The New York Law School‘s Center for New York City and State Law welcomed city Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn to the Lower Manhattan campus on Oct. 8 for a talk on making transportation more affordable in New York City.
Flynn told the audience that the Mamdani administration views affordability as central to its goals toward improving public transit and transportation around the Big Apple. Most households in New York City, he noted, spend roughly 14% of their income on transportation; among lower-income households, that percentage grows even higher, to nearly a third of their total pre-tax income.
To help New Yorkers get around more quickly and affordably, Flynn noted that the DOT has already embarked on a number of projects to build out the bus and bike lane networks — from installing protected bike lanes along Ashland Place in Brooklyn to restarting the Tremont Avenue busway project in the Bronx.
The transportation commissioner also reviewed the outline for “Vision Zero Reimagined,” a multi-agency roadmap that the DOT and the Mamdani administration launched to further reduce deadly traffic crashes across the five boroughs. That includes building more street safety infrastructure such as protected bike lanes, new traffic enforcement cameras, and pedestrian refuge islands on wide roadways.
Flynn also said that Mayor Zohran Mamdani is also taking a close look at expanding metered parking and introducing dynamic parking at the curb — but with an eye not on generating new revenue for the city.
“Pricing is just one tool, right? There’s a whole toolbox. That’s why we created this team,” Flynn said. “If there’s places where better pricing of the curb would really help the curb work better for everybody, then that should be on the table.”
Flynn said the current system, under which close to all (97%) of the city’s nearly 3 million street parking spaces are free, is not functioning well for anyone.
“The system as it currently works doesn’t work that great,” Flynn said. “If you’re someone who needs a car for a particular trip, for whatever reason, like you should be able to find a parking spot without having to circle for a half hour, right? If you’re a business that needs to get a delivery, you should be able to get your delivery without them having to double-park…If you need an Access-a-Ride, you should be able to connect to it.”’
Dean Anthony W. Crowell and Center for New York City and State Law Founding Director and Professor Ross Sandler delivered the introductory remarks. Con Edison, Verizon, and Greenberg Traurig, LLP sponsored the talk and accompanying breakfast.
You can view all of Flynn’s speech at citylandnyc.org.
New York Law School Dean Anthony Crowell speaks.Rochella Providence/New York Law School 
Ross Sandler, Samuel Seabury Professor of Law, New York Law SchoolRochella Providence/New York Law School 
DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn speaking at the New York Law School on Oct. 8, 2026.Rochella Providence/New York Law School 
Among those pictured: Professor Ross Sandler, NYLS
Alice Sandler (his spouse)
Steve Cohen, NYLS Class of 2013, Partner, Pollock Cohen LLP.Rochella Providence/New York Law School 
From l. to r.: Christopher Bruno, Director of Economic Development, New York Law School (NYLS); Ryan Wanttaja, General Counsel, NYC Department of Transportation; Lilli Evans, VP of Institutional Affairs, NYLS; AND Anthony Crowell, Dean and President, NYLS.Rochella Providence/New York Law School 
Christopher Browne, Senior Advisor, Special Projects, NYC DOT, with Madeline Labadie, Chief of Staff, NYC DOTRochella Providence/New York Law School