NYC streets, sidewalks and open spaces have achieved record-breaking safety and accessibility improvements in recent years, city transportation officials reported on Thursday.
Despite ongoing controversy around street infrastructure projects — such as the construction of new bus and bike lanes — the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) says it has made significant strides in safety and accessibility in recent years, according to the city’s updated 2025 Streets Plan.
Some of the accomplishments include more areas for pedestrians. In 2024, the agency created a Public Realm unit to support pedestrians. Over 350,000 square feet of pedestrian space was created through various street design treatments, including pedestrian plazas, curb and sidewalk extensions, and pedestrian safety islands—not an easy feat in a city of over 8 million people, traffic congestion, skyscrapers, and other buildings.
While the agency made strides in installing more bike lanes, some advocates have said there is room for improvement.
A 2023 cycling census rated the city’s bike infrastructure no more than 3.2 out of five stars, mostly based on too few bike lanes or safe bike routes.
With nearly two years since that review went public, the DOT has since made progress on establishing protected bike lanes. Last year alone, the agency added 29.3 miles of protected bike lanes, the third most mileage number built in the city’s history, following a record year of 31.9 miles in 2023, the streets plan details.
“Over the past three years we’ve built a record number of protected bike lanes, pedestrian space, and intersection safety upgrades that are making our streets safer and better for everyone,” NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said. “New York City is the national leader in pioneering street safety and public space improvements, and we look forward to building upon this success.”
The agency said it also implemented a record 5,765 intersection improvements aimed at bolstering safety. These include measures to enhance visibility, reduce speeding, and more.
According to the streets plan, last year, the agency completed upgrades at a record 2,688 intersections, up from 1,464 in 2023.
Despite the progress made, transportation officials have noted that the ambitious targets set forth in the original Streets Plan in 2019 under then-mayor Bill de Blasio have proven unattainable due to “myriad logistical and resource constraints.”
For example, the NYC Independent Budget Office’s (IBO) review of initiatives to improve bus speeds found that DOT lacks enough funding to get NYC buses moving faster on the streets.
“New Yorkers deserve faster bus commutes and bus lanes that are free of double-parked vehicles, which is why DOT has focused on building physically-protected bus lanes that keep cars out and using cameras to enforce against drivers who try to turn bus lanes into personal parking lots,” a spokesperson for the DOT said last month. “As the report acknowledges, this issue predates the current administration, but we are nevertheless committed to improving bus service for millions of New Yorkers.
Meanwhile, another major accomplishment the DOT secured was the implementation of 885 accessible pedestrian signals last year. These signals help blind and low-vision pedestrians cross the street more easily.
The agency also upgraded 40 bus stops to make them accessible to riders and installed new shelters or seating at more than 225 stops.
