New city Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn says it’s not just lip service when the mayor says he wants the city’s streets to be the envy of the world, focusing on making people’s lives better.

“Just paint a different picture of how streets are this public space and how they really affect people’s day-to-day lives and the critical role they play in making a more affordable city, a more livable city, a safer city, healthier city,” Flynn said in an exclusive interview with NY1.

What You Need To Know

  • New Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn started as an intern at the New York City Department of Transportation and over nearly a decade rose to become the director of capital planning before working for a decade under “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz

  • Flynn says there are plans to expand busways but wouldn’t talk specifics though mentioned that projects stalled by the last administration not based on merit could be revived like Fordham Road and Tremont Avenue in the Bronx, which were slated to get them and were stalled by the Adams administration 

  • When it comes to community outreach, especially on major transportation projects, the new commissioner believes the agency can always do better but already does a good job at engaging stakeholders

Flynn has credentials that will help him get those results. He started as an intern at the city’s Department of Transportation, and over nearly a decade rose to become the director of capital planning. He spent the last 10 years working in the private sector for Sam Schwartz, the renowned traffic engineer known as “Gridlock Sam.”

“I’ve always been plugged into the policy world of New York transportation,” Flynn said.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned on making all bus service fast and free.

The city really needs help from the state for that, but NY1 asked the commissioner if they’re considering the possibility of charging for parking that is currently free to fund free buses since it doesn’t appear the buy-in from Albany is there.

“In terms of funding free buses, I think it’s still early days,” Flynn said. “I know, you know, the mayor has talked about where he envisions the funding coming from. It’s really the fast buses where [the] DOT, my team, will have the greatest role.”

Flynn says there are plans to expand busways but wouldn’t talk specifics. Fordham Road and Tremont Avenue in the Bronx were slated to get them and were stalled by the Adams administration. 

And of course there’s bike lanes. The DOT just announced that it plans to appeal a judge’s decision to block a bike lane for 31st Street in Astoria and restart the design process to comply with the order. It will actually be the same design, but the judge took issue with the process. 

“We try to create a process and a dialog that’s inclusive and fair and good faith and get as much support as we can,” Flynn said. “You may always end up with some folks, you know, who are not completely happy with the result. But in this case, we felt, and we saw this with the elected officials, that there was ample support and that the data certainly supported this design.”

The commissioner says the administration wants to do big things — and with the mandated update to the city streets plan this year, this administration will make its mark.

The street plan sets the number of miles of bus and bike lanes the DOT must install each year, among other things.

“Something I’m interested in is how we move from just counting miles of things that we build to what’s the impact,” Flynn said. “What’s the result like more of a performance-based approach to that? Are the buses moving faster? Are more people choosing to get around by bike or transit or walking?”