8/7/2019 Public Advocate de Blasio Letter to Department of Transportation on 34th Street Proposal

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THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK

Bill de Blasio PUBLIC ADVOCATE

March 9, 2011

Commissioner Janette Sadik-KhanNYC Department of Transportation

55 Water Street

New York, NY 10041

Dear Commissioner Sadik-Khan:

Over the last four years the Department of Transportation (DOT) has implemented numerousmajor changes to our Citys traffic system, from bike paths to pedestrian plazas. Each of these

proposals is subjected to a DOT-led evaluation to determine its success; in some cases theseevaluations are used as the principle factor in whether pilots are made permanent. However,

these DOT-led evaluations have also provided a rubber stamp on every single one of its majorproposals, even in cases where findings were not universally supportive of the projects goals.

For this reason, I urge the DOT to subject future projects, especially the 34th

street bus rapid

transit proposal to a full Environmental Impact Assessment with an independent contractor.

Every project the DOT put forward which represented a major experimental change to our traffic

system has been supported by its post implementation evaluations. When the DOT put in thefirst bike lane on 9th Avenue, its evaluation claimed the project was a success, noting increases in

cycling, but it failed to include what impact the project had on traffic and congestion.1 Similarly

its first evaluation of the Bx12 Select Bus Service,2 the first attempt at bus rapid transit, failed tomeasure whether changes had any impact on traffic flow. In addition, evaluations of TimesSquare and Herald Square Pedestrian Plazas3, Broadway Boulevard4, and Prospect Park West

bike lanes,5

all universally supported the DOTs proposals, no matter the impact they had on

surrounding areas.

To make matters worse, in at least one case the DOT presented an evaluation to the public that

which ignored City data critical of the project. A study for Times Square and Herald SquarePedestrian Plazas entitled Green Light for Midtown Evaluation Report claimed the project had

improved traffic flow, emphasizing GPS data from taxicabs. However, the DOTs study left out

data collected by New York City Transit for the report which found that riders trying to get

downtown through the Times Square area have experienced longer travel times on four out of

1http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/20100511_columbus_ave_cb7.pdf

2http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/beaton_presentation_sbs_2010trb.pdf

3http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/broadway_report_final2010_web2.pdf

4http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/broadway_0223409.pdf

5http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/20110120_ppw_data.pdf

8/7/2019 Public Advocate de Blasio Letter to Department of Transportation on 34th Street Proposal

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five affected bus routes.6

Despite this revelation, the project remains permanently established in

its current form.

The 34th

street proposal will bring substantial change to one of the most important streets in our

City and, consequentially, requires a more thorough and independent evaluation process. 34th

street runs through the heart of the busiest commercial district in the nation. The DOTs currentproposal would be one of the most extreme changes to the area we have seen in decades, from

curbside access to traffic patterns. To ensure its proposal provides the maximum benefit to allconstituencies including commuters, drivers and the surrounding community, the DOT should be

willing to make the extra effort.

I am gratified that the DOT has responded to substantial community concerns by eliminating its

proposal for a pedestrian plaza. However, if the DOT truly believes this project is in the best

interest of the City and the community, it should allow the independent and thorough prospective

provided by an Environmental Impact Assessment.

Regards,

Bill de Blasio

Public Advocate for the City of New York

6http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/nyregion/21broadway.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=%22Pedestrian%20Plaza%22%

20AND%20%22de%20Blasio%22&st=cse