Transportation / New York, New York

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The New York metropolitan region has one clear historic advantage when it comes to efficient transportation—population density like nowhere else in the country. This density has uniquely positioned New York to be easily served by mass transit, accessed on foot and by bike, and to develop naturally by the principles of smart growth.

Nineteen million people—or one out of every 16 Americans—lives, works, and commutes in the New York metropolitan region. Of course, New York City is the epicenter of this activity, with 3.6 million people commuting to the city each day, as well as nearly 50 million tourists each year. So it is no surprise that efficient mobility is a top priority in the region.

With nearly 50 percent of commuters using public transport daily, New York has the highest percentage of transit users in the nation (with the next closest being San Francisco, at less than 20 percent). The percentage of New Yorkers commuting via transit has also gone up by 4 percent between 2000 and 2009, the greatest increase in the nation according to the State of Metropolitan America. It’s also one of only two regions in the U.S., alongside neighbor Jersey City, New Jersey, with an average automobile ownership of less than one vehicle per household. Getting from place to place is more affordable in New York—at an average annual cost of $5,289—than in any other large city, and at an average of 9,920 miles per year, New York residents travel fewer miles by car than residents in any other city in the country besides Jersey City.

The “Key” to Sustainable Cities

Transit Access in New York Metropolitan Region (light green lines indicate location of metro region with darker brown regions showing higher transit access), Credit:CNT H+T Affordability Index

The average New Yorker’s energy consumption and carbon emissions are about one quarter of that of the average American, and there is no question that the city’s impressive transportation network is crucial to these results. The power largely behind many of these impressive results is the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), which oversees a 5,000-square-mile region, including downstate New York, Long Island, and southwestern Connecticut.

According to Ernest Tollerson, director of environmental sustainability and compliance for the MTA, New York’s success makes it clear that the money, effort, and carbon that go into building and maintaining an effective mass transit system pay off.

“This investment is key to the sustainability of cities,” says Tollerson.

And it’s true: investment in public transportation can have benefits ranging from improved public health, to more livable environs, greater economic efficiency, and increased climate protection. Furthermore, in New York, smart transportation is essential. According to the MTA’s 2008 sustainability plan, Greening Mass Transit and Metro Regions (PDF), the MTA must reach at least two-thirds of New York’s projected population growth of 4 million by 2030 for the metropolitan region to maintain its vitality and strong economy.

Keeping a Low Carbon Footprint

The high public transit use means lower energy consumption for the average New Yorker because, with 8 million riders each day, it is as though each of these people is driving a car with a fuel efficiency of 100 miles per gallon. It also means fewer carbon emissions. In 2008 the MTA joined the Climate Registry, a nonprofit, third-party verifier of greenhouse gas emissions, which determined that for every one unit of carbon emitted by New York public transportation, more than eight units of carbon are saved due to reduced driving by transit riders.

“Clearly, using MTA public transit is a great way to keep down the carbon footprint of the region,” says Tollerson.

The MTA even has a carbon emissions calculator, the MTA Transit Effect Calculator, which riders can use to determine their own contribution to the region’s carbon footprint.

It’s not just about extending service and reducing the carbon footprint though: the MTA is also expanding uses of renewable energy, partnering with various entities at the city and state levels on transit-oriented development, exploring new technologies for trains to recycle energy wasted during braking, and replacing overhead “necklace” lighting on bridges with LED bulbs.

Bike Lanes and Pedestrian Plazas

And although the MTA is responsible for public transit in the region, the City of New York has been a guiding force in the transportation future of the city with its PlaNYC for a “greener, greater New York.” For starters, the city has added 200 miles of dedicated bike lanes since 2007, and bicycle commuters increased 26 percent from 2008 to 2009. In three years, it has completed 19 rezonings that have directed development to areas with good transit access. And with effective Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, it has implemented one of the most talked-about transportation initiatives of all: Green Light for Midtown, which turned three congested intersections into pedestrian plazas that actually eased traffic.

"Green Light for Midtown demonstrated its effectiveness in improving safety and mobility in Midtown Manhattan," Dean says, "with injuries to motorists and passengers declining 63 percent, while travel-time surveys showed a 15 percent improvement in travel times on Sixth Avenue and a 4 percent improvement on Seventh  Avenue."

One of the city’s most pressing transportation goals is for the MTA to achieve a full “state of good repair” for the first time in history. And according to Tollerson, the best way to encourage ridership is to make certain the MTA is running like a well-oiled machine, with upgrades and swift repairs.

With so much riding on its performance, the MTA has had its fair share of criticism. But as of late, the flak has quieted in response to some visible improvements in the subway system, of which the most buzzed about has been the installment of real-time electronic notice boards alerting riders of train schedules. The pilot program covered 75 stations in New York, and in 2011 it plans to extend the service to all stops on the numbered lines.

The MTA has also worked with outside developers to create transit apps for smart phones, such as NYC Subway and TransitGuru—the sort that have been reported to cut down subway time, which is something any transit rider can get on board with.