"Our planet is the only one we have, and all of us have a role to play in preserving it for future generations," said Public Advocate Letitia James. "Any step that reduces carbon emissions brings us one step closer to finally tackling climate change. I look forward to doing my part and participating in Car Free Day on Earth Day, and thank Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez for creating this important initiative."
"Car-Free Day is a great way to show our commitment to a greener future on Earth Day," said State Senator Adriano Espaillat (D-Manhattan/Bronx). "Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez has demonstrated a deep dedication to better connecting our city, with new and improved transportation options. I look forward to continuing to work with him to better connect our communities to emerging job centers."
"Manhattan is one of the most walkable urban environments on the planet," said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. "Working together, events like Car-Free Day can help us imagine a cleaner, safer city with more public transportation, more walking, more public space, and fewer cars."
"If we are to conquer our congestion challenges, we need to be bold," said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. If we are to make meaningful progress in the battle against climate change, we need to be aggressive. I applaud Council Member Rodriguez for his bold, aggressive push for a Car Free Day in New York City this Earth Day, a movement that asks all of us to rethink transportation and advance sustainable solutions. I will do my part to make sure Brooklyn is a leading force in this important moment for our planet."
"Southeast Queens has one of the longest travel times and highest rates of asthma in the City, neither problem can be solved by having more cars on the road" said Councilman I. Daneek Miller. "By creating more public transportation options residents in my district and throughout the City will be able to conveniently get to and from work, bring and pick up their children from school, and run errands, while helping to keep our environment clean. I would like to thank Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez for taking the initiative on this issue and look forward to working with him, the rest of my colleagues, and advocates to improve transportation options and help residents stay healthy."
"Seeing the effects of climate change in our city, we know firsthand that it is essential to prioritize steps to protect our natural resources and strive to be a leader in green initiatives going forward," said Council Member Steve Levin. "From working towards the cleanup of historic pollution at the Newtown Creek and Gowanus Canal Superfund sites and the ExxonMobil Oil Spill in Greenpoint, to the everyday protection of the air we breathe, I am proud of all we have already accomplished to create a cleaner and safer city. I am deeply committed to continuing environmental justice work in our city and I hope New Yorkers will join me in going car-free today, if possible. Resolution 1013 is a strong reminder to all New Yorkers that we must all do our part in large and small ways to reduce our carbon footprint and preserve our City and our planet for generations of New Yorkers to come."
"I proudly support my friend and colleague, Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, on this bold idea," said Council Member Carlos Menchaca. "I look forward to future Earth Days in NYC with New Yorkers creating a whole new car-free landscape and truly considering sustainable transportation alternatives, not just on Earth Day, but every day of the year."
"Moving out of our automobiles and into buses, subways and bicycles would immensely improve our air quality and the health of our children and grandchildren, and I applaud my colleague for working to designate Earth Day as a car-free day in New York City," said Council Member Debi Rose. "However, many of my constituents live in transportation deserts, making this a hardship that would double or triple their commutes. For those who live near convenient bus and rail lines, I encourage them to use public transit on Earth Day, and consider making it a more frequent habit. For the thousands of New Yorkers for whom this would be a hardship, I continue to call for a more efficient bus system, as well as a rapid transit line along the North Shore of Staten Island."
"We are proud to support Councilmember Rodriguez and to be part of this incredible coalition that is creating a more sustainable New York City," said Jay Walder, President & CEO of Motivate, operators of the Citi Bike program. "We're doing our part by offering free Citi Bike 24-hour passes on Earth Day to encourage all New Yorkers to go car-free and experience this new, green, healthy and convenient way to get around New York."
"If New York City is going to combat climate change and reduce air pollution-related lung diseases in neighborhoods across the city, we're going to have to find ways to cut unnecessary vehicular traffic. So we welcome the leadership of Chairman Rodriguez in seeking to advance auto-free New York on Earth Day," said Eric A. Goldstein, NYC Environment Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
"Car Free NYC is where rubber meets the road on our 80 by 50 greenhouse gas reduction pledge. By leaving your car at home this Earth Day, you're doing your part to help cut your carbon footprint, while also sending a critical message lawmakers that we need to prioritize walkable, bike-able streets as well as a robust and well-maintained transit network," said Marcia Bystryn, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters. "NYLCV is proud to take the Car Free NYC pledge and encourage all New Yorkers to pause and think about how they can make greener transportation choices."
"Making Earth Day a car-free day in New York City is an important step in raising awareness about the negative climate and health impacts of private automobiles," said Tom Wright, President of Regional Plan Association, "RPA applauds the efforts of Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez. We recognize that other modes of transportation are not available in all places and commit to promoting alternatives to the private automobile throughout the New York metropolitan region through our Fourth Regional Plan."
