New York City mayor-elect Eric Adams announced the appointment of City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan) as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT). Dominican-born, Rodriguez becomes the first Hispanic to head the agency. Rodriguez since 2010 has represented Inwood and Washington Heights in the City Council, and has chaired the Council’s Transportation Committee since 2014. Rodríguez was known for his strong and active support to Adams successful run for mayor.
As reported in Politics NY, Adams stated:
“Our city’s transportation system faces major challenges, from surging traffic fatalities to increased congestion on our streets. We need proven leaders who are ready to roll up their sleeves on Day 1 and address these issues, with a focus on making transit more equitable and efficient for all New Yorkers.”
Adams has expressed the importance of his administration’s hitting the ground running on the missions of increasing street safety, improving transit equity and accessibility, promoting sustainability, as well as effectively investing the federal funds coming to the City as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, commonly referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Rodriguez vowed to work with the rest of his colleagues in the administration and the City Council, advocates, and the private and academic sectors, to carry on the vision of turning New York City into the most pedestrian and cyclist-friendly city in the nation.
“As the next DOT Commissioner, I am proud to soon be working alongside the many men and women in the agency who have been committed to improving the safety of our streets. I will continue looking for innovative ways to reduce our reliance on carbon-emitting vehicles and in its place build a City that prioritizes sustainability and the safety of pedestrians and cyclists,” said Rodriguez.
Politics NY explains that as the Chair of the Council’s Transportation Committee, Rodriguez has spearheaded an array of initiatives and policies, including the city’s annual “Car Free Earth Day” and the expansion of Citi Bike into underserved neighborhoods throughout the city.
Gothamist reports that as a council member and as the council’s transportation committee chair, Rodriguez has been a staunch supporter of Vision Zero, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s initiative to reduce traffic-related deaths to zero. He has previously said the city must do more to work with prosecutors to charge drivers involved in collisions that injure or kill pedestrians and cyclists; pushed legislation to identify overcrowded sidewalks and address ways to reduce their congestion; and proposed ways to reduce single-occupancy vehicles.
Rodriguez has also pushed for more equity in the city’s transportation options, both economic, like with Fair Fares, and geographic, with expanding Citi Bike to underserved neighborhoods. He has hailed the 181st Street busway as a project that could be replicated elsewhere.
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Politics NY
21 December 2021