The project, which was first floated by former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration in 2022, encompasses painting center-running bus lanes on the Brooklyn thoroughfare between Livingston Street and Grand Army Plaza. It will also see the city construct six concrete islands up and down the stretch of Flatbush Avenue where riders can wait to board the bus.

The redesign will also feature nearly 29,000 feet of new pedestrian space, eleven dedicated loading zones, and 14 bike parking areas.

DOT broke ground on the project last fall, between Livingston and State streets, but had to suspend work as the winter weather rolled in.

The undertaking is designed to boost bus speeds on the corridor by giving them a dedicated lane, separated from private vehicle traffic, that will be enforced by bus-mounted and stationary cameras operated by the MTA and DOT, respectively.

“These center-running bus lanes will give New Yorkers back something precious: time with their families, time at work, time in their communities,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. “Long waits and unreliable service are not inevitable — they are the result of political choices. Today, we are choosing a system that puts bus riders first and builds safer streets for everyone.”

Bus speeds on the street can be as slow as four miles per hour, according to the city. A 2024 survey conducted by the advocacy group Riders Alliance found that 91% of riders experienced delays on Flatbush Avenue in 2023.

The redesign will primarily serve the B41, among the borough’s most crowded routes, as well as the B67, B69, B63, B45, and B103. Taken together, the buses on Flatbush Avenue move 132,000 daily riders.

“Often be as fast to walk as it is to take a bus on Flatbush Avenue — and with over 100,000 riders relying on the bus to get around, that must change,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said. “The new Flatbush Avenue offers a bold blueprint to speed up buses and deliver safer streets.”

The city expects construction to last through the summer and into the fall. The agency is encouraging drivers to use alternative routes, public transit, or allow for extra travel time.

The agency will conduct the project in four phases, which will allow for there to still be private vehicle traffic on the road during construction. It will reconstruct one side of the street at a time in order to permit two-way traffic on the other.

The redesign was applauded by transit advocates, who said it would not only speed up buses on Flatbush Avenue, but also make the street safer for all who use it.

“Dedicated lanes down the center of the spine of Brooklyn show us the respect and dignity we deserve,” said Riders Alliance Organizer Jolyse Race, in a statement.

“Boarding islands transform the street with demonstrated safety benefits and prove that much better buses are possible all across New York,” she added.

This story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper's sister site amNewYork. 

Parents who get one of the city’s first 2-K seats this fall will be able to use the program from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., 260 days a year, as Mayor Zohran Mamdani moves to turn the rollout into something closer to full-time child care than a traditional school schedule.

Mamdani announced Thursday in Brownsville that “the default model for 2-K seats across the city will be full day and full year, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.”

“That is going to be 10 hours a day, 260 days a year. A typical school year, as we know, only lasts 180 days," the mayor said. 

The city is launching the program with 2,000 seats this fall, and Mamdani cast the longer schedule as an answer to a basic problem for parents working standard hours.

“For those New Yorkers with young kids, holding down a nine-to-five and managing pick up and drop off at a traditional 3 p.m. time can be unmanageable,” he said.

Mamdani said many parents are forced to miss work, cut back hours or pay for extra care to cover the gap left by a school-day schedule. “What this will do is save working parents at least $20,000 per child,” he said, tying the expansion to the $1.2 billion in child care funding the city secured with Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this year.

Building out universal child care

The announcement is part of the mayor’s broader push to build out universal child care for families with younger children.

At the press conference, Mamdani said the city is planning not just for 2-year-olds, but ultimately for children “as soon as we will reach down to six weeks and older.” He also urged parents to fill out the city’s new survey to help shape the next phase of the program.

The expansion could also test the city’s ability to staff a much longer day. Asked how providers would handle the shift, Mamdani said the administration has been in conversation with providers about their needs and capacity, while Emmy Liss, the mayor’s child care czar, said the city plans to rely heavily on providers already serving families.

“For this fall for the launch of 2k, we’ll be working primarily with child care providers who are already up and running,” Liss said.