"Cubic applauds Chairman Ydanis Rodriguez's car-free Earth Day plan for New York City," said Steve Brunner, Vice President & Regional Director for Operation in North America for Cubic Transportation, the fare payment system company that introduced New Yorkers to the Metro Card. "New Yorkers benefit from the most dynamic and expansive public transportation system in the country. Not only will Earth Day help us to celebrate that, but it will remind us it is truly the best way to get around the city."
"We're looking forward to Car Free NYC this Earth Day, and to the future growth of this exciting event that Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez has launched," said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "New York City is joining other visionary cities that are showing residents that their daily lives can become more safe, healthy and fun when more street space is dedicated to people, rather than private cars."
"Whether it is biking, walking, taking public transportation, or carpooling, we encourage New Yorkers to use this Earth Day to send a message about the greener and healthier city we'd like to create together," said John Oppermann, Executive Director of the Earth Day Initiative. Going back to the first Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day has been a great vehicle to channel symbolic moments and actions into real and long-lasting environmental solutions. So I'm very happy to see the Car Free NYC initiative take off this spring with the support of dozens of institutions and the enthusiastic leadership of Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez's office. New York City is already a world leader in so many ways and we should continue to be when it comes to how we travel. A huge number of environmental, societal, and health benefits are derived from cutting down on single-passenger vehicles. We can create a more livable city by putting more resources and energy into public transportation and other alternate modes of transportation like biking and walking."
"Whether we live in rural or urban areas, developed or developing regions, the protection of our environment is critically important," said Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director of Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of New York. "From the perspective of those of us who believe our earth as a wonderful gift to humanity by our Creator, the imperative to steward this gift well is especially urgent. I am very pleased with NYC's initiative to reduce the use of cars this Earth Day, April 22, 2016. I certainly intend to participate myself and hope that many others will do likewise."
"The more New Yorkers embrace alternative transportation, the healthier we'll be," said Deborah Marton, Executive Director of New York Restoration Project. "Car Free Day gives every New Yorker the power to experience the cleaner, healthier, quieter, more social city we could enjoy by reducing our reliance on cars."
"New York is the only city in America where the majority of households do not own a vehicle, yet our streets are clogged with cars," said Tri-State Transportation Campaign Executive Director Veronica Vanterpool. "Car-Free Day creates another opportunity to reclaim our streets as epicenters of neighborhoods, highlight multimodal options, and end the decades-long design deference to the automobile."
"Lyft is thrilled to support Car Free Day in New York City. Our vision has always been to fill the empty seats in cars, and ultimately to end the need for car ownership in cities altogether. With shared ride options like Lyft Line, we've made significant progress towards this vision, expanding mobility while taking cars off the road. We're proud to join Council Member Rodriguez and the New York City Council in promoting options that make it easier than ever to live in New York without owning a car" said Emily Castor, Director of Transportation Policy at Lyft.
"In the U.S. today 1/5th of car carbon emissions come from sitting in traffic," said Josh Mohrer, General Manager for Uber NY. "UberNYC is committed to doing our part to change that by offering services that help reduce car ownership, including cheaply connecting New Yorkers to mass transit and investing in uberPOOL which makes it easier for people to share a ride. We are also proud to be a sponsor Car Free NYC and thank City Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez for leading this effort."
John Raskin, Executive Director of the Riders Alliance
, said, "We commend Council Member Rodriguez for his push to reduce car dependence and encourage more environmentally sustainable transportation options. If we want to entice New Yorkers out of their cars, we have to provide public transportation that is reliable, accessible and affordable for everyone to use. That will require serious capital investment to bring the MTA into the 21st century, as well as laws and policies that make buses a more attractive and reliable option. It's important to encourage people to trade their cars for better options, and first we have to guarantee that those options are truly better."
"The Trust for Public Land applauds Council Member Rodriguez and the NYC Council-and the many co-sponsors for their commitment to Car Free Day-on Earth Day! In the face of rapidly changing climate trends, exacerbated by significant sea level rise, greater intensity of storms that pose threats to all New Yorkers and the City's infrastructure-Car Free Day is a reminder that our personal habits must change. Car Free Day-coupled by needed venues that encourage alternative transportation like the QueensWay in central Queens, will greatly reduce local car traffic and the carbon footprint in our neighborhoods", said Marc A. Matsil, NYS Director, The Trust for Public Land.
