Over 1.5 billion euros over ten years to transform mobility in the city. This is the decision taken by the city council last week, which plans to build 250 new cycle lanes from 2021 onwards, to be added to the nearly 2,000 kilometres of routes dedicated to cyclists. The investment forms part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's broader plan to make mobility in New York safer and more sustainable. The project envisages introducing a congestion charge – similar to Milan's Area C – to enter Manhattan (the first city in the United States to do so) as early as 2021, in addition to investing in public transport and, of course, cycling.

Less space for cars

The idea is to take physical space away from cars and make it available to cyclists, with the aim in particular of reducing accidents. While the number of New Yorkers who prefer to cycle for their daily journeys grew by 26 per cent between 2014 and 2017, accidents involving cyclists also increased over the same period: 25 deaths have been recorded in the past 20 years.

Bike New York @bikenewyork

𝕏

Today the extent of protected bike lanes in New York is more a political map - reflecting areas with more activism - than a transportation network. The Street Master Plan will give NYC a new framework for working with communities to implement safe streets across the city

♥ 35💬 3 29 ott 2019 · Apri su X →

"The way we plan our streets makes no sense and New Yorkers pay the price every day, stuck on slow buses or risking their safety on bikes without protected cycle lanes. I want to completely revolutionise the way we share our space, and that is what this bill does," said city council speaker Corey Johnson, as reported by the Guardian.

A new master plan for New York

The plan envisages developing new five-year projects focused in particular on road safety and the use of public transport, reducing vehicle emissions and improving accessibility for people with disabilities. From December 2021, the plan will kick off with nearly 250 kilometres of dedicated bus lanes and over 400 kilometres of cycle lanes separated from traffic and equipped with cameras. Within the following two years, the plan aims to add over 90,000 square metres of pedestrian areas. From 2026, the cycle lane network is to become fully connected and dedicated exclusively to cyclists, with dedicated signage. City administrators have evidently drawn inspiration from Copenhagen or Amsterdam.