She added that family child care providers, who often run programs out of their homes, are expected to be an important part of the rollout and that “the vast majority are already operating programs for 10 or more hours a day.”

Liss also said the city does not expect the expanded schedule to require a separate funding stream. “The budget is fully covered within the commitment that the governor announced with the mayor earlier this year,” she said.

The move goes further than what many city families currently get through 3-K. Liss said “the majority of our city’s 3-K programs operate on a school day schedule,” while only “a subset” offer an extended-day model.

Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels applauded the expansion of child care. "New York City Public Schools have always been the backbone of our communities, and 2-K is our opportunity to support families even earlier in their child’s life,” he said. “This is a historic moment, and I am proud to partner with Mayor Mamdani to build an early child care and education system that is truly universal, equitable, and tailored around the real needs of the families we serve.”  

The mayor recently announced a first-of-its-kind child care provider map and online resource hub, designed to make it easier for families to find care and understand the options available to them, and the City’s first free child care program pilot for municipal workers.  

Public safety: The Ohio route to NYPD protest-policing changes

Officials from Mayor Mamdani’s administration and the NYPD traveled to Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday to study that city’s approach to policing protests, as the mayor weighs changes to the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, which handles both protests and counterterrorism response.

Asked about the trip at Thursday’s press conference, Mamdani said he remains committed to “decoupling our response to protest and counter terrorism.” 

“And this is a trip of members from both City Hall and the NYPD to better study the Columbus model of responding to protests,” he said. Mamdani, both as a candidate and as mayor, has said he wants SRG disbanded.

The mayor did not say whether New York plans to create a dialogue-based protest unit like the one in Columbus, or offer a timetable for dismantling the SRG, a unit that has long drawn criticism for its role at demonstrations.

In an Instagram post, the Columbus Division of Police said it welcomed members of the NYPD and the New York City Mayor’s Office to observe how the department handles public safety during First Amendment activities. The department said a major focus of the visit was its Dialogue Team, a specialized unit that maintains communication between law enforcement and protest participants.

At a March budget hearing, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said her discussions with the mayor about the unit were “not to disband SRG, but about the future of how we police protests generally.”

At the same hearing, Tisch said community affairs officers and patrol officers handle peaceful protests, while SRG may be deployed when criminal activity occurs, and arrests are expected.

Consumer protection: How to lose a gym in one click

New Yorkers now have 30 days to weigh in on a proposed city rule that would make canceling a subscription as easy as signing up for one.

The measure, published Wednesday in the City Record, would let the city crack down on businesses that make it difficult to end automatically renewing subscriptions and other continuous service plans.

The Mamdani administration says the proposal is aimed at “subscription traps,” including free trials that quietly turn into paid charges and cancellation systems that send customers through multiple confusing steps.

If the rule is adopted, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection would be able to enforce it citywide. Businesses that violate the rule could be ordered to pay restitution to consumers and face civil penalties starting at $525.

Mayor Mamdani and DCWP Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine announced the proposal as part of the administration’s broader push against deceptive subscription practices. The rule follows Executive Order 10, which directed the agency to take on hard-to-cancel memberships and recurring charges.

The city says the rule would make New York the first municipality in the country to adopt this level of “click to cancel” protection. After the public comment period closes, DCWP will review feedback before deciding whether to finalize it.

Founded in 2018 by Rebecca Cohen and Seema Aghera, the organization started as a small all volunteer effort. Today, it has grown into a team of about ten members supported by thousands of volunteers each year. Their goal is simple but powerful, to increase access to books and help kids build a love for reading.

Cohen, a former teacher, was inspired by her students. She saw that when kids were able to choose books they actually liked, they became more excited about reading. That idea became the foundation for Brooklyn Book Bodega.

"I saw from my students that they became excited about reading when they had the opportunity to choose books that they wanted to read," Cohen told Brooklyn Paper.

The team also recognized that while some neighborhoods have easy access to books, others are “book deserts” with very limited options. Their work focuses on closing that gap.

