Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
NACTO

NACTO 2012: Leading City DOT Commissioners Talk Transportation Politics

"To me, the single most fascinating element of politics is the alchemy by which something becomes an issue," said Chris Hayes, MSNBC host and moderator of the commissioners' panel on the politics of transportation at the October NACTO Designing Cities conference.

The panel, captured in its entirety by Streetfilms, featured NYC DOT's Janette Sadik-Khan, Chicago DOT chief Gabe Klein, San Francisco MTA director Ed Reiskin, Boston transportation commissioner Tom Tinlin, and Philadelphia deputy mayor of transportation Rina Cutler.

To get things rolling, here's Hayes, a lifelong New Yorker and self-described bike-riding partisan:

At the most micro level, transportation is incredibly political ... But at a broader level it's completely absent from our national political conversation. And this is bizarre.

Select highlights from the 53-minute panel after the jump.

    • 09:00 - Reiskin: We need to make public transit accessible, reliable and enjoyable
    • 11:30 - Klein talks about young people and transportation's vitality to a city
    • 15:14 - Cutler: "Money matters."
    • 17:23 - Tinlin: "Mayor Menino has said, 'The car is no longer king in Boston.'"
    • 23:50 - Klein talks gas prices in Netherlands vs. U.S. and transportation infrastructure
    • 31:03 - Sadik-Khan: We need to find partners in creating public spaces in NYC
    • 33:30 - Hayes refers to cars as "speeding machines of death"
    • 36:56 - Sadik-Khan: "Two-thirds of New Yorkers get around without a car, less than half own a car."
    • 48:21 - Hayes asks the panel about public criticism from the media and advice for future commissioners

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Got DOGE’d Again

Amidst uncertainty about future federal funding, Amtrak is cutting $100 million and 450 jobs.

May 9, 2025

Friday Video: Where Was the First Public Bus Route in the World?

...and which surprising historical figure helped launch it?

May 9, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: ‘Normal’ is Not Correct, Someone Died Here

After a crash, the debris is quickly cleaned up and everyone moves on (usually too quickly). But these two experts are asking us to all slow down.

May 8, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Are Not Gonna Pay a Lot for This Truck

President Trump's tariffs, along with rising insurance costs, are driving down Americans' interest in owning a car.

May 8, 2025

How One Suburb is Using Transit to Transform Into a True City

A Washington State suburb may be poised to evolve into a true transit-oriented hub – and offer lessons for other bedroom communities, even during an anti-transit era.

May 8, 2025
See all posts