{"id":286360,"date":"2025-10-08T11:12:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T11:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/286360\/"},"modified":"2025-10-08T11:12:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T11:12:16","slug":"where-the-candidates-stand-on-street-redesigns-bike-and-bus-lanes-fare-evasion-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/286360\/","title":{"rendered":"Where the candidates stand on street redesigns, bike and bus lanes, fare evasion and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Election Day approaches<\/a>, the contentious issue of street redesigns \u2014 marked by increased bus and bike lanes and reduced vehicle lanes \u2014 remains a key local concern for New Yorkers. With the city\u2019s future transportation landscape hanging in the balance, voters are scrutinizing each candidate\u2019s vision for more efficient transportation in the big city.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDaylighting is really important and under-reported on for the safety of people who walk with kids and the elderly folks crossing the streets,\u201d one New Yorker named Sam said. \u201cThere are also tons of cars and motorcycles that speed and drive aggressively, some with ghost plates and some without.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daylighting<\/a> is a practice that involves removing parking spaces near intersections to increase visibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reckless micromobility-device riding is another major transit concern for New Yorkers.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBikes are out of control on Amsterdam [Avenue],\u201d said Sherry of the Upper West Side. \u201cCentral Park is dangerous for pedestrians.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Free buses<\/p>\n

So far, none of the candidates have made street redesigns a major part of their campaigns. But the frontrunner in the race, Queens Assembly Member and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, has made it clear that one of his top priorities is to make buses free, which he has said would speed up bus travel times because no one would have to pay when they board.<\/p>\n

In other words, passengers would just walk on the bus, using all the doors, without having to dip or tap their OMNY\/MetroCards or phones to be permitted on board.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike on the subway, when you pay your fare, you\u2019re doing so on the bus,\u201d Mamdani said on WNBC<\/a> recently. \u201cThe act of doing so or not doing so, it impedes and impacts the ability of the bus to actually operate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"womanBetsy Plum, executive director of the Riders Alliance, speaks during a May 18, 2025, rally for better bus service on Flatbush Avenue.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon<\/p>\n

But NYC had tried free buses before \u2013 one in each borough \u2013 as part of a pilot program in 2023 for which Mamdani had successfully secured state funding. The MTA ended the program after only a year, as fare evasion across the whole transit system increased.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How he intends to make buses free is not entirely clear, but he has not been shy about wanting to raise taxes on corporations and \u201cthe wealthiest\u201d New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s revenue plan will raise the corporate tax rate to match New Jersey\u2019s 11.5%, bringing in $5 billion, according to his campaign website<\/a>. New Yorkers earning more than $1 million annually would be taxed a flat 2%, if he wins the mayoralship. Any tax increase, however, would require state legislative approval \u2014 which may be a challenge given that Gov. Kathy Hochul and all state legislators are up for re-election in 2026.<\/p>\n

NYC buses are notoriously slow \u2014 they average about 8 mph \u2014 making them worthy of attention from elected officials. However, through Local Law 195 of 2019, street redesigns have been increasing throughout the city, aimed at, among other things, increasing bus speed through the construction of 150 miles of protected bus lanes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mamdani has not said if he would continue to support street redesigns, including a particular one that involves a bike lane and has been the subject of a lawsuit on 31st Street in Astoria<\/a>, within Mamdani\u2019s Assembly district.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Crackdown on reckless e-bike and moped operation; increasing subway safety<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the independent candidate in the trio, has been vocal about the prevalence of reckless operation of micromobility devices on city streets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cuomo described the \u201cout-of-control presence of e-bikes and mopeds on sidewalks and bike lanes\u201d as a quality-of-life crime that bears special mention.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIncidents involving e-bikes are becoming increasingly common,\u201d the candidate\u2019s website states. And he is not wrong, according to NYPD statistics.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

