Participatory Budgeting Will Fund 21 Livable Streets Projects

5:15 PM EDT on May 20, 2015

PB_winners_NYC_2015 — A map of all 124 projects that won funding from this year's round of participatory budgeting, via City Council.

The votes are in, and 21 livable streets projects got enough support to be funded in this year's round of participatory budgeting. All told, 124 projects made the cut and will receive City Council funds [PDF]. In dollar terms, the streets projects will account for $5.1 million of the $32.5 million distributed by council members.

During the participatory budgeting process, New Yorkers cast 51,362 ballots across 24 council districts from April 11 to 19, the City Council reported this afternoon.

The City Council touted how the voting involves people who otherwise find it difficult to participate in civic affairs. Approximately one in five ballots, which were available in up to 10 languages, were cast in a language other than English. Nearly 30 percent of participatory budgeting voters reported an annual household income of $25,000 or below, according to a survey by the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center, and more than a quarter were born outside the United States.

"Across the city, thousands of residents of all ages and backgrounds came together to make their neighborhoods a better place to call home," Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said in a statement. "Participatory budgeting breaks down barriers that New Yorkers may face at the polls -- including youth, income status, English-language proficiency and citizenship status -- resulting in a civic dialogue that is truly inclusive and representative of the diversity of this community and this city."

The winning transportation projects include everything from raised crosswalks in Hell's Kitchen to bus arrival displays in the Bronx. Here's the rundown.

Manhattan

District 3 (Corey Johnson): Raised crosswalks at West 45th Street and Ninth Avenue (more info from CHEKPEDS); sidewalk repair on West 26th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues.
District 6 (Helen Rosenthal): Bus Time clocks for eastbound buses on West 65th, 79th, 86th, and 96th Streets; safety improvements to the Hudson River Greenway between West 72nd and 84th Streets.
District 7 (Mark Levine): New sidewalk trees near NYCHA’s Grant Houses.

The Bronx

District 11 (Andrew Cohen): Bus Time clocks for the Bx1, Bx10, Bx16, Bx26, and Bx34 buses.
District 15 (Ritchie Torres): Bus Time clocks at four stops.

Queens

District 21 (Julissa Ferreras): Improved lighting on Roosevelt Avenue between 90th and 114th Streets; more trees and greenery on 57th Avenue between Junction Boulevard and 99th Street in Lefrak City.
District 26 (Jimmy Van Bramer): Bus Time clocks at five bus stops; upgrades to the waterfront bikeway in Long Island City (see previous coverage).
District 27 (I. Daneek Miller): Road resurfacing on major streets to be determined by Community Board 12.
District 32 (Eric Ulrich): Repairing medians on Cross Bay Boulevard between 1st and 5th Roads in Broad Channel.

Brooklyn

District 33 (Stephen Levin): Safer pedestrian crossings on Meeker Avenue.
District 39 (Brad Lander): Building out painted pedestrian improvements on Hicks Street at Kane, Sackett, Union, and Summit Streets in concrete.
District 44 (David Greenfield): Bus Time clocks at 10 stops along the B6 and B11 routes; planting 100 new street trees throughout Boro Park; street repair and resurfacing throughout the district.
District 47 (Mark Treyger): Street repairs in Coney Island; reconfiguring the bus stop near Coney Island Hospital at Ocean Parkway and Avenue Z.

Stephen Miller

In spring 2017, Stephen wrote for Streetsblog USA, covering the livable streets movement and transportation policy developments around the nation. From August 2012 to October 2015, he was a reporter for Streetsblog NYC, covering livable streets and transportation issues in the city and the region. After joining Streetsblog, he covered the tail end of the Bloomberg administration and the launch of Citi Bike. Since then, he covered mayoral elections, the de Blasio administration's ongoing Vision Zero campaign, and New York City's ever-evolving street safety and livable streets movements.