Friday, Feb. 13, marks the 44th day of Zohran Mamdani’s term as mayor. amNewYork is following Mamdani around his first 100 days in office as we closely track his progress on fulfilling campaign promises, appointing key leaders to government posts, and managing the city’s finances. Here’s a summary of what the mayor did.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Friday the restart of four bus and bike lane projects that had been halted under his predecessor.
It’s part of Mamdani’s early push to speed up transit, expand cycling infrastructure, and fulfill a campaign pledge to make buses faster and eventually free.
Speaking at a Bronx bus depot alongside transit officials and advocates, Mamdani said the projects were aimed at giving riders quicker trips and safer streets, particularly in neighborhoods that rely heavily on buses and bicycles.
“We are bringing the streets master plan back to life,” Mamdani said, announcing the resumption of construction on “four critical street redesign projects.”
The plans include new offset bus lanes along Fordham Road, the Bronx’s busiest bus corridor. About 130,000 riders use buses on the route, where speeds can drop to roughly four miles per hour, the mayor said.
To improve travel times, the city will install dedicated lanes set off from the curb, a design intended to reduce conflicts with parked and turning vehicles. Mamdani said the administration is targeting at least a 20% increase in bus speeds on priority corridors.
“Our goal here is outcomes,” he said. “The outcome that we are intending … is a 20% increase in bus speeds.”
He said similar offset bus lanes on Hillside Avenue in Queens increased speeds by up to 28%, and the administration would measure results and make changes if necessary to meet the target.
The Adams administration axed plans to build a busway on Fordham Road following protests from local business owners and local politicians like U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat and City Council Member Oswald Feliz.
Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn said the city would move quickly to complete projects announced Friday that had been previously delayed, saying that work would get underway “when the weather allows.”
“We’ll be acting with urgency to finish these projects that are supported by New Yorkers, backed by data, and are long overdue,” Flynn said, adding that officials would monitor results and “not hesitate to make additional upgrades as needed.”
He added that the city would no longer allow “the safety of New Yorkers” to be treated as “a bargaining chip for back-room deals made by the last administration,” framing the revived street projects as a break from prior political interference.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
The mayor also signaled that the administration could consider further measures if the projects fail to deliver the targeted improvements, emphasizing that the 20% speed increase would be the “North Star” for bus-priority efforts.
In Brooklyn, the city will be reviving a long-delayed redesign of Ashland Place, converting the block into a shared street with expanded pedestrian space and a two-way protected bike lane. The project will complete a continuous protected cycling route from Sunset Park to Dumbo, with connections toward Greenpoint and Queens.
The Adams administration removed the Ashland Place block between Hanson Place and Lafayette Avenue from a 2023 protected bike lane plan after Adams’ senior adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, allegedly intervened on behalf of a developer with property on the block.
Officials described the block as the final missing link in a north–south protected route across Brooklyn.
The administration also announced protected bike lanes along Brooklyn and Kingston avenues in central Brooklyn, an area with 10 nearby schools that has seen a high number of traffic injuries. The plan includes a protected loop around a nearby park and additional conventional bike lanes on adjacent streets.
A fourth project will advance a broader bike network across the neighborhoods of Midwood, Flatbush, and East Flatbush. Once completed, officials said, the plan will create a network of 16 protected and conventional bike corridors.
Mamdani said the projects were meant to address long-standing rider complaints about slow buses and unsafe streets, particularly in working-class neighborhoods without subway access.
“For the millions who live in neighborhoods without subway access, buses and bikes are how they get where they need to go,” he said.
Janno Lieber, MTA chair and CEO, said bus service depends on street conditions and praised the city’s decision to prioritize bus lanes.
“The buses can only move as fast as the conditions at the street level allow,” Lieber said. “That’s why today’s announcement is so important.”
He said the MTA would continue discussions with the city about other issues, including the mayor’s proposal for fare-free buses.
Mamdani said any free-bus program would require replacement revenue and would be part of ongoing budget negotiations with state officials.
“We want to ensure we’re actually continuing to fund the critical operations of the lifeblood of this city,” he said. “Today we are unlocking the speed of it, and we’ll continue to look to unlock the affordability of it.”
At the event, Tiffany-Ann Taylor of the Regional Plan Association said the projects were an important step toward improving mobility and safety.
“Today’s announcements are another important step in providing riders more options to get around faster and safer,” she said, adding that prioritizing bus riders early in the administration was “an important step toward transportation equity.”
The mayor said the city would continue community engagement around the projects, including conversations with business groups that have raised concerns about traffic impacts along Fordham Road.
He said the administration had already begun discussions with business improvement districts and would continue outreach as designs move forward.
Flynn said the Bronx corridor carries heavy traffic but that engineers were considering all factors, including access for drivers and businesses.
This is a developing story and will be updated.