"Question: The recent snow has brought up so many issues. And you're the perfect person to address some of them because you took on the entrenched car interests when you were doing the containerized trash pilot in your district. We know there was pushback from people who owned cars and thought the Empire Bins were ugly or taking up "their" parking spaces."
"For far too long we've treated our streets as places to store cars, instead of places where people live their lives, right? And as transportation chair, my guiding principle is that our public space should serve the public. I was the chair of the Sanitation Committee, and I pioneered the trash containerization program in my district that removed 500 parking spots in 40 blocks. There was loud opposition at the start, largely driven by fears about parking."
Shaun Abreu implemented a trash containerization program in West Harlem that moved trash into sealed bins placed in the parking lane and removed 500 parking spots across 40 blocks. He faced loud opposition driven by parking fears but remained committed to keeping sidewalks clear of garbage and rodents. As chair of the City Council's Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, he asserts that streets should serve people rather than act as car storage. He now has broad oversight of the public realm and is positioned to pursue policies that prioritize pedestrians, outdoor dining, and shared public space over private parking interests. Recent snow and policy shifts have raised related enforcement and design challenges.
Read at Streetsblog
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