Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Assessing the State of the NYC Streets Plan in 2026

(00:00:26)

I do not think so.

(00:00:50)

Heat. Hey. Heat. Hey. Heat.

(00:04:22)

We are here for the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. At this time, we ask you to silence all electronic devices and at no time is anybody to approach the dais. Chair, you may begin.

(00:04:33)

Welcome to the Super Bowl of Streets Plan, everybody.

(00:04:58)

Good morning and welcome to today's hearing on the New York City Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I am CM Shaun Abreu, majority leader and chair of this committee. Today, the committee is holding an oversight hearing titled Streets Plan Update, assessing the state of the Streets Plan in 2026. We will examine Department of Transportation's latest progress in implementing the Streets Plan, how they intend to comply with the law's requirements in 2026, and what more can be done to improve upon the Streets Plan in the years ahead. We will also hear several pieces of legislation related to street safety, accessibility, transportation equity, and the use of public space.

Int 0013-2026, sponsored by Speaker Menin in relation to the installation of solar-powered crosswalks. Int 0093-2026, sponsored by CM Brewer in relation to expanding the bicycle parking station program. Int 0163-2026 sponsored by CM De La Rosa in relation to a study and report on the feasibility of providing ferry service to Inwood. Int 0202-2026 sponsored by CM Gutierrez in relation to the time permitted for the installation of a traffic calming device or traffic control device on any street adjacent to a school. Int 0310-2026 sponsored by CM Marte in relation to requiring the Department of Transportation to install bilingual street name signs. Int 0628-2026, sponsored by CM Restler, in relation to expanding access to sidewalk and roadway cafe applications. Int 0655-2026, sponsored by CM Restler in relation to expanding access to roadway and sidewalk cafes. Preconsidered intro sponsored by CM Hanif in relation to requiring curb extensions at certain dangerous intersections. Pre-considered intro sponsored by Speaker Menin in relation to maximum clear path requirements for sidewalk cafes and preconsidered intro sponsored by CM Restler in relation to the expansion of pedestrian space.

The Streets Plan was enacted to move New York City towards safer streets, faster buses, better bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and to create a more equitable transportation system. It established clear mandates, clear legal mandates, and timelines to ensure that the city took actionable steps to ensure street safety. Since the launch of Vision Zero, New York City has made important progress, and the recent decline in traffic fatalities is somewhat encouraging, but we all know that the city experienced years in which traffic deaths increased, and far too many New Yorkers, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers continue to be killed or seriously injured on our streets. For many advocates and communities, the concern has not been whether we know what works, but whether we are moving quickly enough to implement it. That is why the Streets Plan matters so much. It is the city's central mandate to deliver protected bus lanes, protected bike lanes, transit security, transit signal priority upgrades, bus stop upgrades, accessible pedestrian signals, pedestrian space improvements, and intersection redesigns. Yet, as prior years have shown, the Department of Transportation has repeatedly fallen short of these requirements, particularly with respect to bus lanes, bike lanes, and bus stop upgrades.

Today marks a turning point in the Streets Plan. We have a new mayor and a new commissioner and the next 5-year plan is due at the end of this year. So today we will find out where DOT stands in its fulfillment of the Streets Plan mandates and how the agency plans to meet the next phase of Streets Plan requirements and of course how we can make up for lost time. In addition to the Streets Plan update, today's legislative agenda reflects the broad scope of DOT's work and the many ways transportation policy intersects with public safety, accessibility, economic activity, and neighborhood quality of life. From safer crossings near schools to clearer directions through bilingual signage to the administration of sidewalk and roadway cafes to safety improvements like curb extensions and illuminated signage. These proposals speak to how New Yorkers experience the city every day. As always, our goal is to understand what is working, what is not, and what changes are needed to move forward. It is our goal to ensure that the city's transportation investments are advancing safety, accessibility, reliability, and equity for all New Yorkers.

Before we begin, I would like to thank my staff from the committee for their hard work in preparing for today's hearing. Jalisa Quigley, my deputy chief of staff and director of legislation and budget. Mark Chen, senior counsel to the committee. Theodore Miller, counsel to the committee. Kevin Katowski, senior policy analyst to the committee. John Bazil, senior policy analyst to the committee. and Adrian Japal, principal financial analyst to the committee. I would also like to thank Sarah Swain, senior counsel, and Natalie Meltzer, senior policy analyst from the committee on consumer and worker protection for their assistance. I will now pass it over to CM Marte to speak on his legislation.

(00:10:16)

Good morning, everyone. I would like to thank Majority Leader Abreu for holding this hearing and for all the advocates that are here today. If you visit Chinatown in Lower Manhattan, you will see one of the most unique pieces of infrastructure in New York City, bilingual street signs, both in English and Chinese. While there are few specific streets in the city that have bilingual signs, only in Chinatown does every corner in the neighborhood have these bilingual signs. For the thousands of residents in Chinatown and the 10,000 more who visit from across the city and world, these street signs are not just a nice amenity, they are a lifeline. For 60 years, Chinese immigrants who do not read English have been using these street signs to navigate around their community. They could not live in Chinatown without the help of these street signs. But unfortunately, they are disappearing. While the DOT installed these signs in the 1960s and 80s, there has not been an investment in bilingual street signs since then.

Int 0310-2026 would change that. The Bill will require DOT to commit to a permanent bilingual street sign program in Chinatown. But even more exciting, this Bill will expand bilingual street signs citywide, allowing council members to request these signs in their district. By passing this Bill, we can give all immigrant communities the same benefit Chinatown has. Expanding bilingual street signs would not only provide language access to those who need it, but it will also add the culture and character of these immigrant communities, giving them even greater ownership of their neighborhoods. At a time when the federal government is trying to criminalize our immigrant neighbors, this Bill is just one easy way we can push back and make it clear that our city welcomes everyone and embraces immigrants. I look forward to hearing the administration testify today and working with my colleagues to pass this Bill. Thank you, chair.

(00:12:08)

Thank you, CM Marte. I am now going to pass it over to CM Restler to speak on his legislation.

(00:12:19)

Chair, I can beatbox. Do you can you beatbox? Is that a thing? No. All right. Wonderful. Well, let me just say, Chair Abreu, it is wonderful to be here. This is my first transportation committee where I have the chance to join you. So, thank you, Majority Leader, and thank you, Chair. Excited to have you in this role and to have such a great champion for improving safe streets across our city. I am really excited to have not one, not two, but three bills on the agenda today.

First, we are hearing pre-considered legislation to expand pedestrian space. And this was frankly a missed opportunity in the last version, the original version of the Streets Plan. Walking is the primary way that we all get around as New Yorkers. And frankly, the city does far too little to ensure that we have adequate pedestrian space across our communities, especially in the most congested areas. This legislation would require the city of New York to add 1 million square feet of pedestrian space every single year for the next 5 years. This would be expanding sidewalk space around the busiest subway stops and bus stops. This would be adding more open streets, adding more public plazas, adding more daylighting so that we all have the necessary pedestrian space that we need to get around. As a New Yorker, I do not think there is anything more frustrating than being stuck behind a slow walking person. And it often happens in these highly congested areas because we just do not have enough space for all of us to get around. If you want to walk on Fulton Road with CM Sanchez or on Jay Street with me in downtown Brooklyn or 125th Street with the majority leader, you will see that we do not have enough pedestrian space for our communities.

Secondly, we are hearing Int 0655-2026 that will restore year-round outdoor dining and relax hurdles and make it easier for small businesses to participate in the program. I am thrilled that Speaker Menin has been a champion of restoring year-round outdoor dining and supporting my legislation. New Yorkers have been clamoring for year-round outdoor dining since the program was ended some years ago. During the pandemic, we saw 6, 7, 8,000 restaurants secure permits for roadway dining. And it was a tremendous success. It was great for restaurants. It was great for restaurant workers. It was great for our neighborhoods. Most of all, it was great for all of us to be able to enjoy a wonderful meal sitting at a favorite restaurant outside on a favorite block. But instead, this new version of the program has essentially decimated the outdoor dining program. I think 450 restaurants, we will get the updated numbers from DOT today, but 450 restaurants have secured the full permits, not the conditional permits, but full permits for the spring. It is just abysmal. And we have so much improvement to do to make this program better. Year-round outdoor dining will make it easier for restaurants to participate in the program. And I want every restaurant in New York City to have confidence this spring that year-round outdoor dining is coming back and coming back swiftly.

We do absolutely need to keep rules in place for high standards of cleanliness to help avoid rats. We need to address snow removal and safety concerns. We need to address quality of life impacts to make sure that outdoor dining structures are not negatively impacting neighbors who live upstairs or down the block. But we can do all of this with clear standards and enforcement while ensuring a successful year-round outdoor dining program.

And lastly, we are also hearing Int 0628-2026, which will require the Department of Transportation to establish in-person application locations and allow restaurants to save their progress on the application and return at a later date when they are applying for outdoor dining permits. This is an extensive application, probably too extensive, with lots of information required, and filling out the application itself should not be yet another burden that gatekeeps restaurants from participating in this valuable program.

I am grateful to so many partners who have worked with us on this package of bills, especially Transportation Alternatives, Open Plans New York, Hospitality Alliance, and many small businesses and restaurant owners from across my district and across the city. I cannot wait to bring back this dynamic year-round outdoor dining program and hopefully expand pedestrian space with this package today. Thank you to the chair and look forward to good updates on the Streets Plan. I do not know what that was. Oh, but hopefully it was nothing I said. And just thrilled that we have a mayor who actually cares about these things for the first time in some years. Thank you, chair.

(00:17:42)

Sergeants. Sergeants, can we have another seat here, please, to have five people testify? So, we are going to have the pre-panel testify. Lizzy Raman, Chris Sanders, Diane the Queen Mazize, Raphael Orlo, and Joyce Race.

(00:18:05)

Some folks are in the overflow room and they are going to make their way here.

(00:19:20)

And after this panel testifies, Abby Jurro will be on virtually.

(00:19:20)

You may begin.

(00:19:20)

Hello, my name is Lizzie Raman and you already have seen that I have been holding on to a picture and I have been holding on to this picture not only now for the last 18 years. This boy, he is my son and he was only 22 years old when he was killed by a reckless truck driver on a wide street without a bike lane in 2008, which is Queens Boulevard. You know, Queens Boulevard was known as Boulevard of Death at that time. But after my son's death, I promised to myself somehow I will get bike lanes on this treacherous, dangerous street and I fought for it. I got help from lot of people, lot of organization, lot of elected officials and finally we got it. It was finalized completely done last year. But work started 6 years after my son's death. It was so slow.

And the thing is he cannot be saved anymore. He is gone. But the thing is his life, his blood, my tears, it all paid for a clear path for all the other bikers, people, those who bike on Queens Boulevard and other streets in New York City. And my plea to the new mayor and this committee is that we should make sure that all the people in New York City, bikers, pedestrians, drivers, they are safe. And to do that we have to take a lot of measures and you cannot alone fix the system. You got to get experienced people. So, we hope you will make sure that transportation DOT has more experienced and qualified people to do the job and mayor has to make sure and we have a lot of hope on this mayor. We know the past four years not that much has been done or maybe nothing has been done but we are hopeful that in the beginning of this mayor's term we have seen progress and we have seen hope and we hope that things will move in the right direction and we will make pedestrians and bicyclists and drivers and children safe in our city.

And I urge you to make sure that Sammy's Law is passed all around New York City schools speed limit should be 20 miles per hour. And the another point is bike lanes. There are bike lanes. Queens Boulevard has bike lanes and a lot of major streets they have bike lanes and many they do not have. But those bike lanes they have to be connected like people they ride their bikes on a bike lane and then they are stranded in the middle of a bridge and they just fall down because there is no protection nothing to save them nothing to protect them. So I request I urge that there are connected bike lanes from one street to another street and there are more bike lanes to keep bikers safe and people already discussed and they will be discussing more that biking serves a lot of different purposes. It serves saves global warming and it saves time. It is good for the health and more and more young people and older people they are riding bicycles and I appreciate that time. Thank you very much for listening to me.

(00:23:16)

I appreciate your testimony and for sharing your very personal experience and that is why we are holding today's hearing so that we can prevent what happened to your son from happening in the future. Again, thank you so much for sharing that.

(00:23:34)

All right. Thank you, Shaun. Thank you, transportation committee. My name is Chris Sanders. I am the co-chair of the TA Manhattan Activist Committee. I have fought for better bike infrastructure in this city for roughly six years now. And let me tell you, the fight has not been easy. I lived in Harlem for 12 years before moving to Midtown last year. Harlem and neighborhoods like it have far too little protected bike lanes. When I ride up to my barber shop in Washington Heights, everybody is parked in the bike lane. Adam Clayton Powell, not safe. The bike lane stops at 116th Street and that is all you get. I experienced getting run down by cars, people swerving, not paying attention. And I would feel the differences when I would come downtown. So I used to work at Clear and I would go into the office like 2021, 2022. Down below 110th Street, the bike lanes are nice and fancy and they are protected. And the reason I would still choose to bike then and now is because it is literally the fastest way for me to get around most of the time. I do not have to wait on the subway platform. I can go straight into work, all that. And recently I have been traveling around to other global cities and some of these cities are prioritizing bike lanes like London and Barcelona and Zurich, shockingly, Amsterdam which everybody already knows. And I think we should use this second Streets Plan to get New York to where it needs to be. It is a global city. It is not competing with the rest of America.

It is competing with the rest of the world and we need to bring our streets up to that high standard. A new Streets Plan gives me hope that a bike lane network can work for everyone. Biking makes us healthier, makes our communities stronger. It is imperative that bike infrastructure feels safe, well integrated, well connected for the whole city. The gaps in the network lead to confusion, unnecessary conflict.

So basically, the current bike network, it is not a network. It is just luck if they happen to connect together. And ideally, I would like the new Streets Plan to focus on making the bike lanes a network and expanding them to the areas that do not have it. Thank you.

(00:27:18)

Thank you very much.

(00:27:21)

Hello. My name is Joliss Race. I am with Riders Alliance. We are a grassroots organization that fights for better public transportation in New York City. And I want to thank the Council for giving us the space to speak as a group here today. So for the past six years, I have been organizing bus riders across the city. And four years ago, I stood outside of City Hall and rallied with other transit advocates to ensure proper funding for the Streets Plan, which we won. Unfortunately, this plan has not yet resulted in meeting meaningful speed, bus speed, or service improvements for most riders in New York City. As a transit organizer, it was a long four years fighting for bus riders under the Adams administration. And for four years, the Streets Plan was ignored and bus riders were completely disrespected by the elected officials, save a few, whose salary is quite literally paid for by the working-class people that are riding the bus. Riders cannot afford another administration like our last one. And our hope here today is to encourage DOT, Council and our mayor to bring the changes we need to give bus riders the dignified commutes they deserve. For the past two years, I have been focused on organizing riders to bring faster bus service to Flatbush Avenue. We have held dozens of community meetings, canvassed, and talked to thousands of riders taking buses along the corridor. And we hear the same thing over and over and over again.

Riders are waiting too long in extreme weather conditions only to board crowded buses that get stuck in traffic. Bus lanes are not respected by individual vehicles and bus riders are showing up late to work, interviews, picking up their children, appointments, and everything else. And I cannot even count the amount of times that the B12 has made me late to meetings. And this kind of stress adds up over time and seriously impacts the overall quality of life for millions of people in the city. 50% of riders, bus riders are essential workers, the very people who are keeping our cities educated, healthy, and fed. So, why are they treated like their commutes do not matter?

So, we are calling on the mayor to speed up buses citywide by 20%. And we are asking the Council and DOT to use the Streets Plan in order to do that because it is possible. Thank you.

(00:30:00)

Thank you very much.

