October 12, 2017

Polly Trottenberg
Commissioner, New York City Department of Transportation
55 Water Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10041

Commissioner Trottenberg,

We appreciate you responding to our letter. The work that the Department of Transportation has
done under your leadership has led to the dramatic expansion of bus lanes, protected bike lanes,
and safety improvements for pedestrians.

This is why it is very disappointing to see, in your response to us, the current issue of the Fifth
Avenue redesign (33rd to 59th Street) being framed in zero sum terms as a competition between
transit riders on the one hand, and the safety of vulnerable street users on the other.

We firmly reject this framing.

Fifth Avenue has the densest foot/bike/bus traffic in the entire country. We agree that additional
bus lanes need to be added quickly, we also believe -- and demand-- that safety features for
cyclists and pedestrians be implemented in the same expeditious manner.

When First and Second Avenue were redesigned, they were redesigned with bus lanes, protected
bike lanes, and pedestrian islands. These major projects were not delayed, nor were the projects
split in two, and implemented over multiple years.

Since 2013, the Department of Transportation has fielded requests from three community boards,
six elected officials, and nearly twenty thousand New Yorkers asking for a complete street on
Fifth Avenue. The demand and support for more safety and better transit on Fifth Avenue is
there. We still have not heard a compelling reason for your current divide and conquer approach,
and given how long the issue has been studied already we believe there is real reason to be
alarmed by any implementation timeline that isnt clearly articulated or immediate.

We need a New York City that moves people far more efficiently and safely than today. We
know the Department of Transportation shares that goal. Which is why we reiterate our joint
call to action: New Yorkers need a fully implemented complete street on Fifth Avenue,
including bus lanes, a protected bike lane, and pedestrian safety improvements right away.
Sincerely,

Paul S. White
Executive Director
Transportation Alternatives

cc: Manhattan Community Board 5

Council Member Dan Garodnick
Council Member Corey Johnson
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer
State Senator Brad Hoylman
Assemblymember Dick Gottfried