Transforming NYC Streets: A Conversation with Janette Sadik-Khan

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Transforming NYC Streets: A Conversation with Janette Sadik-Khan

Since taking over as New York City's Commissioner of the Department of Transportation in mid-2007, Janette Sadik-Khan has taken on the challenge of making NYC streets more bike & pedestrian friendly while emphasizing livable streets and re-orienting them to accommodate all modes. She and her staff have done it quickly with innovative concepts, thinking outside the box and drawing on successful street designs from around the world to come up with a NYC model that is already changing the way our city feels.

In our exclusive Streetfilms interview, she talks with The Open Planning Project's Executive Director, Mark Gorton, about some of the highlights her department has achieved in a very short period of time including a physically-separated bike lane on Ninth Avenue, multiple pedestrian plazas (including Madison Square and Broadway Boulevard), new efforts to boost efficiency and speeds on some bus routes, and the city's phenomenally successful, Ciclovia-style closure "Summer Streets".

http://www.myspace.com/mrcolombia Diego Garces

I was in NYC last week around Broadway by the Juan Valdez and i must say the feeling of having your like own space to sit in like the middle of the street was truly a great experience. I felt included, protected and i spent more time sitting there because i was not bother by the traffic or cars. It was really nice to see the bicyclist really take advantage as well. Hopefully Summer Streets starts in May and ends in September!! EVERY SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TransitGuy

Wow. Just to say it in case it gets lost in the shuffle- NYC DOT is simply an amazing agency. Lots of us out here in the rest of America would carve out our spleens to get to work with people this progressive.

I know that having a group like Transportation Alternatives and the Streetsblog/Streetfilms empire is an important part of the recipe for success.

Anyway, don't let up, but understand how much you are truly pushing the envelope in NYC. Pat yourselves on the back.
Sober Biker

From the middle of the country where I am just hoping my state will vote Obama this year all I can say is "Wow!" Oh, TransitGuy already said that.
Dan

Great video to summarize a lot of the progressive changes to the NYC streets. What's great is know that there is plenty of other projects already that weren't shown and even more planned.

Other cities certainly are looking to NYC!
http://www.livablestreets.com/people/grenavitar Fritz

What NYC DOC is doing is great and that they are overcoming some of the resistance is great too. But, there is still lots more work to do.

I am living in Bordeaux now which from 1950s onwards dismantled its tram systems and made itself car centric--that was until 2003 when the mayor (Alain Juppé) inaugurated the tram which now has just shy of 100 stops with new stops being opened each year (and four more just this week!). The riverfront transformed from a large road to a large quay with shops and tons of open space with a one lane road in each direction, a separated bike path and a tram in each direction. The riverfront is now a major artery for bike traffic and is safe and beautiful. Every day you see thousands of people walking all along it. Bordeaux has problems, many of its separated bike lanes suddenly ending forcing you into the streets. This is especially true where the tram line takes the space forcing bikers onto the rails. But it is an amazing success story overall, despite its need for improvement. The biggest thing is the culture. A great many of the streets are multi-use and cars are used to riding with bikes and don't try to pass them so when you are riding together on the same street there is less to fear.

I mention this because while NYC has progress it is barely the tip of the iceberg. There are very limited separated bike paths. No tram... the BRT is a start but it needs enforcement as we have seen from the pictures. So, while the progress is great we need to keep the pressure on so I can see a city at least as bike and transit friendly as Bordeaux when I come back.
momos

It's incredible what JSK has accomplished in such a short time. NYC is so vast, with such inertia. This compilation of what's been done really puts things in perspective. Go JSK!!
Darlene

I've heard Mrs. Sadik Khan speak twice at Railvolution. She is wonderful!
Lars

Greatness!
http://www.parisar.org,www.pttf.net Sujit Patwardhan

Janette Sadik-Khan and her achievement as New York city's Commissioner of Transportation is truly inspiring even for non New Yorkers.

We wish her and her team even greater success in the years to come and feel sure what is happening to New York will encourage other cities to recognize sooner than later that is the quality of street life and not the massive highways and flyovers built for cars that gives personality to a city.

Jane Jacobs' spirit lives on.
http://www.livablestreets.com/people/dupuy Alex Dupuy

I too have been amazed by what JSK and the new DOT have been able to accomplish so quickly - it goes far beyond anything I could have dreamed. I just worry about the inevitable(?) backlash. Even in Chelsea, where the amazing 9th Avenue bike track that is featured in this video was installed, there are lots of people (many of whom probably don't even own cars) who are against it.

While I wouldn't categorize the reactions expressed on this local board: http://chelsea.clickyourblock.com/bb/showthread.php?t=1293 as typical or anything like representative, I worry sometimes that the forward-looking people at the DOT may be outstripping the grass roots in their attempts to move change so quickly.

