As a New Yorker I always found it stupid how there's so many cars in such a small area. There's so many people and bikes, but so much of the space is dedicated for the huge cars and trucks that only have one person inside. It just never made sense. I hope we can fix this city and redesign it for people, instead of having it be a car sewer.

Wish there was an organization like this in every city. Man I'm so sick of living under the dictatorship of the car.

I just visited New York this year and I wasn't even aware of the fact that Times Square had been pedestrianized or that Central Park used to have car traffic going through. I couldn't even imagine having visited these places before 😂 We want better cities!

Man it's so funny/sad that all the background noise that makes stuff tough to hear on these videos is car noise

I think part of this solution is also making the surrounding suburbs, including Long Island where I'm from, less car dependent. A large percentage of NYC traffic is commuters going through the biggest bottleneck in possibly the world. the surroundings need to be part of the fix, its not just NYC

Walking, Biking and Public Transit also reduces drunk driving!

Thank you TA and Propell, I'm renewing my TA membership. I learned to take the lane when I was 12 when another cyclist saw me almost get doored and advised me it was safer to ride in the middle of the lane. We need school programs that teach how to ride and maintain a bike. Growing up in the 70s it was safer for me to ride a bike than walk or take the subway through rougher neighborhoods. If we educate our younger riders they will make this city better. The money I saved from not having to own a car allowed me to save for apartment, living in a city is tough biking and walking make it enjoyable, so we should make the city safer for everyone who moves through the streets. Bike Life Forever

I was in barcelona recently. Hands down the most walkable city I have ever visited. Residential neighbourhoods where you can just keep walking and walking without having to stop (the cars on these small streets stop for you). On the main roads, you arent ever too far from a pedestrian crossing. The are streets everywhere that have been closed to car traffic, and plazas created. Playgrounds, park benches everywhere. And these plazas full of life, with kids playing in them in the evening, and their parents nearby chatting among the adults.

I think an important thing to remember is that these people don't want to ban or eliminate cars, they want to give you options. Ironically, this kind of people oriented transit policy actually makes this better for everyone INCLUDING car drivers. The vast majority of car trips are those that can be replaced with some combination of Mass Transit and walkable/bikable infrastructure. And because moving people by these methods is so much more efficient than cars, they leave more space and allow the remaining cars to move faster. For the trips that require cars, like long distance odd trips, heavy delivery, etc, things measurably improve.

I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I'm incredibly jealous of the progress New York has been making toward becoming a livable city. I know that it's not nearly enough, and I hope Yew York can go even further, and prove once and for all that American cities *can* be walkable, bikeable, and busable. Maybe eventually my city will follow suit, though I'm not holding my breath. I've seen some construction projects that look like they (might?) be protected bike lanes once they're complete, but right now it's all just painted bike gutters, many of which stop without warning, forcing an incredibly unsafe merge into traffic for people who aren't familiar with the route. As far as walkability goes, we've got nothing. But we did install a BRT line (the "ART" line) with dedicated bus lanes, and we even made our buses free to ride. That's a big step in the right direction, though our bus system still needs both more frequency and more reliability.

I'm both a traffic engineer but also an avid bikes-for-transportation rider and advocate. Where I am finding my opportunity to "Be The Change You Want to See" is to work for my municipal government (Indianapolis) in roadway design. As a near-term goal, I'm finding efficiencies (both space and time) in our streets network to reallocate space to support Vulnerable Roadway Users (VRU) without creating heartburn. As an ongoing and long-term plan, working with my colleagues to create a comprehensive network for VRU mobility options that make walking, biking, and public transit equally convenient as the automobile. Once you layer in community cohesion, easy fitness, low cost, time to mentally prepare/decompress, environmental benefit, and IMO, FUN!, it makes the Walk/Bike/Transit option a clear winner. I often say "traffic is like electricity (or water), it will take the path of least resistance". Now we need to ensure that Walk/Bike/Transit is at LEAST equally low-resistance as a baseline. I expect that alone will generate the critical mass needed to make Walk/Bike/Transit the must-have for most all voters and in turn, political leadership and funding allocation.

