Skip to content

Contested Seats

A correspondent reports:

A correspondent reports:

Last Thursday it was standing-room-only at the City Council screening of Contested Streets: Breaking NYC Gridlock. Over one hundred people packed the 75-seat hearing room at the invitation of Councilmember John Liu and other members of the City Council transportation committee. The new documentary film, co-produced by Transportation Alternatives and Mark Gorton, is proving popular with city leaders interested in how New York can follow the example of London, Paris and other big cities that are successfully taming traffic. The film features footage of London’s congestion charge zone, Paris’s new Bus Rapid Transit system, and Copenhagen’s network of bike and pedestrian streets.

It is somewhat remarkable to see a powerful outer-borough Councilmember like John Liu on-board with the Livable Streets agenda. You’ve got to ask yourself: Who is New York City government is against this stuff anyway? Who is defending and maintaing the status quo of maximum traffic gridlock on New York City’s streets? Perhaps today’s previous post helps answer that question.

Photo of Aaron Naparstek
Aaron Naparstek is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparstek's journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. He was also one of the original cast members of the "War on Cars" podcast. You can find more of his work on his website.

Comments Are Temporarily Disabled

Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.

Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.

More from Streetsblog New York City

Opinion: Sean Duffy’s ‘Golden Age’ of Dangerous Streets

Ethan Andersen
December 15, 2025

‘I’m Always on the Bus’: How Transit Advocacy Helped Katie Wilson Become Seattle’s Next Mayor

December 12, 2025

Watchdog Wants Hochul To Nix Bus Lane Enforcement Freebies for MTA Drivers

December 11, 2025

More Truck Routes Are Coming To A Street Near You

December 11, 2025

Upstate County’s New Bus Service Will Turn A Transit Desert Into A Rural Network

December 11, 2025
See all posts