NYC Fails To Meet Bike And Bus Lane Mandates

NEW YORK, NY— The Department of Transportation fell short of legally mandated targets for bike lanes, bus lanes, and bus stop upgrades in 2025, raising concerns about the city’s ability to meet the 2019 Streets Plan goals under the new mayoral administration.

The city installed 18.2 miles of protected bike lanes in 2025, well below the 50 miles required by law. Bus lane construction reached 20.8 miles, missing the 30-mile benchmark.

Bus stop upgrades totaled only 18 completed sites, despite a legal requirement of 500.

Commissioner Mike Flynn told the City Council that capacity constraints and delayed or canceled projects under the previous administration contributed to the shortfall.

“To be honest, the implementation of the Streets Plan and the capacity to do that was not fully prioritized by the previous administration,” he said.

The Streets Plan, formally passed in October 2019, requires DLT to annually report progress, update benchmarks, and expand bike, bus and pedestrian infrastructure across the city.

While some progress has been made on intersection redesigns and accessible pedestrian signals, Flynn acknowledged that bus shelter and bike lane upgrades remain well below targets.

“Last year, our plan had 50 miles [of protected bike lanes], but it’s not that we left 20 or 30 miles fully designed," he said. "Part of what we need to do is hire the planners, hire the engineers — all the steps in the process."

City Council leadership pressed Flynn on the department’s capacity to meet the law’s requirements moving forward.

"By outperforming last year’s targets, could still fall short of the legal requirement,” Majority Leader Shaun Abreu said.

On bus stop upgrades, only 18 met the combined requirements of a shelter and real-time passenger information device, though the department completed more than 600 improvements if counted individually.

Flynn said the department expanded camera-enforced bus lanes in partnership with the MTA, boosting compliance and clearing lanes, but acknowledged that additional physical and operational resources are needed.

Flynn emphasized ongoing community engagement in planning priorities.

“We hear from the community, whether through 311, Council hearings, or community boards," he said. "Our borough offices work with technical staff to take what they’re hearing and inform our technical work program."

Looking ahead to the 2026 Streets Plan, Flynn highlighted large-scale projects including Flatbush Avenue and Fordham Road bus lanes, bike networks in North Brooklyn, and Ashland Place in Brooklyn.

He said the department is exploring bold, transformative approaches akin to Buenos Aires’ central-lane BRT system to speed buses and improve transit efficiency.

Flynn declined to commit to exact mileage for the 2026 plan, but said the department is developing a roadmap and coordinating with City Hall and the Office of Management and Budget to secure the necessary funding and personnel.