Big news for Bronx and Brooklyn residents who count on public transit and bike lanes for their daily commute: Mayor Zohran Mamdani has given the green light to restart construction on four major street redesign projects. As reported by the Mayor's Office, these projects are set to provide faster bus services and safer streets for a combined average of 130,000 daily riders and numerous cyclists.
Specifically, the plans include a new bus lane on Fordham Road in the Bronx, improvements that have emerged from an engagement with community stakeholders to finalize designs, the project aims to bolster the commute for a large segment of the population that relies heavily on public transit, biking, or walking, now, the NYC Department of Transportation will be putting down offset bus lanes, which analysis shows could bump up bus speeds by up to 28%.
In Brooklyn, the focus is on bike lane expansion and completing networks for safer cycling. The Ashland Place bike lane in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood is about to get its last block redesigned, creating a protective path from Sunset Park to DUMBO, and further connections reaching Greenpoint and Queens. Plus, Central Brooklyn is slated to see parking-protected bike lanes near more than ten schools along Brooklyn and Kingston avenues, this will form a new protected loop around Wingate Park.
"New Yorkers are fortunate to have pro-transit leaders like Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul who share our goal of delivering faster, more reliable transit service," MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber told the Mayor's Office, highlighting the administration's commitment to improving daily travel in the city. Additionally, neighborhoods with high cycling rates but limited bus infrastructure, such as Midwood, Flatbush, and East Flatbush are get parking-protected bike lanes to Cortelyou and Dorchester roads in Ditmas Park, extending from Coney Island Avenue to Flatbush Avenue, and various other streets will see new standard lanes and safety enhancements at intersections that, historically, these changes have cut down traffic deaths and serious injuries by 18% for all street users.
Transportation advocates are on board with the administration's push. "Bus riders in the Bronx deserve the best possible streets to get buses moving faster," said Ben Furnas, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, who welcomed the investments to both boroughs for biking and bussing New Yorkers, speaking to the benefits and safety they will bring. Sara Lind, Co-Executive Director of Open Plans, also praised the importance of hardened daylighting, and other improvements, noting they "are tangible improvements that New Yorkers will benefit from immediately," as mentioned on the Office of the Mayor website.