(00:30:44)

Hi. I am Rafael Orlov. I am here with Riders Alliance. I have lived on and around Flatbush for over a decade now. And the bus has improved over that time in so many ways. It is much easier now to pull up an app to find the right bus route and knowing that bus is coming. But that has only made it so much more painful to get on that bus and be stuck in the same traffic as everyone else. I am a reporter writing about transportation. I own a car and have covered car ownership and car culture in the city for 15 years. But the city gives too much leeway to cars and nowhere is that more clear than on Flatbush Avenue where double and triple parked cars regularly hold up traffic and delay bus after bus. These are riders who depend on the bus. They are predominantly women. They are predominantly people of color. They are essential workers often commuting to downstate hospital. Even me, I do not commute by bus. I do not depend on it to get to work, but this is how you get across this part of the city. An unreliable service makes the whole side of Brooklyn cut off. And while there are many proposals to speed up the neighborhood's buses, whether it is all door boarding, reducing the number of stops, even making all buses free, none of this tackles the problem of buses getting boxed out by someone double or triple parked. We do not need new enforcement. We do not need new fines. We cannot rely on painted lines in the road. We need protected bus lanes.

And it is not right to have them only in the rich or touristy neighborhoods of Manhattan or downtown Brooklyn. We need them in Flatbush, too. It is the backbone of Brooklyn. The mayor needs to commit to speeding up buses by 20% citywide. The only way we are doing this is with dedicated, protected busways on Flatbush Avenue and beyond. Thank you.

(00:32:38)

Thank you. Next.

(00:32:38)

Hello, my name is Dacoin Mays and I am a member of Riders Alliance. As a regular rider in the Bronx, I have experienced consistent issues with service reliability and overall ride quality. Bus arrival times displayed on applications such as Google Maps and transit frequently do not align with actual arrival times. On multiple occasions, I have arrived at a stop several minutes before the bus is supposed to arrive, only to find out that the bus has left and have to wait an additional 15 to 20 minutes for the next bus to arrive. And at times, a lot of times, the buses are normally overcrowded. As a working-class New Yorker who relies on public transportation daily, I

(00:32:38)

believe we deserve a system that is dependable, clean, and respectful of riders' time and financial investment. For someone like myself who is actively seeking employment, service unpredictability can directly impact access to job opportunities and economic mobility. These are one of the many stresses I have to endure to make ends meet. On top of that, with the rising cost of housing and living expenses, we cannot afford to lose opportunities due to preventable transit inconsistencies. I urge leadership to prioritize on-time performance, service accountability, and rider experience improvements so that public transportation fulfills its role as a reliable support for the communities it serves. I believe we deserve ridership in every corner of the Bronx. What we demand is that the mayor act now to speed buses up by at least 20% citywide. We have seen what less gets us. It gives us delays, overcrowding, and missed opportunities. The Streets Plan law is the city's chance to deliver on its promises. And it is about that time we put words into action. Thank you.

(00:32:38)

Thank you. This panel is hereby excused. Thank you so much for coming in.

(00:32:38)

Abby Jurro on Zoom.

(00:32:38)

They are not on the Zoom.

(00:32:38)

If they are not on Zoom now, then we will call on Abby later on. I will now call on... before I call on committee counsel to administer the oath I want to recognize we have been joined by council members Epstein, Wong, Marte, Restler and Pierina Ana Sanchez and Gale Brewer and Gale Brewer has remarks on her opening.

(00:32:38)

I just want to talk about Int 0093-2026, which is the bike parking expansion. And as we know, micromobility is growing in our city. We all know that because that is why we are here. Since 2022, we have seen a huge increase in ridership average daily trips from 550,000 to 626,000, a 13% increase in four years. And of course, the deliveristas, 65,000 of them, and the 56% of New Yorkers who are car free. I am one of them. Manhattan 76%. So, bike parking inventory has reached 36,000 racks, which is about 72,000 spaces, but we still have a deficit. And that is why we have the Bill Int 0093-2026. Would require DOT to install at least 5,000 bicycle parking stations over the next five years. It would require potential sites to be found, at least 400 stations to be installed on commercial blocks, hopefully reducing sidewalk clutter. We have been doing that on 71st, 72nd Amsterdam Broadway, working with DOT and the community board to do exactly that and make sure that we improved street safety because then you have more street curbside space for bike parking. It is also sometimes used in daylighting. Same space equity and also soliciting input from entities is incredibly important. I do want to thank the Transportation Alternatives, Bike New York, New York League of Conservation Voters for their support. This all came about with an Upper West Side micromobility task force meeting and I certainly want to thank the chair for holding this hearing.

I want to thank Nick Widowski, committee staff Mike Chen, and Theodore Miller. And to say I actually see it in Community Board 4 where the community board, DOT came up with specific locations. It is making a huge difference. Thank you very much.

(00:32:38)

Thank you, CM. We have also been joined by council members Ariola and Thomas Henry on Zoom. I will now call on the committee counsel to administer the oath for the administration.

(00:32:38)

Thank you. I am Mike Chen, counsel to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Our first panel will be from DOT, Michael Flynn, Margaret Forgione, Paul Aoa, Eric Eden, and Rick Rodriguez.

(00:32:38)

Good afternoon, Chair Abreu and members of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I am Mike Flynn, commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation. With me today are first deputy commissioner Margaret Forgione, Paul Ooa, executive deputy commissioner, Eric Beaton, deputy commissioner for transportation planning and management, and Rick Rodriguez, assistant commissioner for intergovernmental and community affairs. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of Mayor Zohran Mamdani on the New York City Streets Plan. I also want to acknowledge the advocates who spoke before us. Your experiences are deeply felt. Your hard work is seen and appreciated and it is having an impact.

Although we are only a couple months into the new year, we are already making great strides in achieving the Streets Plan goals with efforts built on the bold and ambitious work of previous years. In 2025, we made significant progress in improving transportation and the City achieved some major milestones. We ended the year tied for the fewest traffic deaths in New York City history with traffic fatalities down 31% since the launch of Vision Zero in 2014. These successful results are a direct reflection of our safety focused approach to street redesign in education and enforcement.

In addition to historic progress making our streets safer, Manhattan also benefited from the MTA congestion pricing initiative. The City benefited, which led to an 11% reduction in traffic, faster bridge and tunnel crossings of up to 50%, and increases in transit ridership and walking trips. Combined with our major street redesign projects, it is easier and safer to walk, take transit, and cycle throughout the City.

Speaking of street redesign projects, across the five boroughs, we completed over 130 projects in 2025 that support safe and sustainable transportation. These include expanded pedestrian and cyclist space on the Queensboro Bridge, a transformational bike boulevard on 31st Avenue in Astoria, bus lanes on Hillside Avenue in Eastern Queens that improve service for more than 215,000 daily riders, a new pedestrian plaza in Washington Heights, a new segment of the Harlem River Greenway on Bailey Avenue in the Bronx, and many, many more.

But there is much, much more to do. When Mayor Mamdani selected me to serve as DOT commissioner, he tasked us with thinking big, being ambitious, and making our streetscape the envy of the world. And that is exactly what we are going to deliver. We are going to do it with a focus on safe, affordable, and low pollution transportation and building a vibrant and equitable public realm. As someone who spent his career focused on this work, it is deeply personal to me and I recognize the special opportunity that I have in this important role serving my fellow New Yorkers. As I know from the nearly 10 years that I previously spent serving our City at DOT, the agency has some of the world's best minds in transportation and is full of hardworking, mission-driven employees. So, we are ready for the challenges that lie ahead.

Our most immediate steps have been to resume important street redesign projects that stalled due to political considerations or legal challenges. These projects include implementing parking protected bike lanes along McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, extending the Madison Avenue double bus lane south from 42nd Street to 23rd Street in Manhattan, and restarting the process to redesign the 31st Street corridor in Astoria. Just last month, we also announced the revival of two stalled bus and bike lane projects, which include finalizing the designs for the Fourth Avenue offset bus lanes and completing the final segment of the protected bike lane on Ashland Place in Brooklyn.

This spring, we will also implement other Brooklyn bike lane projects, including a long delayed plan to build a bike network across Midwood, Flatbush, and East Flatbush. And we will also install parking protected bike lanes on East New York Avenue. Conventional bike lanes will be added in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood. And that is just the beginning.

Later this year, we will release the second Streets Plan, presenting the City's comprehensive vision to make our streets even safer, more welcoming, and more sustainable. This time, we will focus squarely on outcomes, not just miles. We have to be attuned to how the work we do improves the lives of New Yorkers. We will ask clear, measurable questions. Are buses moving faster? Are fewer people being killed or seriously injured? Are more New Yorkers choosing to bike? Is it easier and more affordable to get around our City without a car? Is the public space we are creating high-quality and equitably distributed? These are metrics that matter.

I want the agency to go big and be bold, but ambition alone is not strategy. The next Streets Plan should be a blueprint that aligns aspiration and execution to deliver real results for New Yorkers. The scale and pace envisioned in the original Streets Plan reflected a significant and immediate shift. Experience has shown that sustained delivery requires aligning goals with an ability to execute at scale. If we are to move faster and deliver more impact, the agency needs the flexibility to prioritize its resources and the projects that produce the greatest results. We want to focus on strategies that ensure scalable long-term progress and prioritize investments that maximize impact. This is something that mandates alone cannot achieve.

We will expand proven tools, designs, and treatments across the City while introducing new programs and commitments to transform our streets into vibrant, dynamic public spaces. And we look forward to working with the City Council to deliver these results in every district with shovels in the ground building protected bus lanes, expanding pedestrian space, building protected bike lanes, and delivering life-saving street safety projects. No New Yorker deserves lesser results based on their council district.

Turning to the legislation before the Council today, first Int 0013-2026 sponsored by Speaker Menin. This Bill would require DOT to install at least 100 illuminated solar powered traffic control devices at crosswalks annually over the next five years and to study the efficacy of these devices in comparison to regular crosswalks. DOT frequently tests new materials to enhance safety on our streets and we are always open to testing new technologies to increase safety. However, we have done some preliminary studies on the types of technologies envisioned in the Bill and we have some concerns about their efficacy.

Our previous tests found no notable difference in compliance compared to regular stop signs and crashes did not significantly change at the five pilot locations when testing rectangular rapid flashing beacons or RRFBs. Additionally, MUTCD guidelines would only allow for a limited universe of intersections since in-roadway warning lights cannot be used at intersections controlled by traffic signals, stop signs, or yield signs. Analysis from other jurisdictions across the country identifies greater benefits in higher speed, lower traffic streets, which are typically in non-urban settings. Research also indicates a flashing light fatigue effect in which the more widespread the treatment, the less effective it is. Finally, this Bill would require DOT to install a large number of devices, significantly more than is needed to determine their efficacy. We look forward to discussions with the Council and appropriate stakeholders on this legislation and the best strategies to explore new technologies.

Next, Int 0093-2026 sponsored by CM Brewer. This Bill would create a bicycle parking station program. In the first year, it requires DOT to identify 5,000 locations of potential sites for bicycle parking stations, 2,000 of which are to be within commercial corridors. Over the next five years thereafter, DOT is to install bike parking stations in at least 1,000 locations a year, 400 of which must be in commercial corridors. It also requires DOT to make a map of all locations installed and submit a report to the Council within six years of the effective date analyzing the program.

Our City's cycling trends continue to grow. And with more than 600,000 bicycling trips taken in the City each day, we know accessible bicycle parking is critical for New Yorkers. Currently, we are aiming to install at least 2,000 bike racks per year on the sidewalk or roadway. But we are often exceeding our goal as we strive to offer free short-term bike parking to keep our City moving. We install our large and small hoop racks along with our bike corrals based on bike parking demands. And we are also looking to the future to include secure bike parking. Similar to current practice, we plan to use public input to identify locations for secure bike parking access, which will continue to fuel New Yorkers' embrace of cycling, a safe and environmentally friendly transportation option while balancing operational considerations and competing roadway and sidewalk needs. We look forward to ongoing conversations with the Council to identify initiatives that meet our shared goal to support continued cycling growth.

Next, Int 0163-2026 sponsored by CM De La Rosa. This Bill would require DOT in consultation with the Department of Small Business Services and the New York City Economic Development Corporation to conduct a study on the feasibility of providing ferry service to Inwood in Manhattan. Although DOT owns and operates the Staten Island Ferry, we do not oversee or operate New York City Ferry contract and defer to our sister agency EDC who does.

Turning to Int 0202-2026 sponsored by CM Gutierrez. This Bill would require DOT to complete installation of any necessary traffic calming device or traffic control device on any street adjacent to a school in no more than 60 days after DOT issues its traffic study determination. DOT shares the goal to act as expediently as possible and we are continually striving to deliver more efficiently. We work to enhance safety through a variety of traffic calming and traffic control design changes that together make streets safer by encouraging slower speeds and reducing opportunities for aggressive driving.

For traffic control devices, we have a detailed process called an intersection control study to determine if traffic signals or multi-way stop signs are appropriate. We also consider weather conditions and active site constraints like construction and sidewalk sheds. Even in a perfect scenario, we still need to consider factors that are out of our control when determining timing for installation. Additionally, our traffic calming design guidelines determine the appropriate conditions for installation based on a field study. Many of our traffic calming measures are dependent on weather conditions, and some treatments may fail, deteriorate, or lead to increased risk if installed during suboptimal conditions. Regardless of the treatment, we are taking unprecedented steps in our safety engineering efforts with thoughtful and comprehensive review that may take time prior to installation, and we welcome collaboration in identifying specific areas of concern where we can bring additional safety intervention. We look forward to discussions with the Council on this legislation and the best strategies to ensure efficient yet thoughtful treatment installation time frames.

Next, Int 0310-2026 sponsored by CM Marte. This Bill would require DOT to establish a program to ensure each sign in Chinatown has the street name in Chinese and English. As part of the program, DOT would also conduct a study to determine the Chinatown borders and then add the Chinese name of the street to each English-only sign within the borders. This Bill would also require DOT to replace any damaged bilingual street name sign in the City with a new bilingual sign and enable a CM or the public advocate to request DOT add a street name in English and another language. Lastly, this Bill would require DOT to create and maintain a website regarding bilingual street name signs for the CMs and the public advocate to enter sign requests, a searchable map, and a searchable database.

With over 1 million street signs citywide, our teams work quickly to prioritize the repair and maintenance of signs with designs following federal guidelines, which have a direct impact on safety. At the same time, we are committed to maintaining the current set of signs in Chinatown and would want to make sure not to add new administrative burdens on that process. We think Council's current practice of working with the City to identify street co-naming locations is the smart strategy when there is an interest in celebrating cultural influences at specific locations. We would be happy to have further discussions with the Council about this Bill.

Turning to Int 0655-2026, sponsored by CM Restler. This Bill would expand the City's outdoor dining program by allowing grocery stores to apply for a sidewalk cafe license, removing seasonal restrictions on roadway cafe operation, and providing the option to expand frontage for certain cafes upon consent. This Bill would also streamline the review process for restaurants applying to operate a sidewalk or roadway cafe by restricting community boards from requiring applicants to supply additional materials. We are continuously exploring new ways to increase program participation and remove barriers to access for Dining Out NYC and support the Bill while also acknowledging some operational and other considerations. We are exploring new rules to address heating and winterization standards, strengthen sanitation and quality of life requirements, and enhance enforcement protocols. As we prepare for the program's second season, we look forward to using lessons learned from the program's first year to continue improving upon the program's success. We are happy to have more discussions with the Council and stakeholders about adapting our program processes.

Next, Int 0628-2026, sponsored by CM Restler. This Bill would require DOT to issue and receive applications to operate a sidewalk cafe and roadway cafe online and at a physical location accessible to the public. This Bill would also allow applicants to save partially filled out online applications in order to complete the application at a later date. Our Dining Out NYC team works diligently with applicants to provide support on the outdoor dining application process both virtually and in person based on applicant preference. We already offer robust resources in partnership with sister agencies to provide free services for applicants to submit applications in person and applicants already have the opportunity to apply online or in person. We are continuously exploring how to improve our online application process and are pleased to announce that the function to save in progress applications is available for applicants. We look forward to continuing the ongoing work of enhancing our application process by working with the sponsor on this Bill.