If we had those people in the past saying that cars were the only way and we just followed till this point, we should be able to reverse it, for a north, central and South America less car dependent 💪🏽 🔥

Inspiring video! Not to mention the incredible timing of releasing it just as the UAW goes on strike, threatening to make car ownership more stupidly expensive and unsustainable than it already is. I literally just got back from an extended trip to Manhattan (far from my first ))) and I'm always amazed at how easy and efficient it is to get around the city using just the subway, to say nothing of combining it with buses, the LIRR, PATH... and of course walking! 🙂 It's like living in a dream world or different country compared to where I'm at now. Speaking of which, I'm seriously considering moving to Europe soon with a major part of my calculus being that I absolutely plan to go car-free once there. Keep up the good work Danny, and thanks to everyone at TA!

Walking, running, bicycles, escooters, green open spaces, electric buses, commuter trains and trams are all parts of a good transportation system. Speak up for improved transportation options in your city. Every train station needs safe, protected places to park and lock bicycles.

Deep down everybody wants this. Nobody wants to walk around in a noisy area, motorcycles and cars blasting your ears, worrying about not getting killed just crossing the road.

I hope this motivates people here in LA to come out in greater support for good urbanism and against car centric design. A lot of people currently are, but the pace of progress is too slow.

Thanks, Guy. Very good. I have just forwarded this video to the City of Toronto's Transportation Group. In Toronto, we have made some good progress, but we still have a long way to go. But again, thank you.

I never knew about TA so this was enlightening. I also think the timing of this video, released during the autoworker strike, is perfect. It really points out that progress is usually done as a group, as a community like Transportation Alternatives. As Americans, we tend to romanticize this idea of a lone woodsman pulling up his bootstraps and clearing his path one tree at a time. But most of the time, whether you're fighting for better working conditions or for safer streets and neighborhoods, the story of humanity is usually a story of people coming together to get something done. Chris (and Tara) creating this content and talking with Danny is a part of that but let's not forget to go all the way to City Hall and advocate as a group for what we want. Thanks as always to Propel for the video!

Never living in a big city and watching this, it’s evident how decades of back scratching to line pockets has made for one big mess. Seeing the delivery trucks lined up both sides of the street is just one that is necessary.

Originally from NY, I'm now in Houston and so badly miss NY's transit, walkability, and bikeability. I know it's not Copenhagen, but NY is far better than what the rest of the U.S. has to offer. Excited to soon move back to the Northeast.

I would love if we had fewer cars. Currently there are streets by me that are blocked off for an infrastructure repair. And it’s lovely with less noise from cars. It’s also super funny seeing so many people still try and get through via their car even though signs are up in multiple spots saying the road is closed.

I would love to see smaller and medium sized cities like Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus all pursue programs like this to make these and other cities much more bike and pedestrian friendly and not everything being dictated by the automobile. This would greatly help in urban revitalization of these cities and help build up their density as well. Plus it could also help in making most of these places safer with less crime which could attract more major investment.

Really love this format. Interviews while riding is so natural.

I think you are absolutely right about scaling solutions that already exist. Part of my commute is along the Hudson river bike path, which is incredible. Then at some point I have to get east into midtown and then it get really bad, really quick! Take this incredible bike path, where I see so many other cyclists everyday, as an inspiration for an east-west crossing of midtown.

We need this everywhere- everywhere!

This is sick! Is Transportation Alternative thinking about expanding to other cities?

One great feature in the bike infrastructure here in NYC is the West Side Greenway. It is a gorgeous bike path that stretches from 207th st to the Battery. It is the main reason I still occasionally bike to work even though it usually is 20 min longer than the subway.

You need to talk about this new proposal from The City to allow 4-foot-wide UPS pedelec quadcycles in the bike lanes.

