Traffic Gridlock in New York - Essay Example

Letter to the Editor of the New York TimesMarch 15, 2013Letters to the EditorThe New York Times620 Eighth AvenueNew York, NY 10018 Dear Editor;As the traffic gridlock in New York continues to bring the city to a grinding halt every single day of the week, Mayor Bloomberg has done his best to try to solve the traffic situation. One of his traffic easement programs includes the building of more bicycle lanes in our city. We currently have 255 miles of additional bike lanes around our city. But it is little used because native New Yorkers are not aware of the bike lane program of the city.

I cannot help but feel saddened by the fact that New Yorkers continue to face daily gridlocks that adversely affect our local economy. I feel even worse when I realize that no amount of government programs will be able to help ease the situation because the government lacks the advertising and promotional skills to make sure that their bicycle programs get out the the most number of New Yorkers. Although 66 percent of New Yorkers believe that the bicycle lane is a good idea. It appears that not everyone in New York owns a bicycle.

That is why I was more than happy to learn about the Paris style Bike sharing network that the city is working towards implementing. Under the bike sharing network, even people who do not own a bicycle can participate by simply “renting” a bicycle at specific points within the city and then parking it at a similar terminal at their point of destination. With all of New York reeling under the rising costs of gasoline, the bike sharing idea does not sound like a bad thing. Instead, it seems to offer a cost effective alternative to taking a cab in New York city.

Once effectively promoted, the increasing number of bicycle lanes, coupled with the bike sharing system will definitely result in less traffic gridlock and quite possible cleaner air for the residents of New York City as the bikes lessen the need to have a massive number of public transport vehicles on the streets at all times. I will admit that a lot of work has to be done in terms of proper placement and maintenance of the bike lanes. Even the bike sharing scheme still needs some additional work before the plan can even be considered for a city on the scale of New York.

But that does not mean that we should give up on it. Proponents of the Alternative Travel Project in New York City can help promote the bike lanes and bike sharing programs through their network of online members and influential celebrity members of the organization. Bike lanes and bike sharing are both sound ideas that can help ease the tension, stress, and unreliability of the people living in New York by allowing them to have an alternative in traveling when it came to the busy streets of New York.

All that is needed is the development of a proper bike travel promotional program. Sincerely,(Your Name)(Title)(Contact information)Works CitedGrynbaum, Michael. “Bicycle Lanes Draw Wide Support Among New Yorkers, Survey Finds”. 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.