Turning to preconsidered Bill T2026-1336 sponsored by Speaker Menin. This Bill would limit the clear path requirement for pedestrian paths in front of sidewalk cafes to no more than 8 feet or 50% of the width of the sidewalk, whichever is greater. Sidewalk space is becoming more competitive than ever, and it is critical to prioritize the sidewalk as being a safe place for New Yorkers to walk, use a wheelchair, or push a stroller or shopping cart. Further, sufficient clear path requirements are necessary for our planners to meet various needs, including providing space for bike racks, EV charging stations, Citi Bike stations, bus shelters, and other street furniture. It is also imperative to maintain sufficient space for pedestrian access and people with disabilities. As we have seen all too well from the winter weather, overcrowded sidewalks during storms can lead to additional accessibility issues.

Currently, there are three tiers of clear path in the Dining Out NYC program based on DOT's innovative pedestrian mobility plan. 12 feet on global corridors, 10 feet on regional corridors, and 8 feet on all other streets. The global and regional corridors exist largely in the central business district of Manhattan, the most heavily foot trafficked part of the City. 97% of all streets in the City already fall into the 8-foot clear path requirement. We are thrilled with the growing interest in the program, but we are also wary of creating sidewalk congestion and compromising the accessibility needs for New Yorkers in the busiest sections of the City. We are happy to discuss our current clear path requirements to determine if any adjustments can be made while maintaining our commitment to making our pedestrian space safe and accessible for all.

Next, preconsidered Bill T2026-1335 sponsored by CM Hanif. This Bill would require DOT to identify intersections that pose the greatest danger to pedestrians based upon incidents of traffic crashes involving pedestrians and implement curb extensions prohibiting parking within 15 feet of a crosswalk at a minimum of five intersections in each borough. While curb extensions are an important tool in our traffic calming toolbox, we strongly believe that mandating specific treatments across the board without considering the specific issues at a specific location is inadvisable. Through the Vision Zero Bureau pedestrian action plans, the agency utilizes crash data as well as engineering judgment to determine the locations most in need of safety interventions and what safety interventions are best suited for that location. While we support the overall goal to focus safety investments where they are needed most, we will want to ensure our engineers retain flexibility to make holistic determinations on where safety treatments are needed and which treatments will be most effective in those areas. We always welcome input from CMs on any suggested locations to explore additional safety improvements.

Finally, preconsidered Bill T2026-1338 sponsored by CM Restler. This Bill would require DOT to include in its next Streets master plan to be issued by December 1st, 2026, a benchmark to expand pedestrian space by 1 million square feet per year for the next 5 years and to prioritize expanding pedestrian space in the areas around bus stops and subway stations that have the highest rates of pedestrian traffic. Since streets make up 27% of the City's total land area, we maintain and manage a large portion of the City's public space. Pedestrian spaces transform reclaimed roadway into vibrant social public spaces for all to enjoy. And these projects simultaneously work to increase safety by enhancing pedestrian comfort and flow. As demand for pedestrian space increases, we are responding by expanding opportunities that prioritize pedestrians at the block, corridor, or district-wide scale. We are also developing some exciting new programs and commitments on this topic that we intend to incorporate into the upcoming new Streets Plan. These new commitments will complement our existing goals which result in approximately a half a million square feet of new pedestrian space a year. We look forward to ongoing conversations with the Council to identify initiatives that meet our shared goal to increase pedestrian space citywide.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the Council for the opportunity to testify before you today. I am really looking forward to partnering with you and your colleagues to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to safe, sustainable, and equitable transportation options.

(00:32:38)

Yorkers and especially our least advantaged neighbors can benefit from safe and livable streets that offer many different choices for how to get around. We would now be happy to answer any questions.

(00:32:38)

Thank you, Commissioner. I would like to add that we have been joined by CM Brooks-Powers remotely and in person CMs Dinowitz and Krishnan. Commissioner, local law of 195 of 2019, also known as the Streets Plan or the transportation master plan, was passed in October 2019 by the Council to expand the City's biking, bus and pedestrian safety infrastructure and to enable a holistic approach to developing the City's transportation network. The Council has held numerous hearings with DOT about the progress made towards the requirements of the Streets Plan. While DOT has had some successes with respect to intersection redesigns, accessible pedestrian signals and new pedestrian space, it has lagged significantly with respect to bike and bus infrastructure, including bus shelter upgrades. The numbers for protected bus lanes and bus stop upgrades are almost too low to believe. And while DOT has made a fair effort to install protected bicycle lanes, they still fall short of what is required. The first question on our mind is with the new mayor administration and under your new leadership, Commissioner Flynn, is the department prepared to invest more to fulfill the requirements of the Streets Plan and ensure its success.

(00:32:38)

Thank you, Majority Leader. So the mayor has been clear that we can and must do better and that safe and livable streets are a priority for this administration. We have already received an initial down payment as part of the January plan as well as the mayor announcing the lifting and loosening of our ability to hire, which has really been a constraint in the past. We are committed to delivering more transformative and ambitious street redesign projects going forward. We are doing everything to make 2026 a great year and expect to significantly outperform the last couple of years while also building significant internal capacity to aim much higher and be bigger and bolder in the years ahead.

(00:32:38)

Thank you. We will ask about whether or not that down payment is enough or is the full loaf for what we are expecting. At the same time, thank you for sharing that perspective and commitment. The Streets Plan also requires that DOT submit a report to the Council and publish it on its website on February 1st of each year. This report is required by law to provide an update regarding any changes to the plan from the previous year and to include the status of the implementation of each benchmark mandated by the plan. As of this morning, this year's report has been shared with the committee but has not been made publicly available. Why has there been a delay in publishing this required report?

(00:32:38)

I believe it should be posted as of today. I can say the delay in publishing it was due to two things. One, we were still finalizing the end of year totals from 2025. There was a delay as well in the publishing of the US Census American Community Survey data which we used to calculate some of the metrics in the report.

(00:32:38)

It was not up at 9:00 but my team tells me it is up now. What will DOT do to ensure it meets next year's February 1st deadline?

(00:32:38)

We will do everything in our power to get ahead of it to compile the numbers. In this case, like I mentioned, sometimes we are at the mercy of some of the data sources that we need. So we tee up 95% of the update and then we just need to wait to fill in a couple of the blanks. You mentioned in your opening testimony that as part of the second Streets Plan, there are metrics, measurable questions, metrics that you will be using. Are buses moving faster? Are fewer people being killed or seriously injured? Are more New Yorkers choosing to bike? Whether or not it is easier and more affordable to get around our City without a car. Is this public space creating high quality and is it equitably distributed? Are those metrics going to be in the Second Streets master plan?

(00:32:38)

We are still developing the content of the plan, but absolutely it is a priority for us to also look at what I would call outcomes, not just outputs. So measuring mileage and square footage and things like that is one important way to measure our output, but we are also very interested in how it affects the day-to-day lives of New Yorkers. We want to make sure not only that we are creating infrastructure, but that the infrastructure is high quality, that it is equitably distributed across the City and that we have good means of measuring those kinds of things too.

(00:32:38)

I was at a press conference this morning with the advocates, Transportation Alternatives, including other important advocates who were there. They speak to not only the high volume that is needed in terms of having more bus lanes and bike lanes, but that the quality is being matched with that, that ridership is going up, that commute times are improving. Can you commit today that these metrics will be added in the Second Streets master plan?

(00:32:38)

I believe it is very likely that those metrics and possibly others as well will be in there because I think that they are meaningful ways of looking at how New Yorkers get around. I think that there are some good examples even this year of projects that kind of illustrate this. For example, the center running bus lanes on Flatbush Avenue that are being implemented, which will have a very dramatic impact on the commutes of tens of thousands of New Yorkers. Things like widening sidewalks on 9th Avenue in Manhattan and widening the bike lanes on 6th Avenue in time for the World Cup is emblematic of how it may not actually contribute to our Streets Plan mileage targets, but it can have a really major impact on how people experience the City. Or something like Ashland Place, which is just a block basically, but the sum is greater than the parts in a way. The impact of creating that continuous north south protected bike connection through Brooklyn will be huge. So those are a few examples.

(00:32:38)

Great. Based on what I can tell, it seems that this year's Streets Plan is much shorter than in previous years. What is the reason for that? Is DOT planning to publish any additional materials to supplement this report?

(00:32:38)

Right. So the one-year update for the 2025 update, which we just published, is smaller than the previous ones. That is honestly a reflection because we are very focused on the new plan and going forward and kind of resetting the vision, reinvigorating it, aiming higher and some of the things I mentioned earlier about also kind of how we measure progress. So we wanted to obviously comply with the law. We wanted to provide the update on those metrics that we are required to report on, but we are really focused on the new era.

(00:32:38)

Is it shorter because there was less work being done?

(00:32:38)

I think 2025 by some metrics there was more output, by some metrics there was less. We could talk more and I will get into that if you want.

(00:32:38)

Okay. Since the report has now been publicly available, we would like to sort of take a deeper dive on the record on some of those numbers with respect to the Streets Plan in 2025. How many protected bike lanes were installed?

(00:32:38)

For 2025, we installed 18.2 miles of protected bike lanes.

(00:32:38)

And what was the requirement? The requirement was 50 miles.

(00:32:38)

And why was it so woefully short from the requirement?

(00:32:38)

I think there are two basic reasons. One is that to be honest, the implementation of the Streets Plan and the capacity to do that was not fully prioritized by the previous administration. That is one reason. The other reason is that a certain number of projects were paused or delayed or cancelled either because of political considerations or lawsuits.

(00:32:38)

It is encouraging to see that DOT completed more miles of bus lanes in 2025 than the 13.5 miles it completed in 2024. What enabled DOT to do better with respect to the bus lane installation requirement in 2025?

(00:32:38)

Sure. So the definition of bus lanes in the Streets master plan law is a little bit different from I think how people usually think about bus lanes. It includes either bus lanes that are physically protected, which is a relatively small portion of the total, or bus lanes that are protected by cameras. So working in partnership with the MTA, we were able to very dramatically expand the on-bus camera enforcement program, their ACE program, which makes a very dramatic difference in helping the bus lanes that we have stay clear. So the MTA did great in rolling that out. We work with them. We process those violations and we look forward to continuing to work on that rollout this year even as we add more of the actual bus lanes on the street as well.

(00:32:38)

Is it your position that the underage of the construction of bus lanes was under the legal requirements that were set out?

(00:32:38)

Yes. The legal requirement was 30 and we completed 20.8.

(00:32:38)

Okay. Do you find that the benchmark set out in the Streets Plan, do you find that to be a mandated requirement by law or as a suggestion?

(00:32:38)

Well the numbers are set in the law and we are very focused moving forward on creating the capacity to meet those kinds of numbers and really take our output to the next level. We are excited that we have a mayor for whom this is a top priority and we are ready to move ahead with that.

(00:32:38)

So you see it as a requirement not as a suggestion.

(00:32:38)

Correct.

(00:32:38)

While 20.8 miles completed is better than in past years, it was still below the 30 mile requirement. What is DOT going to do moving forward to meet the 30 mile mandate?

(00:32:38)

Well, as I mentioned a little earlier, we are very focused on increasing our capacity to deliver. That is partly, look, government is a big ship to turn. So we are basically building back from a few years where maybe the capacity was not quite there and we are focused on building it going forward. That is things like staffing up. It is things like the contract capacity for putting markings or signals or things like that. It is the facilities and the vehicles that we need to actually go out and install these things and maintain them. So I want to be realistic that that takes some time but I feel confident that we are going to well outperform last year this year. I think it also underscores because the resources and the capacity is one half of the equation, but the other half of that is the conversations and the way we work with communities. I think it really underscores the leadership of the Council and community members to help us work with communities to advance these important projects.

(00:32:38)

So communities are serving as impediments to meeting this legal obligation? I believe that streets are some of the most highly valued and sometimes contested space in the City. There are a lot of different opinions. Sometimes there are louder voices. Sometimes there are voices that are not as well heard. Sometimes there are special interests. So I think it really takes thoughtful discussions and engagement to work with communities to advance the best possible solutions. Look, the City Council passed this law in 2019. There was a lot of community input that went into that Bill. Now you have the legal obligation to fulfill this requirement. So to the extent that there is a hurdle, I do not want there to be excuses for not fulfilling that legal obligation. I understand that folks can get riled up. When I had trash containerization come to my district and we lost 500 parking spots in 40 blocks, that was part of the impediments that came with it. But the community, there was also another side of the coin where the community also made their voice known to say that we want open streets, that we want on street containerization. So this is now the law and so it is our hope that those targets will not only outperform last year but outperforming last year's targets could also mean that you do two extra miles and that can still fall short of the legal requirement. So my question is by outperforming do you mean that you are going to meet the legal requirements?

(00:32:38)

Your points are well taken, Majority Leader. We are in the process of developing our 2026 implementation program. I do not think that I could commit to a specific number today.

(00:32:38)

That brings me a lot of concern as the chair of this committee, but also as someone who is speaking on behalf of the Council. We take the laws that we pass very seriously. So when you speak about capacity and resources about implementing bus lanes in our City, what does the capacity look like? What is the headcount you need to get to reach these legally mandated targets? How much money do you need in the budget to make that happen? I need precision here because I need to know what I need to advocate for in this year's budget and to make sure that we are having the same conversation on what is needed.

(00:32:38)

Yeah, thank you, Chair. As the commissioner mentioned, resources can mean a lot of things. We are in conversations with City Hall and OMB to make sure that they understand those numbers. We are going to have a preliminary budget hearing in two weeks, I believe, where we can dive deep into what current capacity we have. At this point, at this moment, we do not have an exact number of headcount and OTPS needs, but it is part of a conversation that we are having with City Hall and OMB to make sure that we have those resources to meet these mandates.

(00:32:38)

Look, I know this is very important to the mayor. It is certainly important to the Council members here that we talk about fast and free. The fast part, that is the bus lanes. The fast part is a budget that is fully funded to meet these legal requirements. So at the preliminary hearing, I expect the administration to tell me what, whether or not you achieve it on your end is one thing, but I expect to know exactly what is needed in terms of headcount, in terms of capacity, in terms of resources and budget in order for the legally mandated requirements to be done because we are also trying to make up for lost time. We have lost under Eric Adams. I believe in the last 2 years there were 57% of bus lanes that were done and 48% of bike lanes that were done. 50% is a big fat F for school students. So the other 50% is something that we need to make up for lost time, but also moving forward, I would also like to hear what you need from us. So I hope that at this next hearing, we can get that information.

(00:32:38)

And CM, listen, preliminary budget hearings is the start of the budget process. We are going to have another hearing in May at exec. So there are multiple steps that the Council and the administration goes through to make sure that agencies have the proper resources to deliver what New Yorkers and the mayor is expecting from them.

(00:32:38)

Now pivoting to bike lanes, DOT completed 29.3 miles of protected bike lanes in 2024. Why was the department only able to complete 18.2 in 2025? Again, I understand this happened under Mayor Adams's watch. But to the extent we can answer that here, I know Commissioner Forian served under Mayor Adams, so if we can get information from her, that would be great.

(00:32:38)

Well, I think the response would be similar to what I mentioned about bus lanes in terms of what the constraints were. It is capacity at that time and maybe being less of a priority for that administration. It is also projects that were canceled, paused or delayed.

(00:32:38)

Yeah and I will go into contractual procurement delays shortly. With respect to bus shelters, my understanding there was only 18, sorry, bus stop upgrades was that there were only 18 done last year and the requirement was 500. Is that right?

(00:32:38)

Chair, so I am going to take the blame here because I was part of the team that was negotiating the original law in 2019. That should have been an or. So the way the current law was written is in order for it to count as a bus upgrade, it needs to be a bus shelter installed and a real-time passenger information device. So we usually do one or the other. So we do have a little side note that says that if you count either or we meet that, we will over meet that target.

