Transportation Alternatives Statement in Response to Mayor de Blasio Advising New Yorkers "Do Not Buy a Car"
At a media availability on Thursday morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio was asked what advice he would give to New Yorkers who are considering buying a car as an alternative to using transit while the city continues to recover from the pandemic. He responded, “My advice to New Yorkers is do not buy a car.”
Statement of Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris:
"Suggesting that New Yorkers shouldn’t buy a car might not seem newsworthy -- after all, we live in the only major US city where most households are car free. But Mayor de Blasio, whose approach to transportation has consistently prioritized New Yorkers who drive over those who rely on walking, biking and transit, is not in a strong position to be offering this kind of advice.
The city is reopening from a pandemic, and many would-be transit riders are looking for alternatives to the subway. The solution, which our global peers have already discovered, is to make the most efficient use of our streets, but the mayor has, so far, seemed content to let them fill up with cars. In fact, he told reporters earlier this summer that it was “reassuring to be in a traffic jam.” And this week, when it became clear that only a fraction of the children who rely on school buses will be able to do so this school year due to physical distancing guidelines, Mayor de Blasio suggested that parents should drive their kids to school.
Traffic congestion has real costs for New York City, its people, and its economy. The mayor says he doesn’t want New Yorkers to buy cars, but what has he done to discourage us from doing so? It has been nearly six months since the pandemic hit our city, yet New York City still lacks a transportation recovery plan, and there’s no indication that Mayor de Blasio sees the catastrophic congestion that is coming our way.
Advocates have praised the mayor for creating temporary Open Streets, and the move to convert curbside parking into curbside dining has been an unqualified success. But these are temporary measures which won’t help solve the transportation challenges facing New York City. Meanwhile, bus ridership is outpacing subway ridership and bicycle ownership and bike share use have skyrocketed in recent months. To keep our recovery on track, it is essential that Mayor de Blasio move beyond simply advising us not to buy cars, and start transforming our streets to ensure that all New Yorkers have safe, equitable, and sustainable transportation alternatives."