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DOT ushers in era of sustainability

On Monday, April 28, New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan ushered in what she considers “a new frontier in efforts to improve the quality of life in New York City” with the unveiling of the citywide “Sustainable Streets” plan.
The 68-page document, the most extensive of its kind for the DOT, emerged on the coattails of Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC - a plan to augment New York’s cityscape and create a sustainable future for the city’s inhabitants.
“Sustainable Streets” presents a vision to improve transportation while also addressing climate and quality of life concerns.
“A green approach to transportation can make a dramatic contribution to answering the challenges facing New York City, and make us an example for the rest of the county,” Sadik-Khan said in a statement.
Some of the chief goals outlined in the plan include cutting traffic fatalities by 50 percent from 2007 levels; creating rapid transit lines to increase the efficiency of bus transportation; increasing bicycle commuting two-fold by 2015; enhancing the energy efficiency of street lighting; improving street surfaces; and overhauling the parking system.
With the plan, the DOT aims to convert city streets into “people-friendly boulevards and world-class public spaces.” The agency is committed to creating public plazas in every community in the city and establishing 200 new miles of bike lanes, 15 miles of which would be protected bike lanes, by the year 2009.
Additionally, “Sustainable Streets” calls for minimizing street construction, multiplying High Occupancy Vehicle lanes, increasing the DOT’s use of recycled asphalt to 50 percent and boosting the number of streets and bridges with a rating of “good” by 2030.
On a management level, the plan calls for amplifying the agency’s utilization of data and establishes benchmarks to monitor the city’s progress in creating a more environmentally friendly and livable future.
“All of these factors will add up to a greater, greener New York and ensure that the city continues to thrive,” Sadik-Khan said.