I visited NYC last year w/ my Bike. I live in DC and go to school in Philadelphia and am into alleycats. I ride fast and cut up in traffic and am a confident rider. In NYC though, I was just doing some casual riding on the bike lanes there and compared to Philly & DC I felt so unsafe.. Even though the bike infrastructure is far greater in NYC, the lanes are narrow, and I was almost hit by 5-6 taxis just turning across the bike lanes without looking. I came away from that trip thinking that how would any average road user possibly be safe to ride on the bike lanes in NYC, nevermind put their kids on there... There is a lot of work to be done in all 3 of those cities, but having bicycle traffic signals, widening bike lanes, not allowing any turning by cars besides on a green turn signal, and having raised bike paths/more protections from double parking would go a long way in making it an actually ridable system for the average person. These thoughts were confirmed when I visited Amsterdam this summer, it seems like NYC just puts in bike lanes just to put in bike lanes. But a vast majority of people won't use them If the roads are not made safer in general with traffic calming. That is how it was done in Amsterdam.

I'm originally from St. Louis. I moved away after college but I'm moving back within the year and the last time I visited, I discovered there's an Urbanist group in St. Louis called the StL Urbanists. I will definitely be joining them when I move back.

I'm very excited for people in the US 😀 Great video dude

The NYC ferry has made life so easy. I can get my bike into the city from the northeast Bronx in 20 minutes. btw thanks for all you do

Life long NYER here, I never thought biking in Times Square and midtown would be so pleasant in my life time. I now do it every chance I get, the times when I lived in Manhattan and biked to work were some of the funnest times in my young career.

When I get a job, I will ride a bike to work

chicago is slowly trying to catch up to new york, and right now i'm jealous of nyc. at least our new mayor rides a bike!

If you haven't read Janette Sadik-Khan's "Street Fight," then I highly recommend it as a fascinating historical and advocacy read.

Every pedestrianisation project at every single corner of the world was a massive, MASSIVE success. Noise and pollution levels dropped, people became happier, and retail volume hugely increased.

We want walkable neighborhoods with all services available within walking distance. Park the car and walk/bike/ride the train. A new America!

Remember it's cars that are loud, not cities :)

17 minutes in, I love that you encourage people to try something different! While I bike commute, I also love walking and I love taking the bus. They are great alternatives to my primary mode of transportation. And I so wish that folk, especially those who are driving cars, chose to try something different and out of their comfort zone. Can we normalize feeling a little out of our element, a little stupid?? Being a tourist in your own town can be so special!

End car dependency! Go NYC!! :)

As a person who has biked to school through central park for the last 2 years and uses the loop all the time, it seems insane to me that cars were ever allowed in the park at all. The park should have always been car free, but im glad the changes were made to make central park the ideal cycling area either for leisure or to travel quickly and safely around Manhattan.

The change on Broadway has been insane. I still remember being a kid in early 2000s and walking around Broadway and Times Sq and being on the super crowded sidewalks. Its night and day today. The seating is super nice and there is way more space for pedestrians to walk around. I love to just sit down around Flatiron district and just grab a drink and people watch. The only negative is cars are still too loud, but otherwise it has become so much nicer.

Keep fighting the good fight, thank you guys. I live in London and my family cannot safely cycle in the city despite me cycling there every week...

Danny is riding a Dutch🇳🇱 styled bike. Awesome ❤ Such a powerful message (for the trained eye)

I appreciate the alternatives in the city. Just wish that they made walking safer. I have so many near misses by cyclists and motorized scooters because people are so inconsiderate. I hope that people will really be more considerate because these alternatives ARE amazing improvements to the quality of life in NYC and beyond. Such a great thing! Thank you for your labor. Let’s get the word out about this.

This highlights so many amazing points about the barriers created by car first thinking, and potentials of streets and transport modes truly accessable by all. It's great you are bringing light to solutions that already are proven to work. 🎉 The city differences in expectations between the U.S. and Europe was a great point too. Time to evolve our expectations.

I live in Copenhagen downtown, pls send more people here or to the NL to experience for them selves how you can make cities more liveable, more efficient, more happy, more better. We love to inspire as well as discuss how we can make our own city even better.

