Streetfilms

Unsustainable: Traffic 2018

New York is facing its most serious transportation challenge in decades. Subway reliability is way down, and the bus system is shedding riders at an alarming rate. And because transit is so unreliable, New York is accommodating growth in cars, in the form of the tens of thousands of Uber and Lyft vehicles we now find on our streets each day.

By Clarence Eckerson Jr.

9:33 AM EST on December 19, 2017

New York is facing its most serious transportation challenge in decades.

Subway reliability is way down, and the bus system is shedding riders at an alarming rate. And because transit is so unreliable, New York is accommodating growth in cars, in the form of the tens of thousands of Uber and Lyft vehicles we now find on our streets each day.

It’s difficult to even list all the reasons why shifting transportation growth into cars in New York City is a bad thing. Choking the economy with congestion, safety concerns, making slow bus service even worse, poorer air quality – you name it.

For our latest Streetfilm, we spoke with leaders in New York’s transportation, labor and business communities to get their take on this alarming trend — a problem “screaming for a solution.”

Clarence Eckerson Jr.

Clarence Eckerson Jr. has been running Streetfilms for two decades after serving as a producer of BikeTV. He loves the color purple, chocolate chip cookies, and enjoys walking, biking, and taking transit. He has never had a driver's license. But he does have an award from the U.N. (yes, that U.N.!)