, gather, and thrive 🗽
Non-Governmental & Nonprofit Organization New York Citytransalt.org/connectJoined May 2008
2,318 Following
41.3K Followers

Transportation Alternatives’s Tweets

Transportation Alternatives
@TransAlt
In 2000, a bike rider sharing the road with the best-selling car — a Toyota Camry — would have 18 inches on either side of them. A bike rider sharing the road with today's popular "car" — the Ford F-150 — would have just 4 inches. Bigger cars = less space for the rest of us ⬇️
An illustration showing one cyclist riding between two sedans, with 18" of space on either side of them, and below that, another cyclist riding between two trucks, with 4" of space on either side of them. The headline reads "Bigger Cars = Cyclists More at Risk" with a description below: "Larger cars take up more of the road: passing distances have shrunk by 75% since 2000, putting cyclists in greater danger of being doored or sideswiped."
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@TransAlt
While the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers walk, use micromobility, or take transit, they get less than 25% of the space on our streets. If NYC wants to reach its climate goals, achieve Vision Zero, or give people better ways to get around, our streets must change.
Bar graph showing that 70% of New Yorkers travel by walking, micromobility, and transit vs. 30% driving. Next to it, another bar graph shows that 76% of street space is allocated for driving and 26% for walking, micromobility, and transit
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@TransAlt
SO THE THING ABOUT BUILDING MORE ROADS OR MORE PARKING IS IT WILL ACTUALLY MAKE TRAFFIC WORSE BECAUSE WHEN YOU BUILD MORE ROADS OR PARKING IT MAKES IT EASIER TO DRIVE SO MORE PEOPLE WILL BUY CARS AND CHOOSE TO DRIVE AND THEN YOU JUST NEED TO BUILD MORE ROADS AND MORE PARKING WHIC
one person yelling into another person's ear
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@TransAlt
More NYC households own a bike than a car, yet bike lanes make up less than 1% of our street space. Millions rely on bus service, yet we dedicate less than 1% of our streets to buses. 96% of New Yorkers walk to and from transit, yet sidewalks make up just 22.7% of our streets.
Graphic showing 51.4% of our street space is dedicated to moving cars, 24.8 is dedicated to parking them, 0.96 is for bus and bike lanes plus Open Streets, and 22.7% is for sidewalks
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@TransAlt
New York City just received approval from the federal government to advance congestion pricing! Congestion pricing will: ✅ Reduce crashes ✅ Deliver billions for transit upgrades ✅ Speed up buses ✅ Improve air quality
USDOT approves congestion pricing, enabling New York to advance is plan to reduce congestion and raise billions for public transit
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@TransAlt
A driver with 160 traffic violations. A three-month-old is dead. Their mother is critically injured. We are furious and heartbroken. Six people killed this weekend on NYC streets. We need immediate action from
@NYCMayor
to save lives. Our statement: transalt.org/press-releases
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Liam Quigley
@_elkue
A baby was hit by an out of control driver on Gates Ave in Brooklyn. One vehicle with PA involved has more than 50 school zone speeding tickets.
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@TransAlt
5X as efficient, but please go on about how bike lanes are making traffic worse.
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Brent Toderian
@BrentToderian
A bike-lane moved 2.5X as many people as a regular traffic lane in a @TFL study, & given that they are half the width, the study concluded that bike-lanes are 5X as efficient as vehicle traffic lanes. HT @urbanthoughts11. Mobility in cities is about space.
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@TransAlt
A single lane can move just 1,600 people per hour in cars. A two-way protected bike lane? 7,500 people/hour. A car-free bus lane? 8,000 people/hour. A sidewalk? 9,000 people/hour. A car-free busway? 25,000 people/hour in each direction. The solutions to gridlock are obvious.
