Mayor Eric Adams facing opposition for delaying bus and bicycle lane projects, creating opportunities for supporters to push for their implementation.
Mayor Eric Adams has been facing criticism for stalling projects that aim to allocate more space on New York City streets for pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders. These proposals are supported by transit advocates and urban planners, but in a city where public space is highly contested, reaching a consensus is challenging.
Under Mayor Adams’ administration, there have been instances where car traffic was reintroduced to areas that were previously pedestrian-only, such as an eight-block stretch in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Additionally, a plan to prioritize bus traffic on Fordham Road in the Bronx was weakened, and a major bus-lane project on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn was delayed, despite the mayor’s campaign promise to improve bus service.
Amidst corruption investigations involving the mayor and his close advisers, some advocates for street changes see an opportunity to push their policy priorities forward. Transit advocates and officials in the Department of Transportation are hopeful that their projects will receive more attention from City Hall as the Adams administration deals with its own challenges.
Recent developments suggest that previously stalled projects are starting to move forward, giving advocates a sense of optimism and opportunity to advance their agenda.
Source: The NY Times
