Ranked #2 on the North American SMCI after Ottawa, New York City is proving to be more than the bustling cultural capital of the world. NYC is ranked #9 on the global SMCI 2016, and also has the lowest rate of car ownership in the United States. With its exceptionally high parking fees, congestion, and great public transit infrastructure, New York City seems to be apt for shared mobility. Yet public support for shared mobility is still lacking.
New York City has with Copenhagen in Denmark the highest Parking Cost within the global SMCI.
Parking cost in a downtown garage accumulates to about 23% of the median annual household income, and scores 10 out of 10 points on Parking Cost. This is one of the reasons why over half of all households do not own a car (Manhattan’s non-ownership is even higher – around 75%; nationally, the rate is 8%).
Distinguished from other U.S. cities for its low personal automobile ownership, NYC has the highest rate of public transportation usage of any American city. Almost 40% of New York City’s population is using public transit and this uniquely high rate of public transit makes it one of the most energy efficient cities in the country.
New York is the most populous city in the United States and has a transportation system which includes one of the largest subway systems in the world and is one of the new public transportation systems running 24/7. New York City public transportation makes up the bulk of the city’s urban mobility; about one in every three users of mass transit in the United States and two-thirds of the nation’s rail riders live in New York City or its suburbs. New York City also has the longest mean travel time for commuters (39 minutes) among major U.S. cities.
While support for and acceptance of public transportation is high, political support for shared mobility is scarce.
The city supports the alternate use of transportation with the high development of public transit and it has a good sustainability plan in place that addresses mobility as well as CO2 reduction. But the city of New York does neither provide special permits for both station-based and free-floating car sharing nor incentives for developers supporting shared mobility. That is the reason why New York City scores only 5 out of 10 possible points on the shared mobility criteria. New York City has 3 global carshare providers (Enterprise, Zipcar and car2go), a local high-end carshare (Classic Car Club of Manhattan) as well as a bikeshare program. car2go operates without the support of a free-floating permit.
You can find out more about the SMCITM here.
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