I am stunned and saddened by this.
Does that seem too strong a response? People will die because of this decision. The 133 pedestrians and cyclists killed by cars in NYC last year? That number would have gone down with congestion pricing. Now it won’t anymore. The 43,000 annual asthma-related ER visits in NYC (one of which was my son’s)? That number won’t go down anymore either.
Why did this happen? Apparently because people believe that climate, livability, and public health are niche issues that don’t win elections.
I suspect this is wrong. And I hope that, with a mayoral election coming up, someone is willing to test that theory with a climate-first platform. I think New Yorkers are ready for it. I know I am.
I’m ready for a mayor who understands that any serious municipal climate plan must include a radical increase in housing and a radical reduction in cars. Someone who understands that every person who can’t afford to live in the city will instead live in the suburbs, on too much land, watering a lawn that is too big and driving everywhere.
I’m ready for a mayor who talks about infrastructure. Who prioritizes hardening a city whose rising shorelines include 14 water treatment facilities, 20+ electrical generation plants, and the largest food distribution complex in the world, the gateway for 60% of NYC’s food supply. I want a mayor who knows what it’s called (Hunts Point) and yearns to show up at these places, meet their workers, and advocate for their protection.
I’m ready for a mayor who understands that housing policy, transit policy, education policy, labor policy, and justice are all aspects of climate policy. In a city where the vast majority of residents suffer from insufficient, unaffordable housing; too much traffic that they don’t create; and outdated heating and cooling systems within structures that radiate heat throughout the night, I cannot fathom why we’re still waiting for such a candidate to come along.
Am I alone?
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1moSorry to miss you. In Tampa at a conference.