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Bloomberg CityLab
@CityLab
Rush hour traffic is back 😡 trib.al/5NpuMDV
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@TransAlt
HUGE. "Cities might soon get federal money to tear down inner-city highways that federal dollars built in the first place — and use that money to reinvest in communities of color that those highways destroyed."
usa.streetsblog.org
Senate Considering $10B for Highway Removal — Streetsblog USA
Cities might soon get the kind of federal money they need to tear down the downtown highways that federal dollars paid them to build — and to reinvest in communities of color that those highways...
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@TransAlt
We are angry. Really angry. On a day where we should be celebrating the success of Open Streets, instead we're mourning the loss of another New Yorker killed by preventable traffic violence. (1/4)
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@TransAlt
For the first time, we have a full year of serious injury data for NYC. These are the most serious injuries: Loss of limbs, loss of organs, hospitalizations of 90+ days, and fatalities. In 2022, there were 2,933 serious injuries total. We must do more to keep people safe.
map of all serious injuries in NYC for 2022
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@TransAlt
Today, we are devastated to learn that another New Yorker on a bike was killed by a truck driver. This is the third cyclist killed in eleven days, and the 18th cyclist killed in 2023.
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@TransAlt
More than 75% of NYC's space is devoted to driving and free storage for cars — even though a minority of New Yorkers own a car, fewer than 25% drive to work, and the vast majority of us walk, bike, and take transit. Is this the best use of our streets? We say no.
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@TransAlt
SUV drivers killed four New Yorkers — including a 7-year-old girl in Astoria as she crossed the street — this weekend.
@NYCMayor
can and must take action today to protect pedestrians by requiring
@NYC_DOT
to daylight ALL intersections. Here's what daylighting does:
By removing the parking spots closest to an intersection to increase visibility — a practice known as daylighting — the City of New York can make intersections safe. State law requires this, but the City of New York overrides this life-saving requirement to prioritize parking over safety.
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@TransAlt
Huge step forward for a New York City with cleaner air, fewer cars, and safer streets 🤩
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The New York Times
@nytimes
Breaking News: Congestion pricing in New York City cleared its final federal hurdle, all but ensuring that the first program in the U.S. will begin next year, in an effort to reduce traffic and pollution in Manhattan and fund improvements to mass transit. nyti.ms/3JsBODa
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@TransAlt
If restaurants will have to pay fees to use public space for their structures, the logical next question is whether the city will begin metering all on-street parking for drivers who store their private vehicles at the curb.
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Gothamist
@Gothamist
Under guidelines being drafted, outdoor dining structures must be easy to disassemble, moveable to allow snow removal and utility work, and not be enclosed. Restaurants will also have to pay fees to use public space for the structures. bit.ly/3y1kYUX
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@TransAlt
An unnamed 35-year-old on a bicycle. Raife Milligan, a 21-year-old NYU student. Alissa Kolenovic, a 16-year-old walking to school. Our crisis of traffic violence continues with no end in sight. Six people have been killed on our streets in three days.
nydailynews.com
NYU student struck by drunk driver in East Village dies
Raife Milligan, 21, was crossing E. Houston St. near First Ave. about 2:45 a.m. Monday when he was struck by a Camaro driven by Queens resident Michael de Guzman, cops said.
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@TransAlt
More road space and car traffic make heat worse. We went to Canal Street to see just how much worse it can be. As extreme heat becomes more common, we need to act now to reduce its impact by increasing greenspace and taking away space from cars.
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@TransAlt
Raised crosswalks reduce car speeds by up to 9 mph, while providing level crossings for pedestrians ✅
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NYC DOT
@NYC_DOT
We're reimagining #NYCStreets. We recently completed this Raised Crosswalk on Jamaica Ave and 170th St in #Queens that encourages motorists to yield to pedestrians and creates safer and more accessible crossings
People crossing a street over a raised crosswalk while a driver turns.
People crossing a street over a raised crosswalk. .
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@TransAlt
We are devastated to share that Sammy’s Law did not advance out of the Assembly. Sammy's Law passed the Senate and was approved by the City Council with overwhelming majorities. We know Sammy's Law would have passed if it was brought for a vote.