While there hasn't been pressure to remove the lanes, coverage in (otherwise fairly progressive) local papers tends to focus on the perceived downsides (e.g. http://chelseanow.com/cn_56/ninthave.html) and Community Board 4's vote against the conversion of the 8th Avenue buffered bike lane to a configuration like that on 9th Avenue was disheartening. Apparently the project is going ahead anyhow, which is probably a good thing - I suspect that once it is in place the advantages will become more obvious, but again I worry about the wisdom of pushing these changes so quickly.
Paola

Well, gosh and golly gee, it's awfully sweet we have so many bike lanes in New York. Too bad they're largely useless since Mayor Bloomberg doesn't have the balls to tell the police chief that NYPD needs to make ticketing double parkers a priority, and oh, yeah, maybe the cops could refrain from parking in the bike lanes when they go to get their donuts, or beat up Obama supporters or whatever. All you JSK sycophants at Open Planning Project need to wake up and do a little piece on the relationship between DOT and NYPD, and how NYPD is undermining improvements to bike infrastructure and also efforts to improve bus service.
let the sunshine in

Gee golly gosh. I thought the streets of NYC were sugarcoated and JSK was our Sugarplum Fairy Queen. Damn, Paola...have you ever seen other Streetfilms or read Streetsblog? A positive piece such as this one doesn't mean the people behind it or those who watch it don't know the there is still much room for improvement. Streetsblog often has posts about the very issues you mentioned regarding NYPD enforcement and violations.
http://rearviewrider.wordpress.com Ingrid Peterson

Just getting to this video from Damien's tip from LA Streetsblog.

WOW. This is an inspirational view of street transformation indeed!

Could we please have someone as awesome as Janette Sadik-Khan working at LADOT?
Los Angeles needs to experiment like this.

Thanks again for this wonderful piece!
Chris H

This is great work and long overdue - but I get a little jaded when I hear expressions like "showing leadership for other cities" etc...

In reality, this is more of a "catch-up" phase for NYC on contemporary design and sustainable transport practice. There are many other cities around the world already at another level in terms of performance and measurable outcomes on transport sustainability, and those are the places that are showing the leadership for NYC to be willing to try "new" ideas (that are actually many decades old).

Good luck though.

Chris Hale
UQ - Centre for Transport Strategy
c.hale2@uq.edu.au
Scott

Right on, Paola. JSK's improvements and ideas are wonderful but chronically undermined by lack of/inconsistent enforcement. The examples are too many to list here... The bike lane on Park Row coming off the Brooklyn Bridge is basically used as a parking lot for vehicles with City plates... NYC bicyclists can't seem to figure out that bike lanes are one way... Pedestrians need to stay out of bike lanes and cyclists need to stay off of sidewalks... Imagine how great our transportation system could be if NYPD actually enforced the new rules put in place by NYCDOT. The one example in the video of keeping the bus lane on 34th st. clear is an exception.
Don

Great plans. Nice gams!
http://mag.ma/darvocetwithoutaprescription All about darvocet without a prescription

So where it to find, All about buy diflucan without no prescription veterinary [url=http://mag.ma/buydiflucanwithout#1]All about buy diflucan without no prescription veterinary[/url], 896542, All about darvocet without a prescription [url=http://mag.ma/darvocetwithoutaprescription#1]All about darvocet without a prescription[/url], 8-], how long does percocet stay in your system price [url=http://mag.ma/howlongdoespercocet#1]how long does percocet stay in your system price[/url], iqxtad, does diovan have significant side effects for you [url=http://mag.ma/doesdiovanhave#1]does diovan have significant side effects for you[/url], 1993, Buy buy percocet online without a prescription [url=http://mag.ma/buypercocetonlinewithout#1]Buy buy percocet online without a prescription[/url], 0827,
http://makesmesick!yeahisaidit... paddy ford

trying to turn ny into europe.people don't mind some changes but the arrogance and total disrespect you have for real native new yorkers trying to work and drive in the city is disgusting !! keep catering to the rich ! you and your boss make me sick ... oh, by the way, i'm not alone on this.. as much money as bloomberg has,it must kill him when he's alone to realize he'll never be a real new yorker,the 2 of you deserve eachother..not worthy of caps.have a nice day !! go back 2 boston you're creeps ..ed koch was the man ....n native.
http://gianniwise.wordpress.com Gianni Wise

Paddy not sure if I follow your argument there. I don't think owning a bike or walking or jumping on a bus requires wealth. Sure often centres of cities as they become more popular make owning and renting less affordable but I don't think but giving back a city to people is the real problem here. NY has had (from what I've been told) huge gridlocks of highly polluting traffic - and this initiative can only be an effective solution.
Well done. This process has begun starting in Sydney (Australia) which is exciting for us.
Mark Leach

Ha! Trying to turn NYC into Europe! Tell me where in Europe has managed to do this? You guys are leading the way - I only hope we in Europe have the common sense to follow.
Brenden

God bless this woman. We need more people like her.
WE NEED YOU!

Can you come to Minneapolis? Please?
Bruce Swanson

Undoing Moses one step at a time. Jane won.
Blueskies0002

This is wonderful ! We need more people in government , who think "out of the box ", like Ms. Sadik-Khan . Congrats , and hope that other big cities follow the NYC example.
DOLORES’

I AM A THEATRE' AND TRAVEL BROKER. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU WOULD BE INTERESTED IN ALFRED HITCHCOCK VHS SET, RICH MAN POOR MAN, PEYTON PLACE. SET OF TWILIGHT ZONE, ROOTS, FOREST GUMPS, TITANIC, THE STAND, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA ALL IN VHS. PLEASE CONTACT ME AT 347..298.0193. OR E-MAIL: DOLMRC@Aol,com

Siem,pre', DM

Streetfilms