Yes, make this stuff, it is fundamental to give many forms of transport and ability to get around. It's not impeding on the car if we make dedicated infrastructure for said things. It's just all that space for the car is like 30% waisted space on the conservative end. We can take away a few feet of car lanes for bike and walking infrastructure and cars will still basically have plenty of space.

advocacy is for the heartiest of ppl, nice vid!

My guess is we'll slowly get more streets that are car free in Manhattan...to the point where it might be entirely car free in large sections (other than delivery vehicles)

I stopped taking taxis and subway during Covid lockdown and started Citibike. Can’t explain how happy I am about it. NYC has been amazing to bike through, even the crowded places. Some of the routes they are on I take every day.

Electric bicycles are bringing many older adults back to cycling. Ebikes makes those hills much less of an issue.. Every city needs to beaa bicycle city. We all need to support healthy exercise and fossil fuels free transportation options. Add a little more green space, bike lanes and outdoor dining to the city and it is a winner. Speak up for bicycles in your community.

Mr. Propel, thank you for that wonderful information, and yes, when i was a kid living in NY, it was very Car Oriented and there was no real place where you could feel Safe. Much less with a bicycle

This is a great video and, unfortunately, resonates so much in tiny Trinidad and Tobago!

Cool video!

Another great show. Thanks, Getting people used to bicycles as a handy cost effective method of getting around town is a tough goal. I took a bus to Seattle last week. The first time in 40 years. Not bad. $5.50 (round trip). So $15.00 in fuel and $10 in parking fees starts to make sense. Don't forget transfers.

I have gotten around NYC on my two wheels for over ten years . First two on a really well/-engineered kick-scooter and then a bicycle (with a crate for groceries and stuff on it) It has elevated the quality of my life stile to unimaginable to most non- biking people’s level. Turned my commute and getting around town into a peaceful meditation instead of stressful encounter with the city’s subway system. So the dark underworld creatures of nyc subway are not part of my New York reality, bringing groceries home is a breeze and I biking is the fastest way to get places around town . When it rains, I put a perfect dutch desigber rain coat for biking on , which keeps me dry.

Great video! Keep up the good work. Also consider the effect on noise pollution when there are fewer cars. It makes a massive especially in NYC which is incredibly noisy.

This was such a good discussion. I wish youtube had recommended this to me earlier.

Thank you Danny! From Portland Oregon.

Love to see the progress. So grateful for all the hard work to make it happen

You need to have a leisure mindset... NY could be great if everything wasn't about efficiency at all cost. Sometime comfort and beauty should reign supreme.....

How are you in New idea how much I enjoyed this. I’d love to get in on meetings and stuff like that with you guys talking about topics and white night. Really really enjoyed this. The economic developer in my small town of 3000 people is getting somebody involved to help redesign a small town for Bicycle pass, but I mentioned to him we need to work with other towns around us that are bigger so that I’ve bicycle path me theirs and they build their bicycle path out to meet ours so we can get to some of them biggest places where we all go for shopping and they’re not doing that so we gotta somehow start that conversation to work towards that

i heard that 1/3 of manhatten is entirely dedicated to motor vehicles which is insaaaane, with so many trucks it would be so much better just have one large freight rail station instead of all the cargo trucks that come into the city, sure manhatten is a large island so a freight station won't be close to everything but i feel then u won't need trucks to transport goods to further ends of the island, at most just vans but mostly just cargo bikes will be able to create a great enough flow of supply

Good video! I enjoyed it very much! Patrick Belgium

I find it crazy how a city like New York can find space for bike lanes yet much more open cities use the excuse there is no room

I really want this!! After traveling throughout Europe, cities should be for people not for Cars.

Yea!

All good plans! Best of luck from a Urban Planner from the Netherlands!

We want this!!

Great video. Interesting coverage of what’s been done and how much more is possible.

You know what strikes me? I saw the videos in the Netherlands from Propel with Not just bikes and in Delft with, I don't remember the name. But now listen to the background noise in NY. How those 2 men try to talk loudly over the sound. How quiet is the Netherlands?

