Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Transportation Policy

Motor Mouths: Send Us Clueless Transportation Quotes From Public Officials

false

Before he gained worldwide notoriety as the mayor allegedly caught on tape smoking crack, Toronto's Rob Ford was perhaps best known as the mayor who said, "Bicyclists are a pain in the ass!"

Perhaps no public official will ever top that combination of brevity and mindless hostility toward non-automotive transportation. But there's a lot of competition out there.

Recently, we asked our Twitter followers to share quotes from state and local transportation officials that reveal an underlying contempt for walking, biking, and transit. Below are three examples that readers sent to us. Each comes from an official agency spokesperson, so you can only imagine what gets said behind closed doors. If you'd like to add to this initial collection of Motor Mouths -- and we hope you do -- send your example of car-centricity to angie@streetsblog.org or tell us about it in the comments.

Without further ado, our first round of Motor Mouths.

St. Louis County Department of Highways and Traffic

The Offender: David Wrone, spokesman for the St. Louis County Department of Highways and Traffic, as quoted by the St. Louis Post Dispatch and a local CBS affiliate.

The Evidence:

Exhibit A: "As a matter of policy, we don’t build dedicated bike lanes. St. Louis County salutes the bike-riding community, but we manage our system in the knowledge that motor vehicles comprise the vast majority of our customer base.”

Exhibit B: "We're a highway department, not a bicycle department."

Translation:

A: We'd prefer to stay in the downward spiral of autocentric development resulting in car dependence and endless sprawl until we're bankrupt.

B: The "transportation" part of our name is just for show, we really only care about highways.

Maryland State Highway Administration:

The Offender: Agency spokesman David Buck in the Capital Gazette.

The Evidence:

“The safest way to get across the road is to cross at marked crosswalks,” said Buck, who estimated that 90 percent of pedestrian-related accidents are caused by pedestrian error.

Translation:

If pedestrians would just quit getting in the way of cars, they wouldn't get hit.

false

Baltimore Metropolitan Council:

The Offender: Larry Klimovitz, executive director of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council on the blog Pedestrian Error.

The Evidence:

"For transportation, the federal government requires us to coordinate as a region to make decisions. For all this other stuff we do, it’s voluntary. So, for example, water quality, housing, bike/ped …"

Translation:

Biking and walking are not transportation.

So there you have it, our first three contenders.

We're looking for more Motor Mouths. Give us your examples in the comments or email angie@streetsblog.org. Be sure to include a link to a news report or other official record of the statement. Also, if you caught a local or state transportation official saying something totally brilliant on the record, we’d like to know about that too.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

City Hall Pauses Upper West Side ‘Smart Curb’ Parking Reforms Amid Predictable Driver Backlash

DOT's nascent effort to convert 70 curbside spots on the Upper West Side from free to metered parking is on hold after drivers threw a fit, City Hall said.

August 26, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Talking with Ryan Russo (Yes, THAT Ryan Russo) About Bike Networks

The head of NACTO (and maybe the head of NYC DOT in waiting?) talks to America's leading transportation podcast.

August 26, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Pay-to-Play Edition

Well-funded delivery app lobbyists are running roughshod at the City Council. Plus more news.

August 26, 2025

Mamdani Pledges to Finish Adams’s Abandoned Bike and Bus Lanes Amid City Hall Bribery Scandal

Mamdani vowed to complete street redesigns that Mayor Adams killed due to political pressure and, in at least one case, alleged bribes.

August 25, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Summer Streets Post Mortem Edition

One last halcyonic look at Summer Streets. Plus a veritable encyclopedia of news from the weekend.

August 25, 2025

STREETSBLOG ABROAD: We’ll Never Have Paris … Unless We Start Rebuilding Our City Like The French Did

Où es-tu allée, Anne Hidalgo? Notre ville tourne vers vous ses yeux solitaires.

August 25, 2025
See all posts