NYC transportation groups and advocates are calling on city officials to fully fund and staff the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) in order to advance street safety projects across the five boroughs.
Transportation Alternatives, along with Families for Safe Streets, sent a letter on Thursday to Mayor Eric Adams, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez and other city officials urging them to support the DOT with more staffing, funding and the end of a current “hiring freeze.”
The push comes as NYC is poised to continue making critical street safety infrastructure upgrades and implementing what advocates call “livable streets projects” like the Open Streets program.
However, according to advocates and a review by the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO), the DOT does not have the resources it needs to meet the requirements of a 2019 Streets Plan.
“With sufficient staffing and funding, DOT could help New York City improve street safety, reduce car dependency, meet our climate goals, and bring reliable transit service to more neighborhoods,” the letter, which was penned by several advocacy groups, stated. “It could finally be not just possible, but easy, for working families to thrive without a car.”
The letter goes on to say that achieving these goals “requires investment,” a sentiment that follows a NYC IBO report that found that a 28% increase in DOT’s budget over the past four years “largely reflects citywide spending trends—such as inflation, COVID-19 stimulus, and labor contracts.”
In other words, the letter stated that DOT’s funding level has stayed flat, even as they are being asked to take on far more projects.
amNewYork contacted NYC Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers, chair of the transportation and infrastructure committee, for comment and is awaiting a response.
Meanwhile, Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, testified at a March 19 NYC Council hearing to advocate for more funding for the DOT.
“An underfunded DOT doesn’t just mean more dangerous streets – it also means a less liveable, vibrant, and thriving city,” he said. “The Open Streets program is only possible because of city funding, and it desperately needs more. We agree with Open Streets organizers around New York City and join them in calling for $48 million for the program over the next three years.”
At Wednesday’s hearing, Rodriquez thanked city officials for “continued investments” that helped the DOT.
“Thanks to continued investments by Mayor Adams and the City Council, New York City has the largest and most complex department of transportation in the country, and we are leading the nation in reimagining the use of public space and making streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and all road users,” he said. “This budget will allow DOT to continue this important work.”
According to DOT officials, NYC streets, sidewalks, and open spaces have achieved record-breaking safety and accessibility improvements in recent years. But, despite the progress, the department has noted that ambitious targets set forth in the 2019 Streets Plan have proven unattainable due to resource constraints.
“A budget is a statement of values,” Furnas said. “Where we put our money shows our city’s priorities. The City Council has shown time and again that street safety matters – and now it’s time to fund it and to staff it.”
Darnell Sealy-McCrorey, a member of Families for Safe Streets, doubled down on that sentiment.
“Unfortunately, the New York City Department of Transportation doesn’t have the funding or workers to build safe streets,” he said. “We need people to design better intersections, present it to the community, and then actually pour the concrete, and all of those people need to be paid. Saving lives is possible, but it isn’t free.”