(00:32:38)

Why can not you do both? So there is, we are going to get into RTPI and our future plan, but usually it is we can get into the contracting thing, but we had to make some hard decisions last administration in rounds of PEGs and our RTPI was one of those projects.

(00:32:38)

why can't you do both? So there's, you know, we we're going to get into RTPI and our future plan, but usually it's it's we can get into the contracting thing, but um we had to make some hard decisions last administration in rounds of pegs and our TPI was one of those projects.

(00:32:38)

But we are looking at restarting the real-time passenger information in the next few months. But I do want to clarify that we well exceeded the installation if it had been an or. It is just unfortunate the way the law was written that it needs to be both to be counted.

(00:32:38)

It was over 600 bus stops improvements. If it was an or...

(00:32:38)

What is the current state of the contract and procurement issues involved with the bus stop upgrades?

(00:32:38)

To the extent that bus stop upgrades are low due to contract issues? I am not sure that is an issue.

(00:32:38)

We do not have huge contracting issues. I would say though towards the end of the last administration, we did announce a huge investment in bus stop improvements that we are going to be rolling out in the next few years. I think we expect to get about 10,000 bus stop improvements and benches throughout the City over the next I believe four years. Eric, correct me if I am wrong, but four or five years. That is a very exciting investment that we are looking forward to working with the Council on implementing and installing.

(00:32:38)

So given that a lot of these benchmarks, the department fell short of these benchmarks in 2025. Did DOT in 2025 have 50 miles of protected bike lanes planned out for 2025 to begin with in its plan for last year?

(00:32:38)

So among the things that the commissioner talked about is we have to build the capacity all through the place. But was there a plan in 2025 to...

(00:32:38)

So we do have a plan each year for meeting or exceeding these targets. We do not have signed engineering.

(00:32:38)

Did it total 50 miles in the plan last year?

(00:32:38)

Did that plan total 50 miles last year?

(00:32:38)

Our plan had 50 miles, but it is not that we left 20 miles or 30 miles that was fully designed. Part of what we need to do is hire the planners, hire the engineers, hire all the steps in the process to be...

(00:32:38)

Is that plan publicly available?

(00:32:38)

Well, we have the Streets Plan which shows our priority corridors and areas where we want to expand the bike network. That helps guide our team's work. So you could think of it like a hopper, right? We have a lot of bike lanes in the hopper and then we take them through the process of designing and implementing them. Each year as deputy commissioner said, we basically advance the maximum amount that we can with the resources we have further along into design engineering and implementation. But we have that longer list. We have that universe of projects that could move forward.

(00:32:38)

How does DOT prioritize and pick locations for specific treatments when working towards the Streets Plan benchmarks?

(00:32:38)

So I could start and anyone is welcome to add detail. The Streets Plan really is the starting point and we are very proud that the original Streets Plan for the first time created an equity-driven framework for prioritizing our investments. So that is the starting point in terms of how we decide where to focus. We also are continually looking at things like crash data, speeding data, volumes of different modes, also always listening to the community and hearing from our elected officials and community boards. We have teams of planners basically who take all those inputs and use it to determine where we can have the greatest impact.

(00:32:38)

How long does the... So is community input being implemented or does it inform the Streets Plan?

(00:32:38)

Absolutely. It is an ongoing process, right? We hear from the community whether it is through 311, whether it is through Council hearings or community board meetings, whether it is through community board budget priorities, all the different ways that we hear from communities about what they want. We also have our borough offices, right? So they really know the intimate details of their borough and can work with our technical staff to basically take what they are hearing from the community and have it inform our technical work program.

(00:32:38)

How long does DOT take to respond to specific street calming measure requests?

(00:32:38)

I believe the answer is that it depends on which channel it is coming from. I do not know if others would like to add...

(00:32:38)

And what are those channels?

(00:32:38)

So I would say for one thing we work carefully with each community board to take their feedback. So oftentimes when we hear from a community board as well as an elected who is speaking on behalf of the larger folks in that community, that is a very critical piece of input for us. We also, as you can imagine, receive thousands of pieces of correspondence. When we do receive requests, we also look, as the commissioner said, back on the crash and injury stats to look at whether there are issues in those neighborhoods or we have plans in those neighborhoods and we try to incorporate that feedback.

(00:32:38)

So there is no specific timing that you can provide to us on the response times?

(00:32:38)

We have response times for all kinds of correspondence and in some cases we talk about an upcoming project. In other cases, we see if there is something we can do or we may not feel that a measure is necessary there, but we respond to all of those.

(00:32:38)

I would like to have a breakdown on response time for different requests. I mean, just speaking from my experience before you started, Commissioner, my office...

(01:20:45)

...puts in requests on a lot of traffic calming measures and calls for street designs and improvements, street lighting, and either we get responses, sometimes we do not get responses. This is before you started, Commissioner. Sometimes we would get responses, and then there will be times where we get responses and then no follow through. So to have that breakdown for us would be very important.

(01:21:29)

Chair, just one other thing I want to mention about responses. There are also factors that have to do with the time of year and also for different requests we have different volumes of course, right? So for example if we are looking at a traffic signal, we are not going to look at it during summer vacation if it is in the vicinity of a school. If it is the middle of the winter and we have holiday traffic patterns, same thing. We are not going to do things on certain days. Some things we are pretty quick about. I will be very upfront about that. So if you are looking at a parking regulation change, that is something that we can usually do within a matter of weeks to get an answer back. If it is something like a speed hump, we have a bit of a backlog in doing those studies. It might take a little bit longer. So we do have time frames for all the different types of service requests and we are happy to follow up with you and get you more information on that.

(01:23:04)

And the requests that our office has made in the past has been throughout the year. It is not even the times whether it is a holiday or not. I mean, this was just relevant throughout the year and I have spoken to the commissioner about that. So I am happy to proceed now to just talking about the Streets Plan 2026. Looking ahead, what does DOT have in store in terms of Streets Plan projects? Do you have 30 miles of protected bike lane, bus lane miles plotted out, 50 miles of protected bike lanes, intersections selected for redesign, transit signal priority, or accessible pedestrian signals?

(01:24:20)

Thank you, Chair. So we are definitely in the midst of developing all those details. But we do have some really exciting and large-scale projects planned. Things like Flatbush bus lanes, northern section, Fort Road bus lanes, Linden Boulevard in Brooklyn, Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. These are all bus projects. Madison Avenue, 116th Street, Bay Parkway, and Victory Boulevard. Those are a few. Bike projects include of course McGuinness Boulevard and 31st Street, Ashland Place which we announced, the Midwood neighborhood expansion, Flatbush and East Flatbush, Third Avenue in Manhattan, 31st Avenue, 51st Street in Astoria, Bike Boulevards in Jamaica, and a network in North Brooklyn.

(01:26:16)

I was in Buenos Aires very recently and I saw the BRT system there with buses running in the center lane and cars on the outside. It was a beautiful system. Is that something the administration is taking a look at, a true BRT bus lane in our City?

(01:26:54)

Well, I can say the mayor has definitely challenged us to aim higher and be bolder. Clearly fast buses is our top priority or one of our top priorities. We are going to have a lot more to share. We definitely are developing some big ideas and we are really excited to share them.

(01:27:36)

Well, we certainly love the center lane BRT system that I saw in Buenos Aires and I would like to... I hope my hope is that the administration is thinking as big as that. Buses there run very quickly in the center lanes. Transit is very fast and on the outsides cars and commercial vehicles are able to do drop offs. It is a beautiful system to see. I would like to see the administration come up with a plan on that. The next 5-year plan is due at the end of this year and it has to include a completed bicycle network, protected bus lanes on all bus routes where they can be installed, bus stop upgrades at all bus stops where the upgrades are feasible, continued installation of accessible pedestrian signals, and the installation of pedestrian ramps. Has the department internally developed a roadmap to achieve these goals? I think you said you are working on that.

(01:30:08)

We are working on it. More to come.

(01:30:11)

And by when should we get this new Streets Plan?

(01:30:17)

We are still figuring out the exact timing.

(01:30:21)

All right. As soon as you get that information, please get that to us. And I would imagine the answer is yes to this. Do you require additional funding personnel or something else to fulfill that plan? And I think you said earlier that you do not have the dollar amount yet at a specific headcount. And I would like to reiterate that by preliminary hearing, budget hearing, it is super important that we get that information because we want to know exactly what you need to fulfill the Streets Plan. I am now going to turn it over to my colleagues for some questions and I have a second round of questions afterwards. I first have CM Pierina Ana Sanchez for questions.

(01:31:45)

Thank you, Majority Leader. Actually, I will take another few minutes. I had a very bad fire in the district, so I am a little distracted.

(01:32:12)

I am so sorry about that, CM. CM Marte, CM Epstein.

(01:32:26)

Morning, Chair. Thank you, Commissioner, for being here. So we have been trying to get bike corrals in our neighborhood. We have a lot of bike messengers who are coming in neighborhoods doing a lot of deliveries and the timeline that it takes to get those corrals up and running. I know CM Brewer talks about creating a real infrastructure for bikes. I am wondering why it takes so long to get those corrals designed and put on the street for all the bike messengers.

(01:33:41)

Thank you, CM. There are two types of... I think the secure bike parking is what CM Brewer was talking about, and we actually put out an RFP about two years ago that we were evaluating. The mayor in his preliminary budget finally funded us to carry out that program. But if you are talking about individual bike racks...

(01:34:01)

No, I am talking about bike corrals on the street where you take a quarter of a block. We did a walkthrough a year ago trying to get those put up. We got one put up on 11th Street and 1st Avenue. There are probably 500 bikes in the one corral. We got to spread that out and we just really need these in the neighborhood because we have a lot of people who are delivery workers who just need place to put their bikes.

(01:34:41)

Yeah, I think that is a fair comment and something we could look to do better at. We have increased pretty dramatically the amount of bike racks and bike corrals we put out on the street. There is a lot of demand and we want to make sure we are doing it all over the City. But we hear you too and we will see.

(01:35:16)

Yeah. If there is a way that... If we are asking for it, the community is asking for it, the community board is asking for it, and then a year and a half goes by and we just hear neighbor complaints, it does not help you or us to sit on this and make us all look like we have egg on our face. So I would appreciate if there is a way to speed that up or what we need. As the chair said, if there are additional resources to move this up quicker, that would be really great to know.

(01:35:36)

And I would just add, we are all for supporting that. It is... If we can allow 40 people to park their bike or however many, 10, right, versus one car, that is actually a more efficient use of public space.

(01:36:10)

I agree with you. I want to turn our attention to the sidewalk sheds. So a lot of these restaurants have liquor license permits with the state liquor authority, which has hours of operation, and sometimes the DOT rules directly contradict whatever they have signed in a stipulation to their liquor license. How do we have licenses on the City that are direct contradiction to the state liquor license?

(01:36:55)

Yeah, if you know of any actual examples, I would love to get those because the hours of operation that we have for dining out should not contradict what the state liquor authority has issued.

(01:37:25)

I have hundreds of those in my neighborhood. So I have where the SLA attached to their permit says, let us say outdoor dining has to close at 10:00 because the stipulations that they have attached to their liquor license, but then on the City side, we let them stay open till midnight even though they might have a stipulation that says 10:00. So what we are doing is in direct contradiction to their state liquor authority license.

(01:38:24)

Okay, I see what you are saying. So if there are locations that continue to serve, say past the 10 p.m., obviously they are not supposed to. If there is more coordination we need to do with state liquor, we can talk to them about that. They can still serve food of course.

(01:38:57)

So I have hundreds of those locations that serve past the hours and I have done walkthroughs with the state liquor authority at midnight to show that activity. State liquor authority only has 20 inspectors for the entire state and really could rely on DOT to be a partner in that. So I would appreciate some better coordination between the SLA and the DOT.

(01:39:39)

And if there are ways we can reinforce that with the participants in our dining out program, we are happy to do that.

(01:39:43)

Yeah, that would be great. We have heard some people about building entrances. There are some rules around 5 feet from building entrances, but not every building counts as an egress where you can have 5 feet away from the entrance to do a sidewalk shed. I am wondering, seems a little random. Some buildings get the five foot protection. Some buildings do not. I am wondering if we can have a uniform policy on that.

(01:40:29)

Okay. So what you are saying is that for the sidewalk setups, in some cases, we are enforcing 5 feet. In other cases, we are not. Some cases you say the five foot rule applies. In some buildings, you say the five foot rule does not apply. It depends on maybe the size of the building, sometimes the egress, the neighborhood, and we are trying to make sure that there is a uniform process.

(01:41:08)

Okay. So maybe there is a discrepancy between a residential versus a non-residential, but we are happy to talk with you.

(01:41:15)

These are all residential buildings. So all throughout my district, and we have heard from different residential people on making sure of that. So when roadway bed applications come before you different than sidewalk restaurant applications, we are talking about expanding this to year round. I am wondering what the roadway bed applications to year round would have impact on street milling, how they would have impact on other cleaning activities and what you are seeing around those potential conflicts.

(01:41:25)

Right. So those are some considerations for us to take into account with year round and we are looking into things such including heating, cleaning, whether or not the setups might become more apt for storage and things of that nature. So our intention would be if this advances into year round, we would need rules to govern a lot of those things. Also keep in mind that the setups are now designed to be very movable. And so for street work, we do not do as much milling and resurfacing during the winter time period, but if Con Ed needs to get there or what have you, they need to be movable. So we would still want the structures to be movable in a year-round scenario.

(01:42:26)

Thank you.

(01:42:27)

Thank you, CM. CM Brewer.

(01:42:29)

Thank you. I love DOT. I just want to be clear. The benches I want to thank you for benches that you are installing on Columbus Avenue. So thank you very much regarding Intro 93. I guess I want to know what is the current status of the parking station program. You are right. We were talking mostly here about parking stations and racks. And then secondly are you, you did talk about expanding it but could you be more specific? And then when you talk about the bike lane map, can I assume you will also do racks at the same time? And then I do want to talk about the corral, but if you could just be a little bit more specific about what you are doing.

(01:43:09)

Sure. I could start about the secure bike parking, the new program. We are really excited that we received funding in the January budget. And so this would be new secure parking that is on top of the 2,000 plus standard bike racks we do each year. And we are currently in the contracting process for that basically and looking to roll it out later this year.

(01:43:30)

Okay. The secure bike parking.

(01:43:31)

Okay. So I guess we will talk about some of the numbers in our bill and see how we can work together. That is sort of what you said.

(01:43:37)

Absolutely.

(01:43:37)

Okay. Secondly, of the corral, which I know CM Epstein mentioned. Community Board 4 has done a great job with them. How this is the issue in my district is that many grocery stores, not all have Instacart. I help them with their Instacart work and then outside I do not know 50 60 deliveristas. Are you looking to see how these grocery stores could work with you on corral? Because what is happening now is they just have a grocery store and random deliveristas and they are asking for help. I did not know how you are, it is a new startup and obviously doing very well but it exists all over the place. I just did not know how you are addressing the corral issue in front of some of these stores, grocery stores.

(01:44:02)

Yeah, we have definitely observed the same thing and we have started a program to create spaces where we are seeing a lot of these deliveries picking up. So sometimes that is in front of a grocery store, sometimes it is in front of a very busy restaurant. In some cases, we make sure that they are intentionally very large to be able to take the larger cargo bikes to when deliveries are made that way. So we do try to scale it to the appropriate space, but we do agree that that is a good use of street space in those locations so they can congregate and not block the sidewalk.

(01:44:34)

Okay. So you are saying that where you see it is happening. Do you have like 311 calls that you are paying attention to because in front of Fairway it is a wild west?

(01:44:44)

Yeah. And this the street too Fairway loads on the street and the trucks are double and triple parked, right? That is a particularly challenging location. But yes, sometimes we hear from the public, sometimes we hear from the grocery store. However, we get it in, we take a look and see if it is appropriate to do so.

