Submitted Testimony Before New York City Council (pdf link), March 3, 2026
Committee Chair Abreu and Members of the Council,
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the NYC Streets Plan and what the next edition must guarantee in order to deliver a safe, continuous greenway network for Brooklyn and across NYC.
Since 2004, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI) has worked with communities, city agencies, elected officials, and private partners to advance the completion of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, and we convene the NYC Greenways Coalition, which has more than 50 members across NYC. Our mission is simple but urgent: to complete and activate a continuous, resilient, and equitable waterfront corridor that connects neighborhoods, supports small businesses, improves public health, and strengthens climate adaptation. Greenways that are protected, connected to their surrounding neighborhoods, and clearly marked can advance NYC’s affordability, safety, health, recreational, and climate goals.
The Streets Plan has introduced important accountability into the City’s transportation planning. However, for greenways — including the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway — the current framework remains incomplete. The next Streets Plan must move beyond counting miles and instead guarantee connectivity.
The current Streets Plan has made progress in advancing the following
- Mandated protected bike lane mileage
- Required intersection redesigns that improve safety
- Expanded accessible pedestrian signals
The next Streets Plan edition needs to do more, and include enforceable metrics to advance NYC’s 2025 Greater Greenways Plan, the first citywide greenways plan since 1993.
Brooklyn Greenway Initiative urges NYC Council to strengthen the next Streets Plan with clear, enforceable commitments:
- A Legally Mandated Greenway Completion Schedule
The next plan must:
- Identify all remaining greenway gaps by name and geography
- Establish year-by-year timelines
- Require public reporting on project phase (design, procurement, construction)
Without named segments and deadlines, completion remains discretionary.
- A “Connectivity First” Standard
Mileage should not be the only metric of success. The new plan should require prioritization of projects that:
- Close network gaps
- Connect existing segments
- Clearly marked, navigable connections to the surrounding bike lane and pedestrian plaza network
- Clear wayfinding
- Link greenways to bridges, ferry landings, transit hubs, and parks
A short connector that unlocks miles of continuous route can have greater systemwide impact than isolated installations elsewhere.
- Cross-Agency Greenway Accountability
Advancing NYC’s greenway network requires coordination among: NYC DOT; NYC Parks; and NYC Economic Development Corporation.
The next Streets Plan must formalize:
- A cross-agency greenway implementation working group
- Frequent and reliable public updates
- Identified capital funding commitments
Interagency complexity cannot be an excuse for delay.
- Maintenance and Protection Guarantees
BGI’s 2024 user study shows that greenway users rely on the existing network and use it year round and in all kinds of weather. Greenway infrastructure must build on that by supporting and prioritizing year-round use, including inclement weather.
The plan should establish:
- Minimum physical protection standards
- Snow clearance protocols (as our recent snowfalls illustrated, snow clearance of greenways, bike lanes, and pedestrian areas was woefully insufficient – even after auto lanes had been cleared for many weeks)
- Construction staging protections to provide clearly marked and safe detour routes when greenway segments are under construction.
Infrastructure that is routinely blocked or degraded cannot serve its intended purpose.
- Fully Funding the Agencies Responsible for Delivery on Greenways
Finally, none of these guarantees are possible without full and sustained funding for the agencies charged with implementation. The Council must ensure that the NYCDOT and NYC have adequate operating budgets, capital staff, design capacity, and construction resources to build greenways faster, maintain them, and meet the mandates of the Streets Plan. Chronic understaffing, delayed procurement, and capital shortfalls undermine even the strongest legislative requirements. If the City is serious about delivering a connected, resilient greenway network, it must align mandates with resources — including dedicated capital allocations, in-house engineering and project management staff, and maintenance funding to sustain infrastructure once built.
Brooklyn Greenway Initiative stands ready to partner with the City to achieve this vision. But partnership must be matched with policy guarantees.
The Streets Plan has demonstrated that legal mandates drive delivery. We urge the Council to apply that same clarity and enforceability to greenway completion by setting deadlines; fully funding connectors and city agencies to accomplish this work; and measuring outcomes.
New Yorkers deserve a continuous and safe bike and pedestrian network— not just incremental mileage.
Thank you for your consideration and your leadership.