

Madison Square: Before and After.

Take a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come in the last few years. New York City is being honored tonight in Washington D.C. as the first U.S. city to win the ITDP Sustainable Transport Award. Here is an excerpt from the press release:

New York City has demonstrated that political will, bold

leadership and citizen engagement can lead to sweeping transportation

reforms. In 2008, the city implemented key parts of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s long-term sustainability vision, PlaNYC 2030. The laudable changes made

throughout 2008 have reshaped the experience of walking on New York City

streets. The city has embraced biking and walking as investment-worthy

transportation alternatives, while the traditional car-oriented

mobility model is taking a back-seat….

In 2008, New York City took 49 acres of road space, traffic lanes and

parking spots away from cars and gave it back to the public for bike

lanes, pedestrian areas and public plazas. Protected on-street bike

lanes were part of the 140 miles (255 kilometers) of bike lanes

implemented. Bike ridership increased by 35 percent from the past year.

The city planted more than 98,000 trees, implemented a select bus

service and introduced car-free Saturdays. The NYC Department of

Transportation recycles 40 percent of the asphalt used to repair

streets.