(01:45:00)

I would hope you would look at that site in particular. Okay. The other thing is the part of the bike plan and extending as the chair indicated the transverse of Central Park. Are they part of any bike plan for the future? I am very supportive of having a transverse bike opportunity. Is that part of your bike plan? Everybody is concerned and asking about that.

(01:45:25)

Yeah, and we know it is an idea that has been raised by Central Park and it is something that we are looking at.

(01:45:33)

Okay. So you how are you determining what will be part of this bike plan? How is it input from the community? Is it how is that being taken into consideration? How do we get it on your list in the Streets Plan?

(01:45:47)

Yeah I mean it is sort of a holistic approach. So I think you know those kinds of ideas once they are on our radar, you know we look at it in the context of all the other considerations right in terms of fleshing out the network trying to improve the network on routes that have really high ridership or where there is a safety concern. Also trying to extend the network into neighborhoods that really do not have much coverage. But certainly if there are ideas that we know are a priority then we are going to give it a very close look.

(01:46:20)

All right. So we will add it to your list by making it a priority. Okay. The other thing is I know this is heresy in this world but where you list one two three four five about how to focus on buses and whether they are moving faster. I know there is a topic that others will not like but when you have a bus lane and you get a ticket because you are unloading or loading for five minutes. What is the rule on that? Because people are getting tickets. I know people here hate cars and you know I got it. But I do think if you are unloading and loading you should not get a ticket. So how what is the law on that in a bus lane? Five minutes not even to unload your stuff and you get a ticket and then a Gale Brewer has to fight the ticket.

(01:47:00)

Sure. So I mean obviously the intent of the bus lane is to keep the lane clear for the bus. But we what generally let them suffer. Go ahead. In most cases a bus lane is a no standing restriction. So they can load or unload which allows people to quickly get in or out of cars and quickly means you know if a person uses an accessibility device you know the camera can see that happening and not get the ticket. It is not meant for people to load and unload vehicles which takes a longer amount of time and can delay the bus. We do try to create dedicated loading zones on those streets so that there are legal places and if there is a place where you are hearing about a lot of tickets we would love to do that so that they can do it appropriately without blocking the bus.

(01:47:40)

Thank you, CM. If you have, we can also do a second round of questions later. CM Marte.

(01:47:53)

Wonderful. Well, firstly, congratulations, Commissioner Flynn. It is nice to see you and looking forward to connecting. I am like truly thrilled that making our street safer is one of Mayor Mamdani's central priorities and I really hope that we can make District 33 a model for the city where we have a true network of protected bike lanes, fast moving buses, more pedestrian space and safer streets on every single corner. Few questions from me. First, just quick yes, no, just because I want to make sure everyone hears it. The administration supports year-round outdoor dining.

(01:49:13)

Yes. For 2026, I think yeah. Yes.

(01:49:22)

I like that is a good answer. So, let us get that done. We are thrilled to have your support and partnership and eager to bring this back as quickly as possible and looking forward to more testimony here today. I will shift gears to the Streets Plan. Start with pedestrian space. So over the past, I guess four years, we have averaged about 4 to 500,000 square feet of new pedestrian space per year. Do you have a breakdown of that space between open streets, daylighting, new public plazas for how you are looking at you can provide that to us?

(01:50:08)

So yes, we can. And just an overall note is that we this number counts space that is permanently pedestrianized. So like if it is an open street that is two days a week, we do not try to count it as 2/7ths of open space. I do not want you to undercount my pedestrian space. So how does DOT evaluate when more pedestrian space is needed? Do you look at the data on the highest traffic subway stations, highest traffic bus stops? There is lots of great analysis of where we have the most pedestrian congestion in New York City. What is DOT doing to be responsive?

(01:51:02)

Sure. And there are lots of different types of pedestrian space. So certainly when we talk about pedestrian mobility, that is where we are talking about crowding, making sure that there is enough clear space on the sidewalk and there we do look at subway stations and you know busy sidewalks all over the city. We also compare it against the data on how wide the sidewalk is now, right? If it is busy but it has a 20-foot sidewalk, that may be less important than a place that has an 8-foot sidewalk. But public space is more than just people walking. So we want to look at the public realm as well. And that is where things like plazas and open streets come into effect. Some of that is driven by us seeing that there is a need in a community. A lot of it is also driven by community members who have identified a space and come to us and we work with them to help develop it into a more permanent space. So there are a lot of different types of public space and they each have their own way that they come into our program.

(01:52:15)

So there is a regular analysis done of the most congested areas, subway, bus stops, analysis of whether there is adequate pedestrian space in those areas, and DOT is regularly responding to try to make sure that there is more space for us all to get around.

(01:52:51)

Yes. For example, the commissioner earlier mentioned the World Cup and trying to make sure that we have improvements in place by then. So, for example, this year there is a big focus on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan in that Midtown area where the sidewalk is pretty narrow, right? There is a lot of street furniture and other things. We want to make sure that the increased crowds have places to be able to walk and enjoy Manhattan.

(01:53:34)

You will have to just forgive me because, you know, when I look at the report that you came out with this morning on updates to the Streets Plan, there is nothing that quantifies progress on pedestrian space unless I am missing it. Well, the report covers the legal milestones. In the first five years, what was written into the law was a million square feet in the first two years, which I am glad to say we met. And we did not stop then, right? There has been no progress or updates that have been provided as a part of this. There are no longer metrics included since 2023 on pedestrian space in the Streets Plan.

(01:54:26)

So, we are happy to provide those updates. This is reporting on the law and the law is what it is.

(01:54:33)

All right. So, let us shift to what we are reporting on in the Streets Plan. So going back over the last four years, we were required, the City of New York, the Department of Transportation were required to build 180 miles of protected bike lanes. We built 100, 100.5% of our goal. Commissioner, how disappointed are you in our failure to significantly come short of achieving our goals? And why should we be confident moving forward that the Department of Transportation is going to start to get it done?

(01:55:49)

Well, CM, I cannot speak to the prior administration, although I mentioned a few of the reasons why our output did not meet the goals in the past. What I can say is we have the mayor's commitment and my commitment to dramatically increase our work and to increase our output both in terms of things like mileage or square footage but also like I said in terms of the quality and the distribution of it and the impact it has on New Yorkers. And you know to look at it really with that holistic perspective.

(01:56:33)

And when we look at protected bus lanes I think over the last... CM thank you. Okay I will just say the record is uninspiring and to me it makes clear that we need significant new leadership vision resources from the Department of Transportation to get on track. The way things have been working is not good enough. And I hope that you are hearing that clearly from this City Council that we want to see significant improvement. I have heard it from the mayor. We want to start seeing that demonstrated because we do not want to be coming back to you in six or nine or 12 months with failures again on not building enough bike lanes, not building enough bus lanes, not building the pedestrian space we all need to make our community safer and to make it faster for all of us to get around. So, I will try to come do a round two, but chair majority leader, thank you for your leadership.

(01:56:33)

Of course and we will have a round two. CM Justin Sanchez.

(01:56:33)

Good morning. Howdy. So really quickly, one of the, Justin, based on your previous testimony, one of the concerns that I have is the focus on transportation issues in Manhattan, especially around the World Cup. A lot of, especially in my district, I have a huge football fanatics in my district and their family members are going to be coming out. There is going to be massive traffic. I represent the Hub which is the most visited place in New York City in New York State after Times Square on a daily basis. I would like it on the record that I want to completely transform that into pedestrian plaza. It is the most exactly what you are talking about in terms of transportation hubs. So please look at my district as we are expanding these programs. One of the other questions that I have on Intro 310. I want to specifically talk about the finance part of that Bill. Because and I know there are two different, there is the state DOT and the city DOT. However there are neighborhoods in the Bronx that have been renamed over one G. Justice for Throggs Neck. It is with two Gs. I want that officially on the record. And all of our signage now only has one G because of the cost of an extra G. So I am not even joking. And I would like to understand now, based on Intro 310, now that we are going to do signage in different languages, what that cost would be to the department, to the City, because I would love my street signage in Spanish and in French. So I would like to see what this looks like and you know...

(01:56:33)

Well what I can, the Throggs Neck is news to me so I am going to look into that. But what I can say is that you know for the bilingual signage we have an incredible amount of street signs clearly around the city. I think I mentioned earlier that we think that the current practice of working with the Council working with us through the street co-naming process would be a great way to achieve this goal. It is more of a community-driven approach and then we are not kind of the arbiters of which you know how to define different kind of boundaries and things like that. I do not know that we could give exact you know financial or things like that but we would be happy to circle back.

(01:56:33)

Do we know what the cost of one sign is? And then maybe we can extrapolate from there.

(01:56:33)

We do know the cost of one sign. And it is less the manufacturing of one sign rather it is the staffing and as the commissioner started to talk about arbitrating is this truly a Greek area? What is the history of this French-speaking area? Like those are sort of the tricky things. And we know in New York we are obviously multilingual. We are totally diverse. Some of that stuff will be kind of hard to get at. So really, I think it is more about staffing to try to work through those issues. And as a result, we do prefer the local law renaming process over this. Is there a concern that a Bill like this, not just in Chinatown, but if this was any kind of would set a bad precedent around the city for, you know, all CMs and all elected now trying to...

(01:56:33)

This is more of a far-reaching application. Yes.

(01:56:33)

Thank you. And then, you know, just want to underscore, please look at District 17 when you are expanding your streets. You know, a lot of the times, no offense to my colleagues in Brooklyn, but Brooklyn and Manhattan get a lot of the open streets, pedestrian plazas, and the Bronx gets left behind. And I would really like to see a true investment in pedestrian plazas and other walking places. Sorry to my friends in Riverdale who love their cars. But you know we like their train, we like our trains and our buses so we would like to see an expansion of 14th Street into just a busway would be, the Third Avenue into a busway would be amazing. Thank you.

(01:56:33)

Thank you CM. Definitely noted.

(01:56:33)

We have also would also like to recognize we have been joined by CM Hanif and I am now going to turn over to CM Pierina Sanchez.

(01:56:33)

Thank you majority leader and good morning everyone. Thank you for your testimony so far. I feel like this question has been asked but I have not heard any numbers attached to it. So I am going to go ahead and ask it again. With respect to the you know breath of fresh air you know recommitment from Mayor Mamdani and this DOT this iteration of DOT under your leadership Commissioner Flynn. Sorry about my tongue. My kid smacked into me. You know, that is like under your leadership, I am hearing a fresh commitment, a recommitment to the Streets master plan. But just talking in terms of numbers, the original estimate when Local Law 195 passed in 2019, the Council then estimated that we would require $1.7 billion in funding over 10 years and additional funds have been added. I am curious if we have today what has been the capital commitment rate of that, if that funding was reflected in previous budgets what has been the capital commitment rate and what is the shortfall if there is a shortfall in the new plan and then I have some locally related questions on the plan.

(01:56:33)

CM, thank you for the question. So as you mentioned, some aspects of the Streets Plan are met with capital funding. Our capital commitment rate as an agency hovers around 90 to 95% on any given year. I can provide a breakdown on what capital projects counted for Streets Plan. I can think of some plazas that counted towards Streets Plan. Also protected bike lanes and capital dollars like Queens Boulevard should have counted towards Streets Plan. So I am happy to provide a breakdown, but I would say in terms of capital commitment as an agency, we are around 90 to 95% on a given year. So it sounds like you are spending what you are allocated. But we know that we are way behind on bus lanes and the other items that have been raised today. Do we have numbers on what that shortfall is in the budget?

(01:56:33)

So I guess I would just want to clarify one thing. You are asking CM about capital funding specifically.

(01:56:33)

Capital funding for the plan. So I...

(01:56:33)

I would just mention that I think the majority, probably the vast majority of our mileage in terms of meeting or working towards the targets is actually our in-house projects. So they are not through the capital funding. It is the things that we do with our expense funding. So I mean that is just to provide some context on that. But he mentioned the capital funding side of it and yeah I guess you are also asking about the operations, the expense side?

(01:56:33)

Yeah just trying to I guess understand how much money we need. We could continue this in prelim but how much money we need to meet the ambitious goals of the plan.

(01:56:33)

So understood. So I think like I mentioned earlier, we know we are kind of in the thick of or we are getting into the budget process. We do not have specific numbers yet.

(01:56:33)

Okay. Thank you. And then my second, the second part of my questions is, you know, looking at Fordham Road and the Fordham Road busway as an example of this administration recommitting. I have said in public and in private that I do not think that the community and stakeholder engagement for the Fordham Road busway or bus lane improvement was done the right way last time. You know for instance by the time that folks were speaking to me about the project, there had been major institutions and stakeholders who had come out in opposition of any bus lane changes. And then when the mayor announced the recommitment of the Fordham bus lane project a couple weeks ago, my conversations were disconnected from what you testified today and what I saw in the press where my conversations I understood you all to be restarting community engagement to make sure that we are speaking to all stakeholders not just the powerful institutions in that part of the Bronx. But today I hear you testifying that you are just finalizing designs but there have been no conversations. So the question is how are you going to do community and stakeholder engagement differently to lead to success in these projects because I certainly want to be a partner on the success of that. Part one and part two is on December 19th of 2025, DOT released the Harlem River Greenway implementation plan. And what is the commitment of this new administration to see that implementation plan forward. Thank you.

(01:56:33)

Thank you CM. So on community engagement I want to mention that this is a really important topic to me. I think the work we do is so tangible, right? It is our front yard. It is our public space and therefore people have very strong feelings about it rightly. And so it is so essential to do it as best as we can and really be effective. And I am all ears. We are all ears. Always looking to do better. This is something that will be a priority for me. And then on Harlem River Greenway, that is certainly still a very high priority project for us. We are excited that we will be continuing the first phases of it as we go south down Bailey Avenue this year and we are looking at the future phases as well.

(01:56:33)

Thank you. I am sorry, Majority Leader. If I can, when can we expect a reconvening of stakeholders on Fordham?

(01:56:33)

So...

(01:56:33)

Probably later this month.

(01:56:33)

Yeah, we are kind of getting our ducks in a row and we will be doing that basically starting later this month for the next few months.

(01:56:33)

Okay. Thank you, Commissioner.

(01:56:33)

Thank you. CM Wong.

(01:56:33)

Thank you, Chair. I just have a few questions to the commissioner or to the panel, whoever could answer me. First, solar panel traffic control devices at crosswalks. Intro 13. Now, I was involved before I got elected. The solar power parking meters where you put money in and then you have a ticket, and those solar panels supposed to be like be all end all, and it turned out they do not work like in cloudy days like today, right? So I just want to hear from you that on these solar powered devices we really should have a reliable power source and do not just rely on solar panels because like those parking machines and where I have to call through one all the time, quite often the solar panels were not maintained or they were not working and then leading to a lot of inconveniences. So this is my comment to you that the traffic control devices, the solar power, they really have to have like AC power backing them otherwise they need to be working 24/7. They are traffic devices. We cannot afford any downtime. So that is one.

(01:56:33)

Thank you for that feedback CM.

(01:56:33)

Okay. Yes. Next, I have seen bike racks in my district as well as parts of the city. Quite often, yes, private bikes occupy them. That is fine. But they also occupied by delivery food delivery trucks like those with big thermal packs tied to the backs and quite often they are left there like days at a time. I do not see a system where you handle abandoned bikes. The bikes there were clearly left there months at a time with missing parts, just the frame or just the wheel. So DOT needs to have a system to clear out those bikes that were clearly abandoned. Can you talk, is there such a program? Please talk about it.

(01:56:33)

Yes. Thank you, CM. I agree. It is valuable space and we do not want people occupying bike racks with derelict bikes for weeks or months on end. We do have a program. We work very carefully with the Department of Sanitation and it is defined by law as to what constitutes a derelict bike. It is a certain number of pieces basically that are broken, missing, that sort of thing. So if you have any locations for us, we are happy to follow up and report back to you exactly on what we found and what we can do there. The conditions vary like sometimes just the frame there.