The organization focuses on three main areas: book access, educational programs, and service opportunities. One of their biggest efforts is getting books directly into the hands of kids and families. Through their book request program, teachers, community leaders, and organizations can ask for books based on the needs of the children they serve. The team then curates and prepares these books so they are ready to be shared.

They also host large community events known as Big Book Parties, where families can come and pick out books for free. These events take place in spaces where people already gather, like markets and public areas, making books easy and fun to access. Brooklyn Book Bodega is expected to host around 100 of these events in a year, continuing to expand their reach across the city.

Behind the scenes, volunteers play a huge role. People from all walks of life come in to help sort, organize, and prepare books. Together, they go through donations, pack books into boxes, and get them ready for distribution. The organization is always looking for high quality, giftable books that families will be excited to take home and keep. 

One team member, Cecilia Golombek, shows how volunteering can grow into something more. She started as a volunteer in 2020 while transitioning into freelance work and looking for ways to give back. After volunteering regularly, she was invited to join the team part time and eventually became full time. Now, as the Book Hub Manager, she oversees the flow of books coming in and going out, as well as the volunteers who help make it all happen.

“I started volunteering once a week, and over time it grew into something bigger," Golombek said. "Now I oversee all the books coming into our space and all the books leaving to reach new readers.”

Partnerships are also key to their success. Brooklyn Book Bodega works with schools, community groups, and even healthcare providers to distribute books in places where kids already are. In 2025 alone, they partnered with nearly 450 different organizations, showing how wide their impact has become.

Looking ahead to 2026, the organization plans to give out 250,000 books and reach 50,000 New Yorkers. They also aim to engage over 2,500 volunteers through weekly and weekend opportunities, as well as regular community days where families can take as many books as they can carry.

What started as a shared idea has grown into something much bigger.

“We’re part of this movement that’s saying books and reading and literacy is important," Cohen said, adding that Brooklyn Book Bodega isn't just giving out books — they're building stronger communities, creating opportunities for learning, and showing that something so simple can make a lasting difference.

Social workers in Maimonides’ Department of Case Management provide non-medical support for non-behavioral patients, including crisis counseling, advocacy for patients’ rights, connections to resources such as housing and health insurance, and coordination of in-home or long-term facility aftercare. Meanwhile, social workers in the Department of Psychiatry deliver comprehensive, evidence-based mental health services, including 24/7 psychiatric emergency care, inpatient hospitalization and outpatient treatment for behavioral patients of all ages.

Michelle Kerner, a licensed clinical social worker and chief of Outpatient Social Work in the Department of Psychiatry, is celebrating 36 years at Maimonides.

Kerner began her career as a social worker at Maimonides’ Development Center in the early 1990s before transferring to the Department of Psychiatry in 2000. There, she served as assistant director of Adult Outpatient Services and director of the Rapid Access Clinic before assuming her current role.

The Department of Psychiatry staff includes 40 social workers and 10 psychiatrists who provide care for children, teenagers, adults and families in multiple languages. Services include acute psychiatric care for adults; outpatient psychiatric care for pregnant and postpartum patients; group therapy programs for individuals with acute or chronic mental illness; LGBTQIA+ mental health services; La Clínica, a culturally sensitive program for the Latino/Hispanic community; and child and adolescent psychiatry care, including a six-week summer respite program called “Help Us Grow.”

Kerner told Brooklyn Paper that the department, which treats more than 6,000 inpatients and 80,000 outpatients, has seen a spike in post-COVID-19 mental health challenges among children. Many are diagnosed with anxiety, self-injurious behavior and school refusal, which she said is rooted in anxiety.

“You have to sort of treat the underlying anxiety and try to do what we call exposure therapy to get the kids comfortable in going back to school,” Kerner explained.

While stigma around mental health persists, Kerner said attitudes have improved.

“There's definitely much more emphasis on not treating it so much as a stigmatized illness, as you're going to be sick your whole life. There's definitely much more emphasis on healing, on improving, on doing better, on getting on with your life. There are options, and there's a lot more services in the communities now that address that,” Kerner said, urging patients in emotional crisis to seek help. “There is help. There are people who do care, and we are here to help you.”

