Ben doesn't own a car and like 80% of New Yorkers he relies on our streets, bike lanes, and public transit, which can be debilitated after heavy snow fall and a failure to plow bike lanes and cross walks. As Streetsblog recently reported in January of 2021, when the pandemic caused balloting for Participatory Budgeting (PB) to be cancelled Ben still listened to advocacy from residents who emailed us leading me to team up with Council Member Keith Power to fund two snow plows for bike lanes and pedestrian intersections. However, due to needless bureaucracy and red tape the City won't use Ben's money to purchase equipment. Worse even, the City has not made plans to produce funds for the plows, the absence of which left bike lanes completely unswept for days in December. As Ben told Streetsblog: “It’s a $94-billion budget and the fact that the city can’t find $30,000 to buy a plow attachment to keep cyclists safe is a joke.” This is the definition of government not working the way it’s supposed to and it has to change.
As Borough President, Ben will buy small snow plows to clear snow from every bike lane and crosswalk in Manhattan.