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Commissioner’s IntroductionDear fellow New Yorkers:It has been a unique honor to serve as the City’sTransportation Commissioner for the past six and ahalf years. At the Department of Transportation, wehave sustained and expanded the never–ending workto repair streets, sidewalks, bridges and ferries. Wehave also implemented extensive changes in Citypolicy, remaking streets and intersections for greatersafety, providing efficient right–of–way for buses andbicyclists, and treating streets as places whose designand appearance matter.I want to offer my profound gratitude, admiration andrespect for the men and women of the Department ofTransportation who have brought these efforts andinnovations to life, and made New York City a betterplace. From superstorm Sandy to CitiBike, from theStaten Island Ferry to the safest streets in the City’shistory, every division and unit within DOT has overcometough challenges, delivered world–class projects andkept the City moving each and every day.Most importantly, New Yorkers themselves haveembraced and adopted the policies and programsdelivering safe streets, new public spaces, Select Busand the bike lane network. They have made CitiBiketheir own, generating some of the world’s highest bikeshare usage rates just a few months after the system’slaunch. Nothing happens in New York without vigorousconversation and some degree of contention, but allindicators, from the heavy use of new space and traveloptions to the number of applications and requestsfor projects and survey after survey of New Yorkers’views of our policies, shows very high support.This book chronicles the implementation and theeffects of these popular NYCDOT programs, and looksahead to how they can be extended and strengthenedin the future. We have made a tremendous start inforging a 21st Century streetscape and transportationsystem. If the past six years are any indication,New York’s future is unquestionably bright.The innovative work we have done together has beenwidely acknowledged and acclaimed. One of thegreatest testaments to our success is the large numberof cities across the country and world adoptingNew York’s designs for city streets, and our techniquesfor implementing changes quickly. Indeed, methodspioneered in the five boroughs are the foundation for anew urban street design guide issued by America’s15 largest cities.Sincerely,Janette Sadik–KhanCommissionerSustainable Streets: 2013 and Beyond5