Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
planycgrab2.JPG

With the above chart and these comments in mind, here's some food for thought from the PlaNYC Transportation chapter:

    • Only 4.6% of working New Yorkers commute to Manhattan by car.
    • The vast majority of trips made in New York are not to Manhattan; even among commuters, nearly twice as many outer borough residents work outside of Manhattan as inside -- 1.56 million versus 841,000.
    • Cars and trucks contribute 20% of the City's global warming emissions and a large part of the ozone -- a serious pollutant that can cause respiratory illnesses like asthma -- in our air.
    • New York City has the highest bus ridership in the United States, but the slowest buses. As the city grows and vehicles compete for the same road, buses operate at even slower speeds. Between 2002-06 alone, bus speeds across the city slowed by 4%.
    • Over the last 30 years, even significant improvements in our subway system have not substantially changed the way New Yorkers get to Manhattan. Despite enhancements in safety, efficiency, and aesthetics, the percentage of drivers has remained essentially unchanged.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Thursday’s Headlines Are Charged Up for the Fourth

The Republican megabill is bad for the electric vehicle industry, but it could be worse.

July 3, 2025

Why is the Secretary of Transportation Begging Americans to Take More Road Trips?

Instead of making America easier to see on all modes, the US Department of Transportation is encouraging U.S. residents to just get in their cars and drive.

July 3, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are for the Children

From mothers with babies in strollers to preteens on bikes, much of the U.S. is hostile to families just trying to get around without a car.

July 2, 2025

Ambulance Data Reveals That Boston Drivers Are 4 Times More Likely to Run Over Pedestrians From Black Neighborhoods

"Overall, residents of predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are about four times more likely than residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to be struck as a pedestrian."

July 1, 2025
See all posts