According to a new poll, New Yorkers believe that traffic congestion is a major problem plaguing NYC and Mayor Michael Bloomberg is doing an inadequate job in addressing it. Well, the folks over at StreetsBlog are on the case, and they are quite fired up:
After getting the laugh, the mayor gave the shrug: "We like traffic, it means economic activity, it means people coming here." Soon he left in a private car. ... For those who are baffled at why New York City remains in the transportation policy dark ages, Bloomberg's off-the-cuff remark speaks volumes. While world cities like London and Paris are finding that reducing motor vehicle traffic in the urban core is a boon to local business, quality of life and overall competitiveness in the global economy, New York is still stuck in a 1950s traffic engineering mindset that insists the gridlock, honking, and spewing tailpipes of 1.1 million vehicles cramming into Manhattan each day is prerequisite for a healthy, vibrant urban economy.Good points all around. Unfortunately, this will probably get lost in the malaise that is the month of August, when many New Yorkers are concerned more with traffic on the East End than they are with traffic on the East Side.
· Poll: NYC Blames Bloomberg for Failure to Deal With Traffic [StreetsBlog]
· Mayor Bloomberg Says NYC Traffic Congestion is Good [StreetsBlog]