Elections

NYers Not Sold on Notion That Livable Streets Are Wrecking Economy

Here's a chart breaking down New York Times exit poll results from the mayoral election.

By Brad Aaron

3:06 PM EST on November 5, 2009

Here’s a chart breaking down New York Times exit poll results from the mayoral election.

What sticks out to us is not so much that 3 percent of voters rated transportation as the “one issue” that mattered most to them, since many who participated could care a great deal about transportation and you wouldn’t know it. Notice instead how Bloomberg dominated the issue of economy and jobs, even in this terrible downturn, despite Thompson’s attempts to portray livable streets improvements as assaults on small businesses.

Obviously, despite the low level of interest indicated here, transportation matters. Otherwise pols wouldn’t drone on about the MTA ad nauseam. But what do these numbers tell you?

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

Elections | Michael Bloomberg | William Thompson

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