Simple Questions, Simple Answers About Transportation at Mayoral Debate
If you thought the last Democratic mayoral debate was thin on transportation issues, you could be forgiven for thinking that the issue didn't come up at all during last night's event. Blink, and you might have missed it. Like last time, transit was relegated to the lightning round, and thin questions from the moderators didn't elicit much information from the candidates.
At the previous debate, all the candidates had MetroCards in their pockets but we learned last night that they are, for the most part, infrequent straphangers: Thompson said he had last taken the subway on Monday, while de Blasio and Weiner rode the train last week; Liu and Quinn hadn't swiped a MetroCard in about two weeks.
On the subject of the MTA, Liu said he had "gone after very powerful interests," repeating the myth created by disgraced former Comptroller Alan Hevesi that the authority keeps "two sets of books" to obscure its finances from the public.
The candidates all rejected the idea of road tests and licenses for cyclists. Weiner boldly added that cyclists should yield to senior citizens, and Liu said that cyclists should wear helmets. (At the last debate, Liu supported mandatory helmets for "city-sponsored programs" like bike-share; Thompson supported compulsory helmets, while Quinn, de Blasio, and Weiner opposed a helmet law.)
It was a lightning round question from WNBC's David Ushery that most clearly revealed the vacuousness of mainstream discourse on transportation. Ushery asked the candidates if they support tolls on the East River bridges, without mentioning whether the funds would be dedicated to improved transit, or any of the upsides that come from pricing roads. Faced with this question, the candidates were unanimous in their opposition to East River bridge tolls; Liu added that he only supports tolls that exempt city residents from paying the charge.
Profiles in courage, all of them.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog New York City
Why Sustainable Transportation Advocates Need to Talk About Long COVID
Covid-19 transformed many U.S. cities' approach to sustainable transportation forever. But how did it transform the lives of sustainable transportation advocates who developed lasting symptoms from the disease?
Analysis: ‘Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program’ is a Failure By All Measures
The Department of Transportation wants the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program to simply expire in part because it did not dramatically improve safety among these worst-of-the-worst drivers and led to a tiny number of vehicle seizures.
School Bus Driver Kills Cyclist in Boro Park, 24th Bike Death of 2023
Luis Perez-Ramirez, 44, was biking south on Fort Hamilton Parkway just before 3:15 p.m. when he was struck a by school bus driver making a right turn.
‘Betrayal’: Adams Caves to Opposition, Abandons Bus Improvement Plan on Fordham Road
The capitulation on Fordham Road is the latest episode in which the mayor has delayed or watered down a transportation project in deference to powerful interests.
Friday’s Headlines: Yes He Said Yes He Will Yes Edition
That headline above is a reference to the last line of James Joyce's Ulysses, which we won't pretend to have read. But we have that ... and other news.
