Commuting
Streetsblog Basics
Do 12 American Regions Have Better Transit Access Than NYC? Doubtful.
Does the New York City region really rank only 13th in the nation in providing transit access to jobs? Has it truly been bested by a top five of Honolulu, San Jose, Salt Lake City, Tucson and Fresno? That's what a new report from the Brookings Institution claims, but don't worry New Yorkers, there are very good reasons to second-guess that conclusion.
May 13, 2011
New York’s Car Ownership Rate Is on The Rise
Car-free households broken down by Assembly district. Red areas indicate where car ownership has gone up, blue areas where it has decreased. Click on each district for more information.
April 6, 2011
To Stay Connected to Jobs, New Yorkers Need Better Bus Service
Over the last decades, the economic geography of New York City has begun to shift. While Midtown and Lower Manhattan remain job centers without peer, more and more of the city's jobs are located outside of the central business districts. As employment shifts into the other boroughs, however, the transit system hasn't shifted with it. That means longer waits and worse service for many New Yorkers, especially for low- and middle-income workers, according to a new report from the Center for an Urban Future.
February 23, 2011
Open Thread: How Was Your Commute?
Mayor Bloomberg was determined not to be shown up by the second major snowstorm of the season, while Jay Walder advised against non-essential transit trips (the Times reports that all subways are running). It seemed the plows were out in force last night in Inwood, though there was six to eight inches on some sidewalks this morning.
January 12, 2011
Census Data Show More New Yorkers Opting for Transit Instead of Driving
Significantly more New Yorkers are counting on trains and buses to get to work than at the beginning of the decade, according to new information from the U.S. Census. The data confirms the trend toward transit identified in NYC DOT's Sustainable Streets Index and offers a fascinating portrait of how New Yorkers' commute habits have changed in the last 10 years. Streetsblog's analysis shows that commuters are shifting away from the automobile across the state.
December 21, 2010
Pratt Center Maps the Urgent Need for Better Transit in Low-Income Areas
Last week's MTA fare hikes marked the latest setback in a string of bad news for New York City transit riders. But with the launch of Select Bus Service on the East Side of Manhattan this week, some advocates are looking ahead to further opportunities to enhance the city's surface transit network. The Pratt Center for Community Development just released its Transportation Equity Atlas, a set of maps detailing the critical need for more transit options, particularly in New York City's low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.
October 13, 2010
Report: Want to Ease Commuter Pain? Highways and Sprawl Won’t Help
Imagine two drivers leaving downtown to head home. Each of them sits in traffic for the first ten miles of the commute but at that point, their paths diverge. The first one has reached home. The second has another twenty miles to drive, though luckily for her, the roads are clear and congestion doesn't slow her down. Who's got a better commute?
September 29, 2010
Car-Dependent States Hit Hardest by Obesity Epidemic
Transportation is a public health issue. As profiled in the recently released report from the Trust for America's Health, "F as in Fat," obesity rates continue to rise across the nation, increasing the risk of serious health problems like diabetes and hypertension. To solve the obesity epidemic, the data suggest, we need to rethink our dependence on the automobile.
July 8, 2010
Bike to Work Day Finale: Why the Bronx Commutes By Bike
Streetfilms' Robin Urban Smith was up on the Grand Concourse this morning for one of New York's Bike to Work Day traditions -- the Bronx Borough President's ride from Poe Park down to Lou Gehrig Plaza. Watch and see all the different answers you get when you ask people, "Why do you bike to work?"
May 21, 2010