(01:56:33)

Correct.

(01:56:33)

Or sometimes just the wheel but you have to...

(01:56:33)

Get rid of it.

(01:56:33)

Cannot just leave it there. That...

(01:56:33)

Correct.

(01:56:33)

Yeah. Okay. Also are these racks like reserved for real pedestrian bikes or what if like there are, they start, people start using them from like Uber Eats or GrubHub and they start training them. What is DOT's policy on that?

(01:56:33)

Yep. So they are public bike racks. So basically anybody is free to lock their bikes there.

(01:56:33)

With no time limit, right?

(01:56:33)

As long as it does not become derelict the way it is defined in the law.

(01:56:33)

Yeah. But they can leave them there days, right? As long as the bike is in good condition, they can...

(01:56:33)

Yeah. So what we do when we have seen abandoned bikes that are in good condition is we go and tag the bike and put a tag on it that says if this bike has been here more than seven days, we will remove it and then we go back a week later and if the tag is still there and it has not moved, we can remove the bike and we work with the police department to store it for the person to pick up.

(01:56:33)

Okay. Yeah. And so if you give us locations, we are happy to go take them. And I just, my observation because like there are places where rent bikes like right at the entrances of Central Park, if you put the bike racks there, they take up order spaces and then that is an issue that you need to address. Okay. My next question is the Intro 202 that requires DOT to complete installation of any necessary traffic calming device or traffic control device on any street adjacent to a school. I used to serve in a school board, right? And we asked for devices and it takes months just to get a reply from DOT. Okay, we will do a survey at the intersection and the survey can last for like six, any time of 6 months to a year before DOT gives us the determination. Okay, we have concluded we need a stop sign there or we need a traffic light there. So I see that you need 60 days but it takes a long time for DOT to do traffic studies and I do not see a deadline on that because I know that traffic studies can take a very long time. Can you talk about like how long do these traffic studies last and do you have a time limit on that?

(01:56:33)

Thank you CM.

(01:56:33)

Thank you. So we are always looking for ways to be more communicative and more responsive. So we are certainly open to that kind of feedback. I think First Deputy Commissioner Forion earlier mentioned some of the different kinds of, the different ways that we may, weather could be a factor or time of year or that kind of thing, whether school is in session. I think for context, I will just say last year we got over 3,000 requests for speed hump, speed reducers, or speed cushions, and we got also over 3,000 requests for other kinds of traffic control devices like traffic signals and stop signs. We certainly do our best to work through them as quickly as we can and be communicative in the process as well, just to help set expectations about the timeline.

(01:56:33)

Okay. Thank you. One, do I get one more question or no?

(01:56:33)

There will be a second round. You like to stick around?

(01:56:33)

Thank you.

(01:56:33)

That would be great.

(01:56:33)

CM Dinowitz followed by Hanif.

(01:56:33)

Thank you, Chair. I feel it was the most un-Bronx-like thing to insult someone and then leave. But I do, we love our cars not because we have an emotional attachment to them and whether it is Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Woodlawn, Wakefield, Inwood, Norwood, Bedford Park or Van Cortlandt Village but because that is the way so many of us in the outer boroughs travel. That is how we get to and from work and from my house to one of the schools in my district is an hour and a half by public transit and 20 minutes by car. That is a story for so many people in my district. So the cars and the parking is really of importance to so many people that live in the outer boroughs and it feels often times the people making the decisions make them from like this place where you have the four train, the one, the two, the three, the A, the C, the R, the W and where I live we do not have that same access. So what efforts, if any, is the DOT making to increase the number of parking spots available in parts of the city that are not near public transit.

(01:56:33)

Hi, CM. Happy to take a shot at that. So pretty much over the years, I have to tell you, I feel like there is no stone that has not been unturned. So we do not have shy communities in New York. Sometimes people see an area of no standing any time or they see a street that is wide. They ask, "Why cannot there be angle parking? Why cannot we restore parking to those curb sides?" We have looked at so many of them. We are happy to look at more if there are other neighborhoods where we currently prohibit parking and we can consider that for more parking, but realistically it is going to be hard to find large quantities of more parking in New York City.

(01:56:33)

I do, by the way, want to thank you because you were installing Citi Bikes in part of my district, which I support. We worked with the DOT and were able to move some of them on the sidewalk, demonstrating that we can have our Citi Bikes and our parking at the same time, which is what we want. But is the answer then that you are relying on the local community to identify the spots where we can add parking?

(01:56:33)

No, I would not say that. Sometimes when we are doing street redesigns and there could be a loss of some parking, we often look at the whole neighborhood. We scour the whole neighborhood to see if there are any older parking regulations that are no longer needed. We will proactively look at neighborhoods to see if we can find more parking.

(01:56:33)

And do you look at properties to determine whether any of those properties could be purchased or utilized for public parking when that parking is removed for whether it is Citi Bike, whether it is a new building going out that does not require parking, whether it is a new busway, whether it is a pedestrian plaza, all of these things that we love individually, but coming together takes away so much of what we need to get to school, get to work, get to our friend's house. Does the DOT look at properties like that?

(01:56:33)

We have not looked at private properties. No.

(01:56:33)

Okay. I want to move on to my second question, which is about stop signs. We love stop signs, too. They slow down traffic. And I have looked at some traffic studies. It seems so hard to get stop signs so much of the time, and we know that we do not even know how long these traffic studies take that we do not have that data available to us today. But I am looking at a traffic study and it says from this time to this time how many vehicles there were, the vehicles per hour major minor total pedestrians observed school children observed. Does the DOT measure velocity when determining whether or not to install an all-way stop sign?

(01:56:33)

So we for stop signs we rely on guidance from the manual on uniform traffic control devices which is a federal set of guidelines.

(01:56:33)

I have it in front of me. So that is great.

(01:56:33)

We generally do, we look at crashes. We do not necessarily look at speed. If we see a speeding problem, we do use other tools like speed reducers and cameras and other tools.

(01:56:33)

But if you are not measuring it, how do you see it? Like it is not reported in your traffic studies. And I would add that unless I am reading the wrong document. It says if the 85th percentile approach speed of the traffic exceeds 40 miles per hour like there is language in there about velocity. So am I reading something different? Please tell me if I am reading it wrong.

(01:56:33)

No. So that is right. But it is focused on whether the pedestrian has time to cross or not. So we do measure speed. I am sorry I said that wrong. But if the problem is a speeding problem, the stop sign is not our solution.

(01:56:33)

But why not?

(01:56:33)

Because stop signs where they do not meet those requirements are not always helpful. People do not always stop at stop signs if they are not put in the right places. So we are very careful about trying to create situations where people stop the right places. And then we have other tools that control speed and we want to do those where speeding is the problem.

(01:56:33)

Okay, my time is about to expire and I want to come back to this because it seems that you are not reporting on this the velocity, but you are measuring it, but it is not used. The car speed is not measured, but you are measuring pedestrian speed. There are a lot of things that do not add up. I do not want to take more time, but I do want to say for the record, Commissioner, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and you have two of the smartest people to your left and to your right supporting you and your work, and I look forward to a collaborative...

(01:56:33)

I say well two and two is four. What did I say wrong?

(01:56:33)

I am a constituent, man. Come on.

(01:56:33)

Two and two.

(01:56:33)

You have four of the people, adding four people on either side of you who are supporting you in your incredible work.

(01:56:33)

CM, I could not agree more.

(01:56:33)

There are a lot of smart individuals in this room. I am going to turn it over to CM Hanif for questions. Thank you so much, Chair, and good afternoon, Commissioner Flynn, and the DOT team, everybody who is here. So I want to get to my piece of legislation, preconsidered Bill 1335. In 2024, you all surpassed the benchmark in Local Law 195 of redesigning 400 intersections and gave us 2,688 redesigned intersections. However, during the first half of 2024 of the incidents in which pedestrians were killed at an intersection, 92% of those intersections had no daylighting measures at all and 100% of those intersections lacked physical daylighting to stop drivers from parking all the way to the crosswalk. Can you share how you measure or count a redesigned intersection and what has to occur at an intersection or for an intersection to be considered redesigned?

(01:56:33)

Sure. So when we count those, we count a number of different things. Some of which can be hard and daylighting. Some of which can be things like leading pedestrian intervals. That is a signal timing change where pedestrians are able to establish themselves in the crosswalk before traffic is allowed to move. It can be any number of different treatments and we put them all together to get that intersection number.

(01:56:33)

Got it. So daylighting is considered redesign.

(01:56:33)

Got it. So daylighting is considered redesign.

(01:56:33)

Yes. If we have an intersection it would go into that number. And then you mentioned some can you name some of the other measures?

(01:56:33)

Sure.

(01:56:33)

Sure. So it can be a leading pedestrian interval. It can be a raised crosswalk. It could be a neck down like you talk about in your bill. So it is really anything that makes this crossing shorter for pedestrians or more protected in some way. And is there a list of all of these measures that count as a redesign?

(01:56:33)

Yeah, we can send you that.

(01:56:33)

And then could you describe how you currently prioritize which intersections DOT redesigns every year?

(01:56:33)

Sure. So, as the commissioner said earlier, we look at a tremendous amount of data, in particular crash data, but other types as well. And we always want to address the most dangerous locations first, but it is not like we just number them from 1 to 44,000 and work our way through. If we are doing, for example, a bus corridor project, we do not want to say this is a bus project and so we are not going to improve safety as well. So, while we are doing that project, we will make sure that we are upgrading safety along the whole route. So, the projects can come in from a number of different directions. Sometimes someone points out a dangerous condition where the crash number might be low because people are afraid to cross the street in the first place.

(01:56:33)

So essentially these are coming from New Yorkers, elected officials. How are you all then deciding what the priorities are for that year?

(01:56:33)

It could be from data analysis from crash data. I would also want to make a plug for our Vision Zero bureau pedestrian safety action plan. So that has been really one of the key inputs in terms of how we prioritize our work and home in on either the intersections, corridors or neighborhoods where we really see the biggest challenge.

(01:56:33)

And then could you describe the different daylighting measures available to make an intersection safer? Could you describe how curb extensions work as a tool to protect pedestrians at dangerous intersections?

(01:56:33)

I could start. So definitely, daylighting is sort of a term, right? It can encompass anything that tries to keep that corner area clear so pedestrians can see drivers and vice versa. What we found is that the effective way to do it is by hardening it, by having physical objects or raising it up like a built out sidewalk or it could be different things, planters, even city bike docks or anything really that makes it physically impossible for a driver to make that turn faster, which is what could otherwise happen if you pull it back. So it could be a wide range of things.

(01:56:33)

Got it. And then after redesigning close to 3,000 intersections, the deadliest intersections for pedestrians still did not receive daylighting. Could you describe how you integrate crash data into your process for prioritizing certain intersections? And then could you describe how you treat intersections that are dangerous for pedestrians at the moment?

(01:56:33)

Sure. And I sort of want to look at the intersections that are not being treated. But at the most dangerous places, I think our take is daylighting is helpful, but not enough, right? Where things are really dangerous, daylighting can help, but we need to do more than that to make sure pedestrians are being protected. So, we need to make sure cars are going appropriate speeds.

(01:56:33)

And how much is DOT working on or is that available?

(01:56:33)

All the time. Like every year we look at the most dangerous intersections as the commissioner said looking at the Vision Zero borough action plans and we make sure that we really are addressing them in very substantial ways.

(01:56:33)

Thank you CM. There will be a second round of questions. I am going to kick off that second round. So Sammy's law allows New York City to lower its speed limit to 20 miles per hour with posted signage except on roads with three or more motor vehicle travel lanes in the same direction outside of Manhattan. With traffic calming, speed limits can be reduced to 10 miles per hour on select roads. For all speed limit reductions, New York City must provide notice 60 days in advance and comment opportunity to the local community board. How has DOT implemented Sammy's law within the city?

(01:56:33)

Well, I will say we are fully committed to implementing Sammy's law and we have begun implementing it in target areas. We are currently actively evaluating how to most effectively scale it up. But we certainly value having that as another really important tool because we know speed is such a critical factor in a lot of the crashes and fatalities we see.

(01:56:33)

I would like to state for the record that under the past administration, my office has sent in requests for certain areas that constituents have raised as places that my constituents believe would be appropriate for Sammy's law to be implemented. Would appreciate a followup on that. Are there any current plans for the expansion of this policy within the city? If so, where?

(01:56:33)

So I think what is important is we in general almost always it is most effective to pair a reduced speed limit with physical changes to the street. And this kind of gets to the earlier discussion around stop signs too. We want to design a street that what we would call legible, right? Where it is like if you are a driver, it is almost compelling you to go slower. And so there are all different tools you can do for that. So, we try to pair a lower speed limit with physical changes. I think schools to us are the most obvious and probably the low hanging fruit in terms of where we can begin and focus on having this more neighborhood wide or area wide approach to lower speed limits.

(01:56:33)

I guess advocates, but also folks in my office and folks in our community, they would like to have something more specific on how Sammy's law will be implemented versus just saying this is something we have to do better on. I think that we have to do a lot more when it comes to this. So, I would really appreciate specifics if you have that right now.

(01:56:33)

We definitely understand that this is really important and like I mentioned, we are committed to it. So, I do not have specific numbers or locations, but we are very much, we would love to get those recommendations and help us kind of think through that.

(01:56:33)

Do you have a timeline by which you would like to tell us the plan on where Sammy's law will be implemented by?

(01:56:33)

Not that I can share today.

(01:56:33)

Okay. We would continue to apply pressure to have that. Recently, the city lowered the bike speed limit in Central Park to 15 mph. In light of this, a lawsuit began fighting this order. In February, a state supreme court judge temporarily blocked the city from implementing this reduction. What is the current status of this policy and what was the reason for reducing the bike speed limit to 15 miles per hour and also the use of Sammy's law within Central Park, but not using Sammy's law in other places?

(01:56:33)

I cannot comment on pending litigation.

(01:56:33)

Daylighting is becoming increasingly popular throughout the nation as a tool for increasing visibility and safety at intersections. In particular, New York City has been a leader according to the Department of Transportation on hardened daylighting which involves the installation of a physical barrier such as post or granite blocks to prevent vehicles from parking next to intersections. I am supportive of daylighting. I believe a vast majority of CMs in the fall were supportive of daylighting. In light of a recent DOT report analyzing daylighting, I am skeptical about the previous administration's report analyzing the impacts of unhardened daylighting. I believe the past administration said that unhardened daylighting is more dangerous at intersections compared to hardened daylighting. I would appreciate the administration's position, the new administration's position on daylighting, both hardened and unhardened. Do you find it to be safer or less safe?

(01:56:33)

Well, I will start by saying that one death is one too many. And there is certainly more work to do and we work tirelessly, our planners and engineers every day to bring traffic crashes down. And we are proud that last year was tied for the lowest traffic fatalities on record. We really try to work proactively as I think Mayor Mamdani himself has said we want to try to prevent these crashes even more before they happen rather than just responding to them and that is really the approach we take. And we use every tool available to make our streets and intersections safer. Daylighting is definitely one important tool. But as a few of us have mentioned earlier, we always take a holistic approach and we really look at the unique conditions and context of each location. And we do believe that when daylighting is done right, it can keep corners clear. It helps with visibility. It can also slow turning vehicles and that is really important. Last year, we installed hardened daylighting at 444 locations, which improved visibility where crashes are most likely to occur, and we definitely intend to build on that progress as part of this holistic street safety strategy. We look forward and I look forward to working with the Council and other partners on how we can continue to expand these efforts quickly and effectively.

(01:56:33)

Does the administration support the research that the previous administration did on daylighting? Are there any concerns with the data and the methods used?

(01:56:33)

Well, I was not involved in the research. My understanding is that the Council had looked at our study and had not found issues with it. Based on what I have seen, I believe strongly that hardened...