Wow! Excellent video!! Last time I rode a bike in NYC was from Varick and King to Yonkers on 9/11. On a ‘borrowed’ bike.

Now they just need to close 7th Ave to vehicle traffic from 42nd to 47th and it will be an actual public square. Like is Times Square really not an iconic enough landmark and tourist attraction to the city for it to prioritize the people actually trying to spend time and money there instead of the people trying to drive through it? The Manhattan grid isn't perfectly uniform. The standard block configuration gets broken up plenty of times, so the idea that cars need a completely unbroken grid through the whole island or the city will breakdown is demonstrably false.

ha not sure theres any advocacy groups in my country. the drivers here sometime try to bully you off the road. thats the uk up north for you. rural area so very few cycle unless its for sport. we have tons of room for netherlands style separate bicycle infra but even our CYCLISTS say they dont want it.

The end of the video is my overwhelming experience 😂

wonderful

policy makers don't put cars first, they put rich oil companies and auto makers first.

we want a bikable, walkable NYC!

WE WANT WALKABLE INFRASTRUCTURE

About time for the city to go back to its roots: New Amsterdam!

I'm not sure if Manhattan should be a car free zone but I definitely believe it shouldn't be what we design for. Public transit, walking, and biking should be the primary forms of transportation until you get out into the more suburban areas of the bronx, queens, and Brooklyn.

Can Paramus, NJ, or any other suburb in the NY Metro do the same thing by providing alternatives to car-dependent infrastructure?

17:31 Hi Danny 👋 great talk

Nice I wish all our streets were 1/2 devoted to bikes and walking lanes

I don't think the average American is as in-love with their cars as pop culture leads us to believe. People constantly talk about driving like it's a chore and complain about traffic, parking, price of gas, idiot drivers, etc. I really think if you could make some small, but meaningful improvements towards eliminating car-dependence, I think the effects would snowball. More people would use those modes, creating more demand, creating more improvements. I think the resistance comes from, as usual, a small but vocal minority of people that are just hostile to change.

Property values will go up. I'm just baffled by how few cities are doing this.

This video was really good!

I live in LA. I like the 3 mile idea. Basically if it's less than 3 miles just walk or take a bike.

You can keep advocating from the outside, but you can also work your way into the city and be an advocate from the inside.

Hopefully they will remove pavement from Central Park where there were cars and change it to something prettier looking

Chris, fascinating as always. Where can I get one of those hats?

assistindo aqui do Brasil, ABC paulista . substitui o ônibus pela bicicleta uns anos atrás. antes eu esperava cerca de 20 minutos até o ônibus chegar no ponto e mais uns 20 minutos até chegar onde precisava descer. agora em 20 minutos pedalando chego no centro da cidade. ainda tenho esperança de ver as cidades aqui com uma infraestrutura adequada para caminhar e pedalar.

I cackled when he said Boston, I work at a bar and often end around 1-2am and if it wasn't for my bike I don't know how I would get around. I can't afford a car and the bus and trains stops running before my shifts end. My only option is to learn how to ride my bike in the winter as well.

and so many people are financially and legally screwed over cars. For not affording car, insurance, maintenance, tickets.... etc... The amount of people jailed over owning car instead of like you said offering better transit.

Amazing video!!

What do we do about bike dirtbags that ride 40+ mph electric bikes like Super 73s?

Downtown areas especially NYC are so shit to drive through already, it's stressful with many people walking, taxi drivers that will cut you off, people double parked, accidents closing lanes, construction closing lanes, one way streets, and endless bumper to bumper traffic, so why not end car traffic in general in our urban cores? I'd really really hate driving through Manhattan and love walking and taking transit, even my car brained mother loved taking the train to NYC and walking around. This is a piece of car infrastructure I can never defend, even though I grew up in the suburbs around Toronto and loved cars since childhood, but I still have that transit and cycling urge

I recently travelled to NYC and there are some car-free places featured in the video that I cannot imagine having cars. Times Square, Central Park, Broadway in the Flatiron Districts... It's bonkers that these places used to be dominated by cars and not pedestrians and bikes.