Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bus Rapid Transit

NY1: Why is Bloomberg So Weak on Transportation?

orcutt_ny1.jpg
Fifty-nine percent of New Yorkers say Mayor Bloomberg is doing a poor-to-fair job on transportation.

Jon Orcutt, Executive Director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign was on New York 1's "In Transit" this weekend discussing the results of a survey showing that most New Yorkers are unhappy with Mayor Bloomberg's job on transportation. Click here to see the video.

NY1: We showed the DOT your poll and they said, 'We're doing things to alleviate traffic, like Thru-Streets and Bus Rapid Transit.'

Orcutt: Thru-Streets is a molecule in a drop in a bucket. It's not addressing traffic congestion. It's not addressing any part of the city other than a very limited piece of Midtown. Bus Rapid Transit is stuck as a study. There is no Bus Rapid Transit in New York City and at the pace they are moving, which is about the pace of the M34 bus, we aren't going to see any Bus Rapid Transit during Mayor Bloomberg's term of office.

The mayor needs to really light a fire under the DOT to get much more ambitious initiatives underway. The mayor needs to a stronger attitude regarding New York City Transit even though he doesn't directly control it. The Mayor has a pretty big microphone in this town and he should use it.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Q&A: Will The Bronx’s New Council Member Take On Car Culture?

Union leader Shirley Aldebol took on Republican Kristy Marmorato and won — and now she's ready to fight for better transit and safer streets.

November 7, 2025

Friday Video: The Utopia of London’s Low-Traffic Neighborhoods

Streetsfilms follows an urban planner around the “low-traffic neighborhood” of St. Peter’s in the London borough of Islington.

November 7, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Movie Night Edition

Check out the Bike Film Festival this weekend. Plus other news.

November 7, 2025

SLAUGHTER: Wrong-Way Van Driver Kills Woman in West Village Crosswalk

The driver of a commercial van struck and killed a woman in her 20s as he drove the wrong way on Morton Street.

November 6, 2025

DECISION 2025: Transit Wins Big — Again — Across America

Several candidates who ran on ambitious transportation reform platforms won at the ballot box on Tuesday — but even more communities said yes to supporting transit directly.

November 6, 2025

Book Excerpt Special: The Incomplete Freeway Revolt

A new book looks at the destructive 20th-century urban development style — freeways, downtown office towers, suburban housing developments — that keeps Americans so dependent on their cars. Here's an excerpt.

November 6, 2025
See all posts