"Commissioner of Bicycles" Makes NYC a Leader on Sustainable Transportation

New York City's savvy transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan is using data-backed policy initiatives and local governance to boost bicycle and public transit facilities, despite a conservative media backlash.

1 minute read

February 16, 2011, 6:00 AM PST

By Michael Dudley


According Alternet's Don Hazen, Sadik-Khan

"has made great strides in moving New York City into the 21st century. She has overseen the building of hundreds of miles of innovative bike lanes; she's turned traffic-clogged streets like parts of Broadway into vibrant public spaces; she has secured huge grants from the Feds to improve bus service, and perhaps most importantly to her boss, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, she has made the streets safer than they have been in many decades.

Visionary change, especially in a time of economic anxiety and scarcity, is never easy, and Sadik-Khan's remarkable accomplishments have met with resistance from some [who] see [her] as moving too fast, not spending the necessary time to prepare people for change."

Perhaps predictably, the media, in particular the New York Post, are framing these changes in terms of a faux class war that is victimizing the "forgotten" car driver.

Monday, February 14, 2011 in AlterNet

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

Geese flock to a frozen pond in Aurora, Colorado. There are houses in the background.

Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing

The proposed campus would consume 11 times the power of Denver International Airport; as it has across the country, opposition mounts.

September 17, 2026 - Capital & Main

The Gross Reservoir, a large body of water surrounded by trees and mountains.

Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion

Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.

September 18 - Inside Climate News

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18 - Mass Transit

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh delivers remarks at his swearing-in ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

Raised interest rates may kill financially vulnerable construction projects

The chief economist at ConstructConnect warns that if construction project owners are negatively impacted by the raised rates, it could result in delayed payments to contractors.

September 18 - Construction Dive