Mode share varies greatly across the city, but New York continues to be a place of sustainable travel. With the exception of eastern Queens and Staten Island, the majority of trips taken by residents are made by a sustainable mode, such as walking, transit, or cycling. Sustainable mode share is as high as 85% in parts of Manhattan, with the city overall averaging 64%. These percentages are despite declines in bus ridership since 2013 and an uncertain future for the subway after pandemic losses. New Yorkers make most trips by walking, and daily cycling trips are growing (580,000 daily trips in 2019 versus 380,000 in 2013).
New York is a leader in sustainable mode share among its American peers. Even Chicago, a transit-rich and pedestrian-friendly city, has a significantly lower sustainable mode share. Internationally, New York fares well compared to London and Berlin, but falls short of Paris and Hong Kong (gold standards of 87% and 93%, respectively, according to the 2016 NYC DOT Strategic Plan).
And Some New Yorkers Pay a Larger Share of Their Income for Transportation
Most New Yorkers benefit from having such a robust transit system – on average, transportation costs made up only 9% of household costs on average, compared to an average of 12% nationwide. Looking closer, however, transportation is a significantly larger portion of household costs in some New York City neighborhoods, particularly more car- dependent neighborhoods such as Staten Island, southeast Brooklyn, eastern Queens, and the northeast Bronx, per the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s Housing and Transportation Affordability Index. And, of course, the cost of transportation can be a much higher burden for those who have lower income.
New Signage on Randall’s Island
This past year, RIPA installed new signage of all kinds at Randall’s Island Park – providing improved wayfinding and information to the increasing number of New Yorkers who visit.
Working in partnership with NYC Parks, RIPA installed new vehicular signage, working on a subtraction principle. We removed chaotic existing signage, standardized nomenclature throughout the Park, and provided necessary information only at key decision points, edited for ease of comprehension.
RIPA also updated the on-site Park maps directed toward pedestrians and bicyclists to reflect changes and improvements over the years since they were first installed, from increased bus stops to new pathway routes.
New three-sided gateway maps now welcome visitors at key bicycle and pedestrian entry points; starting in 2022, these will provide seasonal programming information alongside the colorful Park maps and regulations. Finally, please see RIPA’s website for special maps with information regarding field use, picnicking, and running on the Island.
Whatever you come for, and however you get there, enjoy the Island in 2022
How Safe Do You Feel On The Subway?
(MTA Wants to Know)
Hello,
Our top priority at the MTA is giving our customers a safe ride.
We want to help New York City get moving again, and to do that you need to feel safe riding with us. And right now, we know that many of you don’t, which is why we are working every day with our partners in the City and State to change that. Please take this short survey to let us know how you feel about safety concerns in the subway system. Your answers will be kept confidential and carefully reviewed by MTA leadership.
The survey takes three to five minutes to complete. Please use the “Take the survey” link to begin.
Thank you for your help.
-Sarah Meyer, MTA Chief Customer Officer