New NYC Transportation Commissioner Promises 10K New Bike Racks

NEW YORK CITY — The city’s newly-appointed transportation commissioner hit the ground running — or pedaling — with an ambitious plan to install 10,000 new bike racks by the end of 2022.

Henry “Hank” Gutman, a familiar face in civic circles, announced the plan Wednesday during his first appearance as the Department of Transportation’s leader.

He said the project would build upon plans Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in his final State of the City speech to add roadway bicycle lanes to the Brooklyn and Queensboro bridges and create “bike boulevards” across the city.

“We're going to create 10,000 new bike parking racks,” Gutman said. “And at two bikes per rack, if you do the math, that's 20,000 spaces for bicycles.”

The bike rack plan addresses a long-standing parking problem for city cyclists and represents a shift away from what Gutman called “car culture.”

De Blasio has touted programs to foster cycling, walking, public transit and other alternative modes of transportation, but safe streets advocates have given him mixed marks at best.

Faring somewhat better was former transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, who President Joe Biden recently nominated to be deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Trottenberg received an “incomplete” grade from Streetsblog.

“That ‘incomplete’ is a favorable grade, however, given the man for whom Trottenberg labored; as mayor, Bill de Blasio had lofty goals that were far too often grounded by the force of the city’s political gravity,” Streetsblog reporter Gersh Kuntzman wrote.

But safe streets advocates’ tepid feelings toward de Blasio appeared to warm somewhat as he committed to ambitious transportation plans for his final year in office.

Gutman, who helped shepherd the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Park, committed to those plans and praised the appointments of two long-standing civil servants as his top deputies.

Margaret Forgione will serve as deputy transportation commissioner and Jee Mee Kim will be the department’s chief strategy officer.

Gutman’s own appointment quickly received plaudits from some advocates.

Danny Harris, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, called Gutman a “strong choice.” He said in a statement that Gutman “must embrace, without reservation, that people and public transit are more important than cars and parking.”

“Commissioner Gutman will also oversee the execution of three recently announced priorities by Mayor de Blasio: making Open Streets permanent, building Bike Boulevards in every borough, and repurposing car lanes for a bike lane on the Brooklyn and Queensboro bridges,” Harris said. “These are transformational ideas that will leave a lasting legacy in our city and inspire improvements in urban areas around the world. Commissioner Gutman must ensure these projects are completed without delay, and according to best-practices.”

Still, Gutman’s appointment did raise some questions. For one, Forgione has a long tenure with the transportation department and, until Gutman’s appointment, served as acting commissioner.

De Blasio said it wasn’t Forgione’s “desire” to take the full-time role as commissioner.

WNYC and Gothamist first noted and reported that Gutman — whose history with de Blasio is as long as his experience in transportation is short — was also a campaign donor to the mayor.

De Blasio acknowledged questions about Gutman’s transportation experience but said his history shows he’ll will “get results.”

“I've seen him deal with very thorny situations and really tough community dynamics and find common ground and move an agenda forward, but always with a sharp equity lens,” de Blasio said. “And we also have these incredible leaders joining Hank in this effort in Margaret and Jimmy who have just extraordinary history. And as a team, I think they'd bring the whole package.”

New Yorkers can give input on where the new bicycle will go by visiting nyc.gov/cityracks, Gutman said.