New Yorkers will die because the Assembly refused to act. Failing to call the vote on Sammy’s Law is a slap in the face to the countless New Yorkers devastated by traffic violence in our city, including Amy Cohen and Fabiola Mendieta-Cuapio whose sons were killed by reckless drivers. They went on hunger strike for nearly 100 hours with a simple demand: call the vote on Sammy’s Law, and protect other families from suffering.
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@TransAlt
These two streets shouldn't have the same speed limit. But Albany, not New Yorkers, control our speed limits. 72% of NYC voters agree, we should control our speed limits.
large arterial road
calm residential street
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@TransAlt
We are heartbroken & outraged. A 70-year-old woman was killed on a block between a park and pedestrian-dense shopping district that should be car-free. Cities around the world are banning cars from spaces like this, making them wholly safe for pedestrians. NYC is not.
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Liam Quigley
@_elkue
On 17th street where about an hour ago a tow truck driver hit and killed a person. Area taped off now.
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@TransAlt
Governor Hochul wants Sammy's Law. Mayor Adams wants Sammy's Law. The NYC Council wants Sammy's Law. NYC DOT wants Sammy's Law. The State Senate passed Sammy's Law. A majority of NYC assemblymembers co-sponsored Sammy's Law. Speaker Heastie, what will it take?
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@TransAlt
HUGE thanks to
@SenSchumer
for securing $4 billion in latest #COVID19 stimulus to fund the MTA and #SaveTransit. Public transit is our city's lifeblood, and our post-pandemic recovery depends on a strong, funded system that helps NYers get around again!
nydailynews.com
Congress strikes a deal on coronavirus stimulus package
Speaking from the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said a deal had finally been reached after much negotiating from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
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@TransAlt
New Yorkers can’t afford to wait for street safety upgrades. The next budget from
@NYCMayor
+
@NYCCouncil
must prioritize and complete projects in underserved communities. All New Yorkers need safe streets. We can start by investing in bus and bike lanes in every neighborhood.
The blue area has more bus lanes than the red. Map of NYC Council Districts showing a small blue part of Manhattan having more than a lot of the city.
The green area has more bike lanes than the yellow. Map of NYC Council Districts showing a small green part of Manhattan having more than a lot of the city.
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@TransAlt
Killed while wearing a shirt featuring the subway map. His most prized possession was a vintage bike from the 1970s. RIP Jeff Williamson, longtime #bikenyc member. We keep up our fight so no more New Yorkers are taken too soon by traffic violence.
nydailynews.com
NYC cyclist set to retire when postal truck took his life
Jeff Williamson was wearing a T-shirt featuring the city’s subway map when the truck took a right onto Central Park West and the 86th St. Traverse on the Upper West Side on Tuesday evening, his wife...
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Transportation Alternatives
@TransAlt
This #EarthDay you'll hear all about ~innovation~ but we shouldn’t just rely on fancy tech as our antidote for the climate crisis. Age-old solutions (walking! biking! transit!) drastically lower emissions. Prioritize people over cars on streets & this can be reality. #NYC25x25
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Transportation Alternatives
@TransAlt
Tired of narrow sidewalks? Us, too — New York should set a minimum sidewalk width of eight feet, tied to zoning, and fund a program that widens existing sidewalks that fail to meet this minimum.
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@TransAlt
Just so we're clear: essential workers can ride in a car, but may not ride a bike, after 11PM? Tale of two cities indeed,
@NYCMayor
.
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Citi Bike
@CitiBikeNYC
As directed by @NYCMayorsOffice, we are temporarily shutting down service tonight, restarting as soon as curfew is lifted at 5am. We know NYC is hurting right now. We’re still discussing options for providing service during curfew hours and will share more when we can.