(01:56:33)

Sorry. Did you say had not found issues with it?

(01:56:33)

Had not.

(01:56:33)

We raised skepticism. The Council had raised skepticism and did analysis that my understanding is also found that unhardened daylighting did not improve safety.

(01:56:33)

So my understanding is that the previous administration suggests that unhardened daylighting is more dangerous than no daylighting at all. Is that correct?

(01:56:33)

Yeah.

(01:56:33)

And if you said yes. So is that your position?

(01:56:33)

Yes.

(01:56:33)

And that is still your position? Yes.

(01:56:33)

So, for the record, the administration believes that unhardened daylighting is more dangerous than no daylighting at all. I think there is a lot of skepticism in this room about that. Yeah. I guess just taking a step back, if you create a wider corner radius, it basically lets drivers turn faster. And that is I think where the concern comes from. And I think that is what we saw in the data. I will let the advocates come after you guys on that one. So I will ask questions on behalf of Christopher Marte who had to step out to chair his own hearing. His question is, as part of the Streets Plan, will DOT be announcing the start of the FiDi pedestrianization study? This was promised nearly a decade ago and has not started yet. What updates on this plan can you share?

(01:56:33)

I am aware of the study. I think there is a lot of opportunity in the financial district. It is such a unique neighborhood of the city and on many levels could make a lot of sense to continue to prioritize pedestrians there. I do not think we have an update today. But it is certainly something we are looking at.

(01:56:33)

Would be great to have an update for the CM as soon as you can. State law bans the granting of liquor license to a business within 500 ft of three existing liquor licenses. This issue also exists in outdoor dining where neighborhoods like the Lower East Side and East Village can have over 20 sidewalk and roadway cafes on a single block. Can we implement similar density metrics to outdoor dining to prevent the health and safety risks associated with this type of density?

(01:56:33)

Okay. So, if that is something the Council looks at, we are happy to consider that, but we have no plans to limit at this time.

(01:56:33)

Intro 310 states that the Department of Transportation would not install more than 260 bilingual signs over the next four years. In your testimony, you say DOT administers over 1 million signs. Can you elaborate on how 260 signs over four years places an administrative burden on the agency? I think that is a great question.

(01:56:33)

Yeah. So, I do not think it is actually the 260 signs that we feel like is a burden and particularly in Chinatown, most of those signs already exist and we maintain them. I think what as First Deputy Forge Jones said, what we want to make sure is that we are not in the business of having to try to figure out boundaries and how to classify different neighborhoods. The sign itself, that is our bread and butter. We can work with people to do that. Did you say in the opening that this was an administrative burden?

(01:56:33)

So the taking of requests, the building of the website, the having to determine where signs go is a potential administrative burden.

(01:56:33)

Is it potential or is it?

(01:56:33)

If people do a lot of requesting, it would be a burden.

(01:56:33)

Okay. It does not seem like an administrative burden. Just in my view, I would like to see I do not think the argument is compelling. I mean, that is just my opinion on that, but I am happy to move on to the second round. CM Wrestler.

(01:56:33)

Great. Thank you, Chair Abreu. I would just like to continue to focus some of my questions on our legislation to expand pedestrian space. So, our bill specifically calls out adding space around subway and bus stops, busy, highly trafficked, highly utilized subway and bus stops. More than half of New Yorkers do not own a car, but 75% of our streets are devoted to storing and moving vehicles. Has DOT looked specifically at converting parking and other spaces around subway stations into pedestrian space? Do you support doing more of that? I will say I have raised at least five or six specific examples with DOT over my four years in the Council around busy, congested areas where I would like to expand pedestrian space. None of them have moved forward. So, is this something that the agency is supportive of and that you are intent on doing more of during your tenure as commissioner?

(01:56:33)

Thank you for the question, CM. Curb space is one of the most contested pieces of real estate in the city, right? And what we know is that in the last few decades, the number of potential uses of that space has completely proliferated. We absolutely support trying to use curb space for its highest and best use and that obviously depends on the neighborhood and the situation but certainly areas with sidewalk crowding as deputy commissioner Beaton mentioned earlier is something that we look at in a systemic way. We are looking for pedestrian crowding and how we can alleviate it. I know there are examples around the city of where sidewalks have been widened either using temporary materials or even a capital construction project to create that breathing room around the subway stairs or elevator. So I mean I think just as a general concept it makes sense. I do not know about the specific locations but we are definitely open to ideas.

(01:56:33)

Great. Glad to hear that it is something that you are broadly interested in exploring with us. We set an ambitious target in the bill, a million square feet of additional pedestrian space per year. Do you support that target? Is there an alternative number in mind?

(01:56:33)

Well, I mentioned we have been creating I think roughly a half a million square feet year on year. And in line with the other things we talked about, bike lanes, bus lanes, other pieces of the plan, we are doing everything we can to ramp up capacity and increase output. It is hard sometimes to comment on a specific number. I think something we have tried to underscore today is that it can be really helpful to us to have the flexibility to redirect resources and to be able to focus them based on the needs we are hearing or to work with communities. So, that is something that we would encourage is to we are always happy to work with you, with the Council, with other stakeholders to determine what the priorities are and how we can focus our resources.

(01:56:33)

Fair. But I do think that having targets creates real accountability. And so when we set ambitious goals around protected bike lanes, around busways, around pedestrian space, we hold ourselves accountable to try and achieve them and lay out an array of projects that will meet those ambitious standards. If we are operating at between 50 and 60% of our goals on bike and buses maybe we are at 50% of our goals on pedestrian space too and should be hitting that million target. There was a Transportation Alternatives analysis recently that showed significant inequities in public plazas that communities with large non-white or POC populations had significantly less access to pedestrian plazas. How does DOT ensure that pedestrian space is distributed equitably across all communities?

(01:56:33)

Well, yeah, I can start by saying that this is a high priority for me and I have said in the past, you know, what do we mean when we say reimagine our public realm? A big piece of that is really some of these systemic challenges that we have seen over time where it was historically a heavier lift in a way to have these public spaces in other neighborhoods. And it is something we have been very intentional about fixing and addressing. And I would ask my colleagues to talk about the public space equity program

(01:56:33)

just briefly so I can work in one more question.

(01:56:33)

Sure. So we have a public space equity program that is designed to both be able to give money as well as technical support and in some cases even full maintenance capacity to locations that would not otherwise have it. So it is something we have leaned into pretty hard.

(01:56:33)

Okay.

(01:56:33)

It is fair to say we could do more and I think it is something we are excited about.

(01:56:33)

Thanks so much, Deputy Commissioner. Lastly, I just wanted to ask a question around open dining. I fully support standards for cleanliness and ensuring that these structures do not increase rats in our community, but I do think it is important to clarify that, you know, we have 3 million on street parking spots in New York City and at least in my community, far too many of those vehicles never ever move for alternate side parking. And there is very little accountability from the NYPD and other agencies. Roadway dining structures make up less than 1% of the total on street parking spots. What I am really asking is do you think that there is a risk around rats and cleanliness concerns that are greater with roadway dining than with sidewalk dining based on the designs of the new structures?

(01:56:33)

I guess structurally the difference is that with the roadway structures you do kind of have that gap underneath and that is where we heard a lot of the concerns and saw a lot of the concerns especially during the original COVID era.

(01:56:33)

We saw significant improvements with cleanliness and reductions in rat related issues in the updated designs that DOT approved.

(01:56:33)

Yes.

(01:56:33)

So with that new design, do you think there is a consequential difference in rat related and cleanliness issues with roadway dining versus sidewalk dining?

(01:56:33)

I think there is of the COVID era there is a significant improvement with the new designs for sure. So you know we always want to think about all the operational concerns but it is true for sure that it is improved.

(01:56:33)

Great. And we look forward to working together on cleanliness, snow removal, noise related issues to make sure that the year round program is a great success. Thank you for your testimony today.

(01:56:33)

Thank you.

(01:56:33)

And you know, I just want to add on for the record, I support our year round dining. But to the extent that we can make sure that the structures are rat proof, as the former chair of sanitation and a big rat hater, we want to make sure that we are doing this in a way that would be conducive to less rats on our streets. Now turning it over to CM Wong.

(01:56:33)

Hello. Commissioner Flynn, two issues. One, CM Marte mentioned that he would like this Bill 1338 wants 1 million square feet per year of pedestrian space for the next 5 years. Do you feel that is a realistic figure or that is too ambitious of a goal?

(01:56:33)

Like I mentioned a moment ago, I think anytime specific numbers are given to us, it can be tricky and we are always willing to work with our partners to figure out how we can have the greatest impact. It is hard to comment on that specific number.

(01:56:33)

Yeah. Well, once it becomes law, it is going to be hard to comply. If you think this is too ambitious of a figure that will always put you in a box size and you are trapped into this box and that may not be too good if it is too ambitious. Do you agree?

(01:56:33)

It is something that we need to right once that number is set and it is set into law, it is something that we then need to react to and work with.

(01:56:33)

Okay. Thank you. Next question is my office gets calls whenever you have a street closed under the name open streets. We have kids with special needs on a wheelchair that like they have to go to district 75 schools. There is a bus that they expect to come to the door where they can just board and go to school. Likewise for seniors with mobility issues, walkers, they need wheelchairs, walkers and canes, they who have access requests that they expect these rides to come to their door. But with the street closed they have to walk a considerable distance to wait

(01:56:33)

to wait for the bus or ride to come. And many said they violate the ADA. What would you tell them? I mean, is this okay or no, this violates the ADA?

(01:56:33)

I would say that accessibility is a top priority for us and that we are always working to comply with ADA. Sometimes when we are working to innovate, right? And we may launch new programs or try new approaches, there may be things that come to light that we become aware of and then we work diligently to address it. So open streets is something that is really pretty recent, and I can tell you that we are actively working to continue to improve the way that it is designed and operated.

(01:56:33)

Okay. Thank you. Just a quick reminder, I was at the Chinatown Lunar New Year parade and I was at Park Row. There was a redesign of the bus stop. The bus stop is actually a very narrow island. It is about 3 feet wide, 10 feet long, and you wait for a bus there. The bike lanes behind the people and the bus is in the front. It is a very narrow strip is a very narrow bus stop with no guardrails. When it is really crowded people have to stand on the bike lane or stand the streets to wait for the bus creating a very unsafe condition. So I am going to ask this panel to please look at it. It is just not the way to design a bus stop where there is a lot of people waiting for a bus and you are forcing them to stand on the bike lane, you know, and that is just unsafe for everybody. Just please look at it.

(01:56:33)

We will improve.

(01:56:33)

Thank you.

(01:56:33)

Thank you.

(01:56:33)

Thank you. And I will pass it along to CM Dinowitz.

(01:56:33)

Thank you, Chair Brewer. Thank you, Chair. You know, Commissioner, with the three people to your right and the one person on your left, you are going to do great things. I want to follow up on this discussion because even in following up listening to some of the testimony and what you had I do not want to get the quote wrong so I will just paraphrase like well we may not put in all way stop signs because people may not stop for the stop signs was sort of the testimony was that what it was right

(01:56:33)

what research has found is that if you put in stop signs in places where they are inappropriate they do not serve their purpose well and they do not create safer spaces

(01:56:33)

safer for

(01:56:33)

safer for reducing crashes, any kind of crashes,

(01:56:33)

including with pedestrians.

(01:56:33)

Yes.

(01:56:33)

And so by that logic, because I am trying to understand you, you are all the experts. By that logic, what is the point of Sammy's law to like the speed limit is also just a sign just indicating giving direction to people. That is the same thing with stoplights. They are just directions so people engage in certain behaviors and that is what we would want with all way stop signs. So please Yes.

(01:56:33)

Yeah. It is something really interesting about traffic engineering versus say bridge engineering is that it is almost like just as much social science, right? Because it is all about human behavior. And that is why a lot of what you will hear us saying is that we really need to take this holistic approach to planning and engineering and coming up with the right design solutions because it really is so dependent on the expectations of the road users and what they see physically. Is it a wide road, a narrow road? Are there trees? All these things have been shown to affect human behavior,

(01:56:33)

right? So that is the human behavior I would think for the most part, right? If a person is going to drag race on a long road, they are going to drag race no matter what sign you put up. No matter what stop sign, stop light stop sign. I am not talking about those people. I am talking about the everyday people who want to follow the rules and want to be safe that an all way stop sign is kind of the way to go. And between not reporting on, if you are measuring it, it is a secret. Between not reporting on the velocity of cars in these traffic studies and not knowing even how long these traffic studies take and you have heard it year after year from this Council that it seems almost impossible to get a stop. We are talking about a stop sign. I am just trying to understand what the resistance is and we are and you are citing different things about human behavior. Humans will stop if they know they are supposed to stop at a stop sign. The same way the DOT says, "Well, if we paint if we do nothing with physical barriers, but paint the streets a certain way to include bike lanes, people will see that and think that they have to go a little slower." So, I am trying to understand as a CM, just trying to get a couple stop signs in my district, why we are so adamant and supportive of paint and why we do traffic studies without velocity, but we cannot just put in a stop sign. Can you please talk about that?

(01:56:33)

Well, CM, I would say it is definitely not resistance. I would say that we are eager to do the best possible safety improvements in any given location and I think you know the fact that aside from the COVID which was a unique situation traffic fatalities in the City have been steadily declining for years and last year was tied for the lowest ever. So we are absolutely we enjoy and we want to partner to make our streets as safe as we can. I would like to there are certain stop signs and I do not want to do it at the hearing, but I want to revisit them because if you are committed to partnering, our community is pretty smart when it comes to traffic control devices. We are not resistant to them. In fact, we have been asking for them. There is one location it took that the community was asking for. It may not have been exactly fitting with the measures of your traffic studies, but the community was asking for a stop sign and some better light sorry, a stop light, some better lighting in an area in Spuyten Duyvil. And it took a woman getting run over by a bus and her brains being splattered all over the sidewalk for the DOT to come in and put in that stoplight and come in and put in better lighting and make it just safer. And I think we all agree it should not take that.

We may disagree where we put them, but if a community is asking for it, if a community is asking for traffic control devices, I would think that in some cases may supersede the federal traffic control guidelines that it seems that you hide behind in some instances to not put in all way stop signs.

(01:56:33)

Can we get a commitment to revisit some of the areas? And I know the deputies know exactly where I am talking about offline to install and take into consideration more community input for these all way stop signs.

(01:56:33)

Please do let us know.

(01:56:33)

And will you start measuring velocity and including that in your traffic studies so we as a community can better understand what you are and are not including in your determination to reject things like all way stop signs.

(01:56:33)

Can you repeat that? Can you include velocity, the speed at which cars go, maximum and minimum speeds you are observing in your traffic studies so we as communities can better understand why all way stop signs, which are designed to save people's lives, are being rejected.

(01:56:33)

Yeah, what we are measuring really will depend on the type of study that we are doing and the issues that have been brought to our attention.

(01:56:33)

I will let you follow up on that. Thank you. So, if we are bringing to your attention the fact that cars may be going very quickly down a narrow street, if velocity is what we are bringing to your attention, will velocity be included in the traffic studies or can they be included in the traffic studies?

(01:56:33)

Yeah, we can certainly share the data that we are looking at. I look forward to that. Thank you, Chair.

(01:56:33)

CM Brewer,

(01:56:33)

one small question. So, in the past, we never used to get complaints about street lights being out and we are getting tons of them. So, I do not know if that is part of a different philosophy, if it is part of not having the funding to do the maintenance, etc. But obviously, it is a safety concern. I assume when you redo intersections, maybe put in different kinds of lights that are not as susceptible to whatever is causing this problem, but it is constant. And never before have I had so many outages of lights. I am just wondering just regular street lights. What is going on?

(01:56:33)

Okay. So, we are talking about street lights, not traffic signals. Okay. So, if you get those to us, we will get them back ASAP.

