The Real Deal: What types of transportation are seeing biggest booms in New York?

New Yorkers have several options for getting around. News 12's Kristie Reeter gives us The Real Deal on what types of transportation are seeing the biggest booms - especially with the high gas prices.

News 12 Staff

Jun 17, 2022, 10:47 AM

Updated 903 days ago

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New Yorkers have several options for getting around. News 12's Kristie Reeter gives us The Real Deal on what types of transportation are seeing the biggest booms - especially with the high gas prices.
Train, car, subway, even bike! New York has many options for commuting all over the state. But everything shifted during the pandemic, and as News 12's partners at Investopedia found, we are not even close to pre-pandemic levels.
"We saw a big increase in commuter traffic in the month of May. When we looked at Metro-North, that was up 10.3% but still about 66% of pre-pandemic levels. When we look at the LIRR, that was up 7.7%. And we know subway traffic is around 60% of pre-pandemic levels," says Caleb Silver.
When it comes to cars, Silver says bridge and tunnel traffic in and out of the city is pretty strong.
"It is almost all the way back to pre-pandemic levels. That said, these high gas prices are causing folks to think twice about filling up, we saw about a 5% reduction in fill-ups across the country and in New York state in just the last few weeks," says Silver.
Tell us how much you paid for gas: Long Island | Westchester | Hudson Valley | Bronx | Brooklyn
Meanwhile, it looks like we are seeing a bike boom.
"It is still hard to find a bike, a new bike, in New York City and also hard to find a used bike in New York City. There has definitely been a bike boom," says Cory Epstein, a spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives, pushing for safe streets for those looking to get around without a car.
They are even helping with a statewide effort to make biking safer and easier.
"Right now, gas is really expensive, congestion is horrible, and we have a bill in Albany that if it becomes law is going to allow cities across the state from New York City to Buffalo, make it easier for people to have streets that are inviting, welcoming and safe to ride a bike," Epstein says.
Switching just a few trips to a bike could save you big. Switching five trips a month that are 10 miles each to a bike could save you just under $10 a month - that's $117 a year.