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MOBILITYChapter 8Vehicles and Parking10%improvement in traveltimes from Midtown inMotionAll of the bicycle and pedestrian improvements mentionedabove haven’t come at the expense of drivers. Trafficvolumes are down and traffic speeds are up in the Manhattancentral business district, a reflection of a growing trendtoward other forms of transportation.In fact, the economic and population growth in New YorkCity over the past decade has largely been accommodatedon the city’s transit system, not via private automobile. Whileuse of our transit system into the central business districtgrew by 11% since 2003, traffic growth has declined.There has been a 6.5% decline in traffic entering thecentral business district since 2003. This trend has evenaccelerated in recent years—in 2011, there was a 1.8%decrease in citywide weekday traffic volumes and a growthof transit use by 2.5% in 2011 and 1.8% in 2012.But that doesn’t mean roads and highways in New Yorkaren’t congested. Many key arteries, including crosstown routes, the East River and Hudson River crossings,and highways throughout the five boroughs, remainover capacity. This traffic is bad for our economy, ourenvironment, our health, and our quality of life.Sustainable Streets: 2013 and Beyond105