(01:56:33)

No, I know you do. I am just letting No, I do. I do get them. And you do get them back, but there is something wrong because it is so pervasive. It has never been as pervasive. It is like whole entire stretches out. And obviously, it takes a little while to get them back. And during that time period, people are scared because of the dark.

(01:56:33)

Okay. So,

(01:56:33)

as you give us more, I will take a look at those and find out what is happening if there is a certain happening in a certain neighborhood.

(01:56:33)

Okay. Can I add on to that? And if can stop the time. I have asked for, you know, street lights that we were promised years ago. We have gotten nothing along 165th Street and Riverside Drive. I understand that DOT had conversations with the parks department recently because they told me that you all are looking into that, but the notion that this is a new thing, it is for me is just unfathomable. This is we have been requesting street lights for a very very long time with no followup

(01:56:33)

and commission. I will get if you get me those locations, I will get you an answer right away.

(01:56:33)

Lyall should have that.

(01:56:33)

Okay. And then just quickly, street signs that have faded. This is again not a safety, nobody is going to die because of it, but it creates concern. People do not know where they are going, etc. How are they able to be replaced? Is there funding for that? Obviously, in neighborhoods that are older where signs have been there for a long time, they are fading. Is that something that you get complaints about? Is that something that is able to be basically need a new sign or do you repaint it? I do not know.

(01:56:33)

Yes, we have the largest municipal sign shop actually in the country. We produce our own signs. We can do them very quickly. If you get them to us, we will get them right back out if they are faded or missing.

(01:56:33)

Okay. Thank you very much.

(01:56:33)

Thank you, CM. CM Hanif, followed by Epstein.

(01:56:33)

Thank you. While we are on the conversation of traffic lights, street lights. I do want to thank DOT for installing traffic lights in my district at Bond and Baltic. It only took two years, but we got it done. And we also celebrated. We had a traffic light party just a couple days ago. I want to come to I want to wrap up the questions about my bill. Could you just share why I know that you have mentioned you do not support it. Could you just elaborate on why you do not and what instead is the plan?

(01:56:33)

I think it is we find we can be most effective when we have the flexibility to you know to match the right treatments to the right locations. That would be, you know, if there are specific types of treatments in specific number of locations and mandates like that, you know, that is just something that can make it a little more challenging for us to take this.

(01:56:33)

What happens immediately after a crash, you learn about a pedestrian fatality or an injury, how does DOT respond?

(01:56:33)

Yes. So, DOT attends every single site of every single crash immediately after it occurring. We have 24/7 staff that go out to a location and examine fatalities. I am talking about fatalities. And examine the conditions at that site. We work closely with NYPD. If there is anything immediately that needs to be addressed, we address it. But then we also have a team of people and

(01:56:33)

Could you share addressed as in what?

(01:56:33)

Just say there is some faded marking at that location that potentially could have contributed.

(01:56:33)

Got it. Do you also assess if that intersection could have used hardened daylighting?

(01:56:33)

We look at the safety of that intersection. Deputy Commissioner Beaton has staff that then looks we have the shorter term staff that go out there immediately and then we have staff that look at every location and high crash locations for other treatments as well. And do you have a report or data on the fatalities that took place say last year year before and what was done in the intersections following the incidents?

(01:56:33)

Right. It is a quarterly report. Yes, we do. Great. Okay, I will look at that.

(01:56:33)

Right. It is a quarterly report. Yes, we do.

(01:56:33)

Great. Okay, I will look at that. I wanted to come to pedestrian plazas. My district, Kensington Plaza, has greatly benefited from the public space equity program and I really thank DOT. Kensington is where I was born and raised. Huge Bangladeshi immigrant community and that plaza has just made our lives so much better and so much more welcoming. However, I am concerned about the plazas that do not are not getting the care and attention they deserve. What is DOT's plan?

(01:56:33)

Are there specific plazas?

(01:56:33)

Well, one that I will raise is Fourth Street Plaza, but it is not considered a plaza according to DOT's definition, but it is a plaza. And what we have going on there is the Fifth Avenue BID attempts to keep programming running in partnership with my office. We have got some neighbors and we all come together, but it is a sort of we are improvising constantly and the money that needs to be spent is coming from the BID, which they do not have a lot of.

(01:56:33)

Yeah. I think now that we are aware, we are happy to look at it. We have a great what we call our public realm team and they take a multifaceted approach to how we can maintain and enliven our public spaces.

(01:56:33)

Yeah, I would really push for just more investment in the plaza program. I think plazas are incredibly important in our city, not just allowing New Yorkers to be able to roam and have lunch by themselves, but also to meet their neighbors and in this time we really need that. But without the proper investments, they fail and I do not want to see Fourth Street Plaza become the parking lot it once was to MS-51.

(01:56:33)

Yeah, I could not agree more. I think that is why our goal is not only to create the pedestrian space but to really make sure it is high quality and that is not only when it is first built but how it is maintained programmed over time.

(01:56:33)

Is there a public realm czar or is somebody's full portfolio about plazas?

(01:56:33)

We have an assistant commissioner for public realm who oversees the plaza program. Yes.

(01:56:33)

Thank you, CM. We will now move on to CM Epstein followed by Marte.

(01:56:33)

Thank you, chair. I just want to say we have raised issue of street lights on a couple locations and we have not gotten followup either. So like the lighting issue that we heard earlier about. So it would be great to get followup on that. You mentioned daylighting that you feel like the data does not support the daylighting bill. Can you share whatever report or data you have with us so we can evaluate that independently?

(01:56:33)

Yes, we will send you the report and we actually shared the full data set with the Council last year for them to look at as well.

(01:56:33)

I appreciate that. And I just want to thank CM Hanif on the plazas issue. I think we all want to slow down traffic. We want more pedestrian plazas, but we want to make sure those are activated. So, it was great to I did not know that there was an assistant commissioner there. So, I think I would love to be able to connect up with them as well given the opportunity.

(01:56:33)

Can I just turn back to sidewalk sheds and stuff like that? So, sometimes community boards sign stipulations with an applicant when they are doing the sidewalk shed. What do you do with those stipulations?

(01:56:33)

Okay, those stipulations are not part of our record. They are not part of the license that we give to the restaurant. So sometimes some types of informal separate understandings are created. We are not a party to that and we do not enforce.

(01:56:33)

So why would you not have those stipulations be part of the record? The SLA has those stipulations as part of the record with their license. Why not include those stipulations as part of your record and with the applicant? It is an agreement the applicant made with community. Why would you not include those?

So, what I can say is that what we hear a lot of and with the bills that are being offered up is to really increase dining out and to facilitate it. So, we are not looking to add those additional restrictions which really again we are not a party of to put those onto the and to enforce something CM. We may not be able to even have the ability to enforce some of these agreements within the rules that we have.

So, I push back to say I think if there is an agreement that parties made that think this is the best way to move forward and the parties have agreed to it, it makes no sense to me why you would not enforce those stipulations. So, but I think we will just continue that conversation at a later date.

(01:56:33)

So you mentioned that the sidewalk shed or the roadway bed sheds will be removed for snow, for street milling. How is that happening? If there is a platform and it just snows the day before, how would how practically is that going to happen?

(01:56:33)

Right? So, the kinds of things, first of all, the floors are now in segments, movable segments. They are not one large continuous built-in space floor that we saw during COVID. And the kinds of things we are considering and we will continue to consider over the next months are if we know there is a large storm coming like the two that we had, that may be the circumstances that we tell people to remove the setups in the roadway. If it is a smaller storm, probably not. But these are the kinds of things we are going to have to give more thought to.

(01:56:33)

And then what happens if an applicant does not remove it? What is what

(01:56:33)

you would have the ability to issue a violation

(01:56:33)

and but you would have to it would still be left there. You would have to somehow plow around that structure. Correct.

(01:56:33)

So, you would just have to leave it and then figure it out later. You would not remove it yourself.

(01:56:33)

And as we are building up to a storm and we have our own storm response, it would be unlikely we would be able to remove locations like that.

(01:56:33)

So, we talk a lot about the sidewalk sheds and the sidewalk dining being ADA accessible. Have you anything about ensuring ADA accessibility for bathrooms? So, people who are maybe with a disability who needs to use a bathroom while they are dining out. They should be able to get right back into the main part of the restaurant.

(01:56:33)

So, are you doing anything that require the main part of the restaurant, make an accessible bathroom?

(01:56:33)

Well, there are accessibility requirements for the restaurant already in existence and the it is level to get off the roadway setup onto the sidewalk. So, there should be no impediment to getting out of the dining out structure and into the restaurant.

So, if there is not an accessible bathroom, what if anything do you do in the application process to ensure someone will have access to an accessible bathroom? Okay, that is probably something we would have to talk to like DOB about because that comes back to the building.

(01:56:33)

All right. And okay, so I just want to one last question. I think that we have heard a lot from FDNY around kind of the question CM Marte asked earlier around multiple sheds on a small street on both sides and really concerns around safety having access if there is a fire. What are you looking at if there is, you could have a small road where there are sidewalk there beds on both sides and there is kind of just a middle lane of traffic kind of how are you going to help us all figure out how to manage that especially if the FDNY has an issue there?

(01:56:33)

Good. No, it is a fair point. So we consult with FDNY based on the widths of roadways and we do provide them with applications and we take in their feedback. A lot of times we are looking at roadways. We all know we have narrow roadways. Sometimes parking is allowed on both sides of the street and in those cases we would allow dining out on both sides of the street, but we also solicit FDNY feedback if there are some circumstances we are not aware of.

(01:56:33)

Thank you, CM. CM Marte.

(01:56:33)

Thank you, Chair. I want to build on what CM Epstein said when it comes to bathroom requirements. Administrative code section 403.3 requires a restroom for food and drink establishments with more than 20 seats. With outdoor dining and especially if the program is made year round, many establishments would newly exceed the threshold when including outdoor dining seats. How can we ensure that this rule is appropriately includes outdoor seating and that in such scenarios the City agencies will take appropriate actions to enforce bathroom requirements where establishments now require them.

(01:56:33)

That is something we can definitely take a closer look at.

(01:56:33)

Thank you. And I want to just plus one what CM Epstein said about stipulations right there. This is an agreement between two parties and for us to take out the bad actors, right? There is a I feel like there are a few bad actors that are ruining it for everyone else. And if there is no sense of like commitment, follow through or enforcement on some of the agreements they made with community board, then why are they even going in front of the community board, right? If there is no reason to have any oversight or enforcement on it.

And that brings me to my next question about when DOT has an application in front of the community board, they need a professional to legally sign off that what they are proposing to community boards are exactly what they are going to be built and that it is safe. Right now for outdoor dining sheds, there is no architect or engineer that has to sign off on these layouts or designs. And I think that kind of hinders the trust of these establishments because even in my district, we have seen applications go in front of the community board and with a design and then a few weeks later when they are actually building it out, it is completely different and there is nothing we can do to have oversight because it is up now and there is no like followup on enforcement.

(01:56:33)

Okay. We ensure that every structure that is built does comply with what it was that we approved. So if you have any of those, we can confirm for you. We have inspectors. They inspect all of these setups that it was built according to our standards and what was approved.

(01:56:33)

Okay. Thank you. And I think Sidewalk Cafe has worked for a really long time because the Council have oversight in my district. I have probably the most or maybe former CM Bottcher's district has

(01:56:33)

probably a little bit more than me, but we both have the most sidewalk cafes application than the City. And 99% of the applications are never called up, right? Because they are good applicants. They are good with the community. They respect the times. They respect the SLA enforcements. However, there are times where we need to call up really bad actors. Why is there not a system for the Council to call up bad actors when it comes to outdoor dining sheds?

(01:56:33)

So, what I would say is that as issues are happening, like if they are continuing to operate in the hours they should not, if they violate the noise code, things of that nature, that is when we would want to make sure that we are enforcing or our partner sister agencies are also enforcing. So, those are the mechanisms. We are happy to talk to you more about longstanding bad actors.

(01:56:33)

Okay.

(01:56:33)

Thank you. And just switching subjects, I am a huge supporter of Sammy's laws. DOT implemented it in the last administration in my district and I think it has been going extremely well. There are a lot of safer intersections now because of it. However, I believe implementing Sammy's law in Central Park, it is a way to target a lot of the delivery workers who are using that protected bikeway and also hinders cyclists from actually doing recreational cycling in the morning for a lot of the club competitions that they have. And so I highly urge and recommend DOT to remove that provision that was put in by the Adams administration when it comes to Central Park.

(01:56:33)

Thank you, CM.

(01:56:33)

One more question. I just wanted to respond that the CM does triathlon, so he cares a lot about biking.

(01:56:33)

Yes, I use the Central Park Loop a lot. But not too much anymore because the speed limit. But my final suggestion is I want to plus one what CM Hanif said about public plaza. We have a new plaza partner at Barnett Newman Triangle who is looking to take some up take some of the parking spots to enhance and beautify that area. However, it just seems that the process of moving forward is just taking too long and it seems like it takes multiple years, even after you have a willing plaza partner, you have CM funding, to actually move forward with it and painting some of the streets and adding some tree beds or greenery or planters to the area. So I would love to work with DOT to expedite the project and not wait until the full canal redesign to have an impact on that intersection.

(01:56:33)

If it is the location that I am thinking of is this is the location where it exists in temporary materials and now we are wait where we have the capital project moving forward to rebuild it permanently.

(01:56:33)

So it is in front of the Roxy Hotel so just right here a few blocks away. Friends of Barnett Newman Triangle just became Plaza Partners. They are envisioning really nice capital projects but we know that is years along the way but they are asking to take up some of the parking spaces there to expand the plaza and add some planters to help beautify it.

(01:56:33)

Okay. I am happy to I am not personally familiar with that location, but it sounds like we are actively talking to the community partner there about more we can do with that site. But I will make sure that we are moving forward together.

(01:56:33)

Cool. Thank you.

(01:56:33)

Thank you. And two more questions and then this panel will be excused. Want to appreciate members of the public who are patiently waiting to testify and also the administration for your patience as well. Just two questions on intro 13 regarding the installation of solar powered crosswalks. DOT stated in their testimony that they had concerns regarding the efficacy of the types of technologies envisioned in the Bill and in the fall DOT testified that they were open to discussing other new technologies and smaller scale pilots. What are other options to increase visibility of signage and increase compliance at crosswalks?

(01:56:33)

Sure. So, in terms of new technologies, we are actively investigating the feasibility of solar powered accessible pedestrian signals. So like the button, and at a limited number of signalized intersections, where traditional conduit and electrical cable installations are not feasible due to the subsurface conditions or conflicts with utilities. In terms of pilots, we recently installed a few solar pilot locations in New York City and we are evaluating the effectiveness of those devices in terms of their durability, the battery longevity, the communication performance, and the long-term maintenance costs.

(01:56:33)

Thank you. My last question is, Speaker Menon's preconsidered Bill has been amended since DOT last heard it to set a maximum clear path of 8 ft or 50% of the width of the sidewalk, bringing sidewalk dining back to its roots. Sidewalk dining worked well in the past using a standard like this. Why could it not return to the standard?

(01:56:33)

So we are trying to balance different needs, right? So, we are all for trying to support more outdoor dining and more vital public realm. We have to balance that with some of these other considerations. Some of it we see kind of how it works out there in the world, right? As we introduce these programs, introduce new requirements or standards and then see how it works and we might have to adjust. I would come back to what I said earlier which is that the areas where the requirements greater than 8 feet either 10 or 12 is almost entirely in the Manhattan Central Business District. It is really just the most congested parts of the City by and large. So we think it strikes a good balance but we are always open to talking and hearing.

(01:56:33)

That was my next question. Are you open to working with the speaker on figuring out how to arrive at a good place on this?

(01:56:33)

Absolutely.

(01:56:33)

Thank you very much. This panel is excused. Thank you very much coming today.

(01:56:33)

Thank you, chair.