E-bike collisions increased by 37.1% this year, compared to the same period in 2024, the police numbers<\/a> show. The number of stand-up scooter collisions has also increased slightly by 1%, from 902 to 911 year to date, compared to 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to the risks faced by pedestrians, e-bike riders, most of whom are workers making deliveries for the major food delivery apps, are also highly vulnerable,\u201d according to the Cuomo campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He attributes much of the e-bike issue to structural problems in the food delivery business.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) regulations, a delivery worker is paid only for the time that they have accepted a trip, and until it is completed in the app,\u201d the campaign website states. \u201cTherefore, a worker is incentivized to accept trips, and travel longer distances, because it maximizes their time being paid the higher rate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"oneA unregistered moped awaiting an NYPD tow.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon<\/p>\n

Cuomo\u2019s stance is that DCWP minimum payment regulation should be revised to cut incentives that foster dangerous riding. He also wanted to hold delivery app companies financially responsible for any damages caused by riders making deliveries on their behalf. <\/p>\n

Like some incumbent officials, such as Queens City Council Member Robert Holden, Cuomo would also like e-bikes and e-scooters to be registered with the NYC Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n

Turning to subway safety, Cuomo has said it is \u201cessential.\u201d His subway safety plan includes an increased presence of NYPD and MTA officers in stations and on trains, which he has said will reduce mandatory overtime while restoring force levels.<\/p>\n

Similar to Gov. Kathy Hochul, his plan includes updating turnstiles so they prevent fare evasion.\u00a0The MTA loses\u00a0about $1 billion a year\u00a0<\/a>in fare and toll evasion within its transit, bridges, and tunnels systems.<\/p>\n

\"manThis time around, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he is focused on hitting the streets and pressing the flesh.Barry Williams\/New York Daily News\/TNS via Reuters<\/p>\n

Cuomo is also in favor of expanding the eligibility of the city\u2019s subsidized Fair Fares program. Fair Fares provides half-priced rides to low-income public transit users who live at 145% of the federal poverty level (FPL). That number at this level in NYC is $22,692 for a single person or $46,617 for a family of four.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cuomo\u2019s plan includes full fare coverage on buses and subways for New Yorkers who make up to 150% of the federal poverty line, which is about $48,225 for a family of four.<\/p>\n

Prioritizing subway safety<\/p>\n

Curtis Sliwa, the third prominent candidate in the mayoral race, made subway safety a priority throughout his life, at least since he founded the Guardian Angels in 1979.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

His plan to tackle the ongoing issues of subway safety and fare evasion includes reinstating the NYPD\u2019s Homeless Outreach Unit, which he said would help ensure safety for the homeless and New Yorkers who ride the trains. Nonviolent individuals would be offered direct support and safe shelter options, while emotionally disturbed persons who pose a danger to themselves or others would be transported to psychiatric care facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will invest in hiring more psychiatric nurses across NYC\u2019s public hospitals and create new incentives to attract skilled mental health workers,\u201d Sliwa, who rides the trains almost every day, has said. \u201cThe goal is to protect the vulnerable, restore safety in public spaces, and offer real pathways off the street, with dignity and urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"manMayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, with his wife next to him, discussed subway safety with a woman outside a train station in Manhattan.Photo by Rusat Ramgopal<\/p>\n

While Cuomo is focused on modern turnstiles to combat fare evasion, Sliwa would double down on enforcement and conduct targeted enforcement at high-volume transfer points and hotspots.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sliwa\u2019s website outlines his subway safety plan<\/a> in more detail.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In support for outer-borough transit, Sliwa said he would remedy the problems express bus riders face, such as delayed buses and overcrowding.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

During an interview with amNewYork, he questioned whether the city\u2019s implementation of bus lanes have helped improve bus travel times.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have all these bus lanes that we never had years before,\u201d the Republican nominee said. \u201cYears before, the bus would have to negotiate its way through vehicular traffic. That\u2019s a reason for delay. But now we have all these special bus lanes, and still [delayed], with no explanations from the MTA. They\u2019re like impervious.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that if elected, he would have to conduct more research and consult with transit experts to determine if bus lanes are actually effective.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The three leading candidates each have their own unique plans for transit in NYC. Whoever wins the election will undoubtedly contribute to the shape of the city\u2019s streetscape and public transit for New Yorkers across the city. <\/p>\n

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