Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bike/Ped

Streetfilms: An Interview with Sam Schwartz

Sam Schwartz, aka "Gridlock Sam," is best-known to many New Yorkers
through his Daily News column about the city's quotidian traffic woes. Schwartz is the president and
CEO of Sam Schwartz LLC, a traffic planning and engineering firm
that has worked on projects including the JFK AirTrain, the IKEA project in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and the World Trade Center Memorial.  Before he moved to the private sector in 1990, Schwartz served as NYC traffic commissioner and as deputy commissioner of transportation in the Koch administration. He sat
recently with Mark Gorton, president and founder of the Open Planning Project, to discuss congestion pricing, cars in parks, and the way pedestrians in this city don't get much respect from traffic planners. As the city begins looking for a new transportation commissioner to replace Iris Weinshall, this interview is worth watching:

"We should be getting the message that we can't rely on gasoline and we can't rely on the private automobile to handle mass transportation."
Running time: 9 minutes 49 seconds

"The people in the transportation community that are on the far right...and on the far left agree that the best solution, the most capitalist solution and the most socialist solution, is the same solution: It's congestion pricing."
Running time: 9 minutes 57 seconds

"Walking is the dominant mode [of travel]. But when the calculations are being done, calculations for pedestrians are almost nonexistent."
Running time: 8 minutes 13 seconds

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Are We All Living in a ‘Carspiracy’?

How does "car-brain" shape the way we think about the world — even in relatively bike-friendly countries like the U.K.?

July 26, 2024

Friday’s Headlines Share and Share Alike

Bikeshares, and e-bikes and scooters generally, are becoming more popular. That's led to more injuries, highlighting the need for better infrastructure.

July 26, 2024

What the Heck is Going on With the California E-Bike Incentive Program?

The program's launch has been delayed for two years, and currently "there is no specific timeline" for it. Plus the administrator, Pedal Ahead, is getting dragged, but details are vague.

July 26, 2024

Talking Headways Podcast: Have Cities Run Out of Land?

Chris Redfearn of USC and Anthony Orlando of Cal Poly Pomona on why "pro-business" Texas housing markets are catching up to "pro-regulation" California and what it might mean for future city growth.

July 25, 2024

The Paris Plan for Olympic Traffic? Build More Bike Lanes

A push to make Paris fully bikable for the Olympics is already paying dividends long before the opening ceremonies.

July 25, 2024
See all posts