Roland Lewis, President and CEO of the Waterfront Alliance
said, "the Waterfront Alliance is proud to join in Car Free NYC this Earth Day, and we look forward to celebrating the many different ways we can move around our city, including ferries, sailboats, and kayaks! We salute Council Member Rodriguez for working to ensure that New York is a global leader in environmental sustainability, by reducing private automobile use where possible. We invite all New Yorkers to join in with us this Earth Day for Car Free NYC: get out of a car an onto the water!"
"SpotPog's mission is to improve parking in New York so that drivers can find spaces faster, reducing traffic congestion by reducing the number of drivers circling for spots. Car Free NYC shares our goal of a cleaner, greener NYC, where fewer car and truck miles are needed for residents, workers and businesses to get where they're going," said SpotPog founder Jacques Blinbaum. "SpotPog is proud to partner with Car Free NYC on such an important initiative."
"IDEKO Productions is proud to support Car Free day in NYC and has pledged our support by committing a 100% reduction in vehicular use on that day, said iDEKO Principal Evan Korn."
Given the environmental, health, and safety costs of car usage and the congestion in our upper Manhattan community, NMIC is proud to support Car Free Day in recognition of Earth Day this year and looks forward to joining Councilmember Rodriguez in our local car free zone," said Maria Lizardo, Executive Director of the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation.
"Broadway Housing Communities (BHC) is grateful for and applauds CM Rodriguez's leadership on this important issue and we support his efforts to build awareness of the impact that automobiles have on the health and safety of our community," said Ellen Baxter, Executive Director of Broadway Housing Communities. "BHC is proud to join CM Rodriguez's call for a Car Free Day on April 22."
"While the reclaiming of streets for bicycling, walking, and public use has been underway for some time, automobiles continue to disproportionately occupy more than their fair share of public space. Introducing a car-free day to NYC would allow us to envision how our streets could be used in different and more equitable ways. Perkins Eastman has proposed making Broadway between Times Square and Union Square, which is an 'extra' street in the grid and not required for vehicular circulation, a new type of vibrant public space: a park/street. We support a car-free day as a step in this direction," said Jonathan Cohn, Principal at Perkins Eastman.
"I applaud Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez for his leadership in the effort to make Earth Day 2016 a Car Free Day in New York City," said Maggy Siegel, Executive Director at Asphalt Green. "What a great way to raise awareness for the benefits of environmentally-friendly modes of transportation! We at Asphalt Green encourage New Yorkers to commute by biking or walking, whenever possible, to make our city both heathier and greener."
"StreetsPAC strongly supports Council Member Rodriguez's Car Free Day initiative. As Chair of the Council's Transportation Committee, he's setting New York City on a path to a better future less dependent on private automobiles, and we're glad to be along for the ride - and we mean the subway, bus, bicycle, ferry or streetcar ride.," said Eric McClure, Executive Director of StreetsPAC.
"Clean Energy supports Car Free Day in NYC. It's critical to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to improve our air quality ASAP. We can lead the way by example by protecting our environment." Said Marc Klein of Clean Energy.
"BioBus is excited to participate in Car Free Day and proud to support this effort to make our city more liveable and green," said Ben Dubin-Thaler, PhD, Executive Director and Founder of BioBus. "Our solar powered mobile science lab will be visiting students in Washington Heights this Earth Day as they become citizen scientists exploring the urban environment in the fight for environmental justice.
"StreetsAcademy, the creators of VisionHero the first online program designed with DOT to teach Tweens and Tweens how to stay safe as they walk, bicycle, and get around NYC, strongly endorses designating Earth Day "Car Free Day" in NYC. Traffic-related injury is the No. 1 cause of death in children 14 and under, and we are looking forward to children and families of all ages enjoying car-free streets with no traffic hazards or injuries on Earth Day," said Peter Frishauf, Executive Director of Streets Academy.
"We constantly close the streets to traffic in New York: for Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, summer street fairs, Summerstreets, Super Bowl, New Year's Eve, the Pope's visit, the President's visits, the United Nations, the snow... you name, it we close them! Let us close the streets for the Earth! It truly deserves it," said Christine Berthet, Executive Director of Chekpeds.
"Real Milk Paint Company, the nation's provider of milk-based paints, is proud to extend support to Car Free NYC given our shared mission to improve air quality," said Dwayne Siever, owner of Real Milk Paint Company. "We believe that this designated recreational area will inspire the surrounding community to protect and treasure our planet."
"Car free day is a long overdue event in a city such as New York," said Marco Leinhard, Executive Director of East Winds Inc. "It is a great way to reconnect people and learn about each other's cultures through music and festivals on the streets to replace the cars."
