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Looking at the cars in your neighborhood, you probably assume that most are coming to or from somewhere nearby. But actually, a majority is cut-through traffic. These drivers aren’t your neighbors, and they’re not visiting a resident or a local business — they’re just using your small, residential streets kind of like a thruway. 

In Brooklyn's Community Board 6, it's at 76%! That's three out of every four drivers just using those streets to get somewhere else. 

In the blocks surrounding Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park, 84% of cars are just cutting through. 

In the bustling Lower East Side, 90% of the cars on the road between Delancey and Houston are not doing any business in that area.

That's a LOT of chaos, noise, and air pollution they're bringing to your neighborhood streets. The City can dissuade this kind of driving and restore our local streets to local activity, but they'll need the support of local leaders to do it. Often, in traditionally car dependent areas, they don't have it. But this data shows that Councilmembers who reject bus lanes or bike lanes in favor of more space for cars are actually serving nonlocal drivers who are using their district as a highway, at the expense of their constituents.

Join us, Transportation Alternatives, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, the Regional Plan Association, the CIDNY, Kids Over Cars, and Families for Safe Streets for a Mayoral Forum focused on street safety & accessibility!

Share your feedback on Summer Streets with us! As the program grows across NYC's five boroughs, we want to know what you think makes it great, your experiences, and your ideas on how we could make it even better!

What do New Yorkers want in their neighborhoods? What if a single approach can deliver all of those outcomes? In this webinar, we'll explore a neighborhood approach to reducing traffic for more livable, community-oriented streets.

We're co-hosting three more fun social hours in the upcoming weeks. Join us to learn more about community boards, the application process, and to mingle with prospective applicants!

Shape the future of NYC streets with a summer internship that matters. Connect your interests and skills with our current campaigns all with the goal of transforming how people experience NYC streets. Applications open Feb. 5th and close Mar. 10th.

🗣️ Got ideas for a better NYC government? Join the CRC’s public input session in Queens on Monday, February 24, 5-8 PM to suggest improvements to how our city works. Listen to experts and share your ideas. Public testimony welcome.

✍️ Community Board Applications are still open! This is your chance to get involved with how your neighborhoods looks, feels, and functions. Email cb@openplans.org for application support. Apply before the dates below, at the link for your borough:

• Bronx: March 9
• Manhattan: February 28
• Staten Island: Accepted year-round

🍽️ NYC needs better outdoor dining rules! Support our campaign to improve the seasonal program and help local businesses keep their vital curbside spaces year-round.

✨ Get funding for the creation of pop-up community spaces! Two nonprofits or public agencies collaborating with nonprofits in the Northeast (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, &/or VT) will receive $60,000 each to create indoor pop-up spaces that promote civic and social life in BIPOC or low-income communities. Apply by February 21st.

🌿 Want to activate your local park? Learn about City Parks Foundation's NYC Green Fund grants ($1K-$40K) on Monday, February 24, 6-7:30 PM. Join the webinar to explore funding for community open space programs. Apply by February 28.

🚲 Use Underhill Avenue? Brooklyn CB8 wants your input! Complete their survey about recent bike boulevard changes. Your feedback will help DOT evaluate and improve the street design.

🛠️ Ever wonder how NYC street signs are made? Join ABNY Young Professionals on Tuesday, March 4, 9-11 AM for an inside look at DOT's Sign Shop. Apply by Feb 21 for lottery selection.

Open Plans |  377 Broadway, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10013-3907

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