Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

It’s More Than “Cheap Symbolism” When the Mayor Rides Transit

De Blasio on a rare subway trip in early 2014. Photo: Rob Bennett/NYC Mayor’s Office

On his weekly "Ask the Mayor" radio appearance this morning, Mayor de Blasio called on New Yorkers to take responsibility for climate change in light of Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accords.

"We have to take disproportionate action, for our own good,” de Blasio said. “Let’s be leaders here, let’s show we can go even farther [than our goals]."

The mayor reiterated his administration's commitment to reducing citywide greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050 and said, "the policies of this city are going to lead to addressing climate change in a much more aggressive way that it’s ever been addressed in the history of New York City."

But when Charles Komanoff called in and asked whether de Blasio would "lead by example" and change his own travel habits, including his daily motorcade from the Upper East Side to the Park Slope Y, the mayor called it "cheap symbolism."

"Whether I go to the gym does not affect the policies that affect millions of people," de Blasio said.

This misses the major reason why a mayor should make an effort to experience the transit system. It's not that his motorcade increases emissions, or even that it sends the wrong message. It's that the way de Blasio gets around shapes how he views the city. And those views are inevitably going to influence his policies.

If he's getting chauffeured in an SUV everywhere he goes, there's no way the mayor can viscerally understand what the three-quarters of New Yorkers who don't commute by car experience on a daily basis.

De Blasio insisted that his schedule requires him to be driven places, and that he "[uses] the subway when it makes sense to use the subway." But documented instances of de Blasio riding the subway are few and far between. And he certainly doesn't have first-hand experience riding overcrowded buses stuck on the city's congested streets, nor does he bike in the city's often-obstructed bike lanes.

From de Blasio's perspective in the backseat, bus lanes aren't doing anything to make his trips quicker. The mayor may know on an intellectual level that they are beneficial. But on a gut level, when you're in a car, priority treatments for buses and bikes feel like they are getting in the way.

Through the levers of parking policy and the allocation of street space for transit, biking, and walking, de Blasio could substantially lower transportation emissions in NYC. More efficient streets are also essential for accommodating population growth, which delivers huge environmental benefits itself in a city like New York, where per capita emissions are so low.

But in discussing climate policy with Brian Lehrer, de Blasio focused almost exclusively on his administration's push to retrofit buildings -- the source of 68 percent of citywide emissions -- for environmental efficiency. Besides a quick reference to the city's efforts to electrify its own vehicle fleets, he made no mention of transportation, which accounts for more than quarter of the city's emissions, mostly from motor vehicles.

"I do stay in touch with what people are going through," the mayor insisted today, "and I knew it for years and years because for years and years I never even had any car."

A first-hand refresher on the current state of the transit system is in order. A mayor who gets out and rides the bus -- even just every now and then -- would be less inclined to issue thousands of parking placards and more enthusiastic about carving out street space for transit.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

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-founded 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

INVASION OF THE BODY-SNATCHERS: Self-Driving Taxis Have Come for Your Roads, Jobs

What could possibly go wrong? Perhaps we get safer streets. Perhaps every taxi driver loses his or her job.

August 25, 2025
See all posts