Mamdani walks back popular progressive campaign promise to pedestrians

In the latest about-face in his nascent term in office, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) has reversed course on a promise he made about traffic in the Big Apple.

The New York Post reported Thursday that Mamdani has walked back his commitment to enact a "daylighting" policy at intersection crosswalks.

'We always take a holistic approach, and we really look at the unique conditions and context of each location.'

Daylighting is a policy designed to ban parking near pedestrian crosswalks, allowing for safer travel by foot throughout the city.

Mamdani publicly declared in February that "we deserve to have all [intersections] daylighted," according to the Post.

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Photographer: Amir Hamja/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images

However, Mamdani's Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn indicated Tuesday that this promise was more talk than walk.

“Daylighting is definitely one important tool but as a few of us have mentioned earlier, we always take a holistic approach, and we really look at the unique conditions and context of each location,” Flynn told the city council.

The Post previously reported that enacting a universal daylighting policy across the city would be extremely costly for New Yorkers. The city would lose an estimated 300,000 parking spots and could foot a bill as large as $3 billion.

“The Mamdani administration is committed to following the data, listening to the evidence, and working with City Council and our experienced advocacy partners to expand daylighting effectively and maximize street safety across the five boroughs,” Mamdani spokeswoman Dora Pekec said in a statement to the Post.

This isn't the first campaign promise Mamdani has reneged on.

Last month, Mamdani brought back homeless encampment sweeps during a massive snowstorm that swept the city. Mamdani had promised to ditch the policy during his campaign. At least 19 people died outdoors during the cold snap on Mamdani's watch.

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