Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani may make driving within the Large Apple hell on wheels.
Automotive-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 publish 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 midst of metropolis streets that may then be redesigned into cul-de-sacs — a transfer the group claims will resolve town’s “playground desert drawback.”
The plan fails to say how site visitors can be rerouted.
The group additionally needs to create “college streets” by closing streets to site visitors close to each New York Metropolis college. At present 72 of the Large Apple’s almost 3,000 colleges have finished so.
Transportation Options is pushing to construct busways on each main metropolis route — just like the controversial plans to ban automobiles on thirty fourth Road that even bus riders have opposed.
At a group assembly earlier this 12 months, Murray Hill residents voiced issues that after first banning automobiles on 14th Road, and now thirty fourth Road, the anti-car foyer had its eyes on forty second Road subsequent.
Transportation Options’ blueprint confirms such a concern 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 uninterested in 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 dearth of busses – not the actual fact they’re slowed down by automobiles.
“It’s like a cult — ‘automobiles are unhealthy,’” she added. “Be a bit of bit affordable and perceive that generally some individuals can’t stay your puritanical, cultish indulgence of both all the time strolling or biking,” she stated, arguing Furnas’ plans will harm seniors and other people with diminished mobility.
“He might imagine he’s doing good. I guess you if he went to his grandma, she wouldn’t be too comfortable.”
Furnas’ group additionally calls to slash parking spots all around the 5 boroughs — with plans to “repurpose” the house 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 midst of streets and wage conflict on drivers, it will likely be a catastrophe for public security, high quality of life and primary widespread sense,” he advised The Submit.
“The truth that the worst DOT commissioner of all time, Ydanis Rodriguez, is seemingly in line for a job within the Mamdani administration exhibits precisely how unhealthy issues may get.
The polarizing rat-riddled avenue eating shacks may additionally come again in full pressure — with Transportation Options calling to “guarantee this system is year-round, permits enclosed buildings 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 via 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 advised The Submit.
“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 priceless minutes day by day on their commutes. Don’t you need some extra time again?” he added.
Mamdani’s crew didn’t return The Submit’s request for remark.