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Transportation Alternatives
@TransAlt
📈 OUR NEW POLL 📈 reveals huge array of NYC voters support projects that prioritize people over cars on our streets. Bike lanes, bus lanes, open streets - you name it! Read below for roundup of key data from our recent Siena College survey.
transalt.medium.com
Clear Majority of New York City Voters Support Removing Car Parking to Build Streets for People
Results are a wake-up call to 2021 candidates. Reimagining streets isn’t just good policy, it’s good politics too.
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@TransAlt
We can regain 100% of our sidewalk space for less than 5% of parking spaces. Trash containerization is a no-brainer.
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Emma G. Fitzsimmons
@emmagf
*NEW* Could New York City finally get trash containerization like other big cities across the globe? The Adams administration says it’s possible, but would require losing 150,000 parking spots: nyti.ms/41YFrYF
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@TransAlt
Replying to
@TransAlt
Streets are the single largest public space in NYC, but the way we allocate our street space is fundamentally unfair. A car-dominated city has immense costs: More traffic violence, less green space, more CO2 + noise pollution, lower life expectancy, accelerating climate change.
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Transportation Alternatives
@TransAlt
There are more than 1.5 free parking spaces per car in NYC. Yet there is just 1 bike parking space per *116 bikes* in NYC. To protect pedestrians and increase bike parking, NYC should daylight intersections with bike corrals 👇
bike corral between two large planters
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@TransAlt
For the folks keeping score at home: The 14th Street #PeopleWay 🚍 Sped up bus trips 👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 Won back M14 riders 🚛 Eased freight deliveries 🚗 Did not clog parallel routes 📱 Got people talking about buses 😎 Became a model for NYC streets
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@TransAlt
A driver slammed his
@Ford
pickup truck into an outdoor dining area in Sunset Park last week, injuring three. Did
@NYCMayor
speak with Ford execs about suspending sales in the five boroughs until they find a way to make pickup trucks safe? gothamist.com/food/video-sho
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Mayor Eric Adams
@NYCMayor
Transportation alternatives are important but safety on our streets is paramount. We spoke with Revel this morning and they are shutting down until we can find a way to make shared mopeds safe.
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Transportation Alternatives
@TransAlt
“Some 27,000 bus riders, who for years endured a daily commute on the slowest bus route in the city, now enjoy one of the fastest. If we’re smart, we’ll learn from the experience, and see this as just the beginning of a much bigger revolution.”
nydailynews.com
Miracle on 14th St.?: No, it’s just putting people and buses first; now, let’s expand the idea...
If you haven’t been to 14th St. in Manhattan lately, you’re missing out on something transformational. Last week, the crosstown corridor was converted from a congested, honking mess into a calm,...
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Transportation Alternatives
@TransAlt
New Penn Station plan has: ✅ Wider sidewalks. ✅✅ New protected bike lanes. ✅✅✅ BIKE PARKING AT A TRANSIT HUB. #WeLoveToSeeIt #BikeNYC #NYC25x25
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Governor Kathy Hochul
@GovKathyHochul
Replying to @GovKathyHochul
We’re putting pedestrians and cyclists front and center. On top of 8 acres of new public space, we will widen sidewalks, build new protected bike lanes & bike parking and make other improvements to the streetscape that improve safety. 8/
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@TransAlt
JERSEY BARRIERS FOR ALL PROTECTED BIKE LANES IN JERSEY CITY
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Steven Fulop
@StevenFulop
We are in the process of buying jersey barriers for all of our protected bike lanes. We are planning on moving from flex posts to more substantial protection in 2022. Pricing is coming back now to make the change as we think it will be safer for the network + cheaper in long term twitter.com/Ollie_Cycles/s…
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Transportation Alternatives
@TransAlt
Don't want to pay the future congestion pricing fee? Whether you're in NYC, NJ, Long Island, upstate, or elsewhere you've got options: ✅ Subway ✅ Bus ✅ Walking ✅ Biking ✅ PATH ✅ NJ Transit ✅ LIRR (now with 2 terminals!) ✅ Metro-North ✅ Access-A-Ride ✅ Ferry ✅ Amtrak
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