Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani might make driving within the Massive Apple hell on wheels.
Automobile-hating Transportation Options boss Ben Furnas has been appointed to Mayor-elect Mamdani’s transition crew for transportation, local weather and infrastructure — and his agenda is a nightmare for town’s drivers.
Furnas was named to the submit this week, however his group already had its “full transportation agenda” for the incoming administration able to go, having launched it earlier this month.
Among the many plan’s greater than 80 calls for is a weird proposal to construct playgrounds smack in the course of metropolis streets that will then be redesigned into cul-de-sacs — a transfer the group claims will resolve town’s “playground desert downside.”
The plan fails to say how site visitors can be rerouted.
The group additionally desires to create “faculty streets” by closing streets to site visitors close to each New York Metropolis faculty. At the moment 72 of the Massive Apple’s practically 3,000 faculties have achieved so.
Transportation Options is pushing to construct busways on each main metropolis route — just like the controversial plans to ban vehicles on thirty fourth Avenue that even bus riders have opposed.
At a neighborhood assembly earlier this 12 months, Murray Hill residents voiced considerations that after first banning vehicles on 14th Avenue, and now thirty fourth Avenue, the anti-car foyer had its eyes on forty second Avenue subsequent.
Transportation Options’ blueprint confirms such a worry by pushing for busways on “each high-priority bus route, as measured by elements together with highest ridership and slowest speeds.”
“I’m so sick and bored with studying ‘oh, New York Metropolis busses are the slowest,’” slammed Stacey Rauch, a Murray Hill resident who takes the bus day by day and argues the issue is the shortage of busses – not the very fact they’re slowed down by vehicles.
“It’s like a cult — ‘vehicles are dangerous,’” she added. “Be a little bit bit cheap and perceive that generally some folks can’t dwell your puritanical, cultish indulgence of both at all times strolling or biking,” she stated, arguing Furnas’ plans will harm seniors and folks with diminished mobility.
“He might imagine he’s doing good. I guess you if he went to his grandma, she wouldn’t be too pleased.”
Furnas’ group additionally calls to slash parking spots all around the 5 boroughs — with plans to “repurpose” the area on blocks near subway stations with “facilities” like wider sidewalks, bigger bus shelters, bike parking, benches, so-called “micro forests” and even public restrooms.
Metropolis Council Member Robert Holden (D-Queens) slammed the plans, saying the DOT’s “handlers” at Transportation Options have lengthy ignored the wants of households, seniors, staff and small companies.
“If the Mamdani administration lets them proceed to show our neighborhoods into playgrounds in the course of streets and wage battle on drivers, will probably be a catastrophe for public security, high quality of life and fundamental widespread sense,” he informed The Put up.
“The truth that the worst DOT commissioner of all time, Ydanis Rodriguez, is outwardly in line for a job within the Mamdani administration reveals precisely how dangerous issues might get.
The polarizing rat-riddled road eating shacks might additionally come again in full drive — with Transportation Options calling to “guarantee this system is year-round, permits enclosed constructions and is much less onerous for small companies.”
The highly effective anti-car group, which not directly lobbies for Uber and Lyft, has lengthy wielded energy with lefty metropolis officers by means of a relationship critics have described as incestuous.
However Furnas’ appointment offers Transportation Options energy to go even additional and stack Mamdani’s Division of Transportation chock-full of like-minded zealots, critics stated.
“I’m livid,” slammed Rauch. “I voted for Mamdani — he didn’t take PAC cash. Why is he favoring particular curiosity teams?”
Amongst Furnas’ key allies appointed to the transition crew are Sara Lind from Open Plans and Betsy Plum from the Riders Alliance.
Furnas tried to promote his group’s agenda as a win for drivers.
“When it’s simpler and cheaper for extra New Yorkers to get round by bus or bike, the discount in site visitors will make it faster and safer for everybody who nonetheless has to drive,” he informed The Put up.
“Take a look at how profitable congestion pricing has been for drivers: site visitors is reliably flowing easily in Manhattan for the primary time in our lifetimes. New Yorkers are saving precious minutes day by day on their commutes. Don’t you need some extra time again?” he added.
Mamdani’s crew didn’t return The Put up’s request for remark.
