Mamdanis transportation boss claims NYC drivers are wealthy, rips parking as giveaway

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s transportation boss all but declared war on drivers during an event Thursday — claiming most car owners are “wealthy” and calling parking a public land “giveaway.”Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn told an audience at a New York Law School breakfast that the administration is prioritizing walking, public transit, cycling and e-bikes while making driving and parking so burdensome that it forces motorists to ditch their cars.He framed the push as a way to save working New Yorkers money.“Car owners in our city are more than twice as wealthy as non car owners,” he said, calling car-owning a “burden” for lower income New Yorkers — then ripped parking as a “giveaway.”The claims riled the members Brooklyn4All, a grassroots group of Brooklyn neighbors made up of bus riders, cyclists, subway riders and drivers.“Transportation is not one-size-fits-all, and people must have the freedom to choose what works for their lives.Aren’t we a democracy?” a spokesperson told The Post.The group formed about five months ago because residents felt the DOT wasn’t listening to them.A 2024 Hunter College report cited by Flynn during his speech even warned that “low income residents need cars more than middle to high income residents.”The report said a car can help someone improve their “economic mobility” and the data showed housing type and neighborhood are better indicators of car ownership than income, race or age.The data showed about 85% of Staten Island households have a vehicle, compared with 63% in Queens, 45% in Brooklyn, 40% in the Bronx and just 23% in Manhattan — despite Manhattan having the highest median income.About 87% of residents in single-family homes live in a household with a vehicle, compared with 33% of people in apartment buildings with five or more units, according to the study.Brooklyn4All said drivers include seniors, people with disabilities and workers with odd hours.“For peopl...