After the suspension of congestion pricing in New York City, Mayor Adams is considering strengthening traffic enforcement to crack down on double-parking and alleviate congestion issues.
At a press conference on June 25th, Adams was asked by reporters about how New York City plans to tackle traffic congestion issues independently following Governor Hoch’s decision to suspend congestion pricing. Adams stated that one of the major problems contributing to traffic congestion is double-parking, which not only slows down vehicle speeds but also poses safety hazards. As a result, the city government will continue to enhance enforcement to crack down on this behavior that obstructs the passage of other vehicles. He also mentioned plans to build more bike lanes and continue combating subway crimes to improve public transportation safety, with the goal of encouraging more people to abandon driving in favor of biking or taking the subway. Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, responsible for operations, added that the city will also promote the use of cargo bikes, overnight deliveries, or barge transport to reduce the number of delivery trucks on the roads during peak hours.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced last week that they will launch the “Camera Enforcement Program” on 14 bus routes to crack down on vehicles illegally driving in bus lanes and expand enforcement against illegal parking at bus stops and double-parking. It is unclear at this time whether Adams intends to hire more traffic enforcement personnel to strengthen the crackdown on double-parking.
According to news site Gothamist, Daniel Pearlstein, a spokesman for the Riders Alliance, pointed out that Adams did not mention the construction of more bus lanes, making the plan to address traffic congestion incomplete. Pearlstein noted that Adams had promised to build 150 miles of bus lanes within four years during his campaign, but has only completed less than 30 miles in the first two years of his tenure.