"A major decision facing Mayor-elect Mamdani will be to select a new Department of Transportation Commissioner. The scope of the assignment is vast as is its impact. Transportation is an issue confronted by every New Yorker, every day - and we are all experts. Every Mayor since Mike Bloomberg has been engaged in the mission to reimagine how we move people to reduce our dependence on private cars and to focus instead on public transit, bikes and walking, and under Mayor de Blasio, a similar effort began to reimagine how we move freight - both to and within the city - to reduce our embarrassing over-dependence on large trucks and instead to use our original highways, the waterways, as well as rail and small, environmentally friendly vehicles."
"At the same time, we have been reimagining how we use our streets with the transformation of Broadway and other iconic Manhattan thoroughfares, Open Streets in all five boroughs, and an Open Restaurant program that needs to be revived after being gutted by the most recent effort to "make it permanent." And we must remain focused on the safety of all who use our streets - Vision Zero is not a slogan, it is a goal - and now includes challenges presented by all the new types of vehicles that share our streets and bike lanes."
Selecting a Department of Transportation Commissioner requires a candidate who can manage vast responsibilities and influence daily mobility for all New Yorkers. The commissioner must advance reduced reliance on private cars by prioritizing public transit, biking, and walking. The role must rethink freight movement to lessen dependence on large trucks and to use waterways, rail, and small environmentally friendly vehicles. The position should support street transformations, citywide Open Streets, and revival of the Open Restaurant program. The commissioner must prioritize street safety through Vision Zero and address environmental justice and infrastructure resiliency legacies.
Read at Streetsblog
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