New York City works continuously to improve safety for pedestrians and to make the streets more walking friendly. Measures include, among others, traffic calming, added greenery, traffic light adjustments and increased public space. Within the NYC Plaza programme, local authorities work closely with non-profit organizations to create neighbourhood plazas that are social public spaces. It is part of the city’s effort to ensure that all citizens live within a ten minute walk of quality open space. The plazas can be created in underused street areas, by narrowing car lanes or reducing car parking spaces. About one percent of the NYC traffic budget is used for plazas where no advertising is permitted. NYC also has the Safe Streets for Seniors programme, that specifically focuses on the especially vulnerable group of senior citizens (+65 years), thereby increasing safety for all. Since the start of the program in 2008, fatal injuries among senior pedestrians have decreased by nineteen percent. The measures included among others, adjusted traffic lights adding more time to cross the streets, reducing the number of car lanes, narrowing car lanes, introducing pedestrian safety islands between lanes and sidewalk extensions (New York City DOT, no date b).