At a National Social Work Month celebration, Dr. Yovanka Green, a licensed clinical social worker and director of Social Work in the Department of Case Management, told Brooklyn Paper that the 20 social workers in her department assist about 1,000 patients a month. They address non-behavioral needs ranging from housing insecurity and unemployment to substance abuse, as well as family issues such as child or spousal abuse.

“We have this model that we always want the patients when they come in to leave, just a little bit better. As much as we can do for the patients, we do it. I mean, we go above and beyond,” Green said. “I always tell the team that they are pretty much detectives, because we try to find out what the support systems are for a patient before we discharge them. So when they leave here, they're in a better situation than they came in.”

Marline Laurent-Nicolas, a senior maternal-child health social worker in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), supports families of infants born prematurely or with medical complications. She coordinates resources and provides emotional counseling to families coping with the stress of a critically ill newborn.

She connects patients with programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and arranges transportation so families can visit their child in the NICU. She also provides essentials such as pack-and-play cribs, strollers and car seats.

In addition, she collaborates with other health care professionals to coordinate prepartum care for expecting mothers, specialized home care for mother and baby — including doulas — mental health support for new mothers, NICU support groups and bereavement services.

“A lot of our mommies here have limited support. We have a lot of immigrants; they are alone. And we have a lot of moms, even in shelters; they are alone. So now we're sending them out with a newborn to an environment that's unpredictable. So we have to link them, not only [with] services, but give them a lot of support that they need, because mental health is very important, and this is the period after you have a baby, where that postpartum depression kicks in, we have to support that,” Laurent-Nicolas said.

She recalled one mother whose premature son she supported. In an email, the mother thanked Laurent-Nicolas for her dedication during a time when her “whole world shifted overnight.”

Like many expecting mothers, she had anticipated an uncomplicated delivery. Instead, she found herself navigating the NICU, trying to remain strong while coping with fear, exhaustion and emotional strain. Laurent-Nicolas, she said, provided emotional, mental and logistical support, offering a “sense of calm” during a stressful time.

Laurent-Nicolas, who holds a master’s degree in social work and child psychology, said she understands the emotional toll of a premature birth firsthand. She was hospitalized for two months before delivering her own premature baby and did not have access to similar services.

“I know the isolation you feel, even if you have family coming in, staff is waving, but being in that bed, you're isolated from your outside family. You're also having anxiety because at any moment, anything can happen to you or your fetus, so you have to worry about that, the emotional toll,” Laurent-Nicolas said. “We have to provide them with that support; if not, we're doing an injustice to them.”

That support also includes monthly meetings with NICU mothers and weekly team meetings involving OB/GYN physicians, pediatricians, nurses, social workers and lactation specialists.

“We are really working as a team in the NICU,” she said.

O’Brien launched Brooklyn Creative Reuse in December 2024, and after a year of pop ups and fundraising, she opened a brick and mortar space in Sunset Park’s Industry City this month.

The nonprofit aims to keep art materials and adjacent supplies out of the landfill and resell them at an affordable price to people getting into new hobbies and crafts, as well as offering classes by teaching artists in a range of subjects.

Brooklyn Creative Reuse accepts donations of all kinds of art-related materials, including fabric, yarn, drawing materials, sewing machines, paint, pencils, pens, and anything art supplies-adjacent, including office supplies, O’Brien said. “We accept anything that could be used in some sort of creative way, so it’s very open.”

The materials are then resold or used in the classes and workshops, which have included hand quilting, zine making, still life drawing, collage, and recently, a make-your-own Labubu event. “We like to hire teaching artists that have their own fun, creative ideas that they want to teach,” O’Brien said. “It’s kind of open to whatever artists are interested in bringing to the audience.”

O’Brien said she hopes people will take advantage of the classes and workshops on offer, “and also take a moment to just create in the space — we’re really hoping that people want to enjoy their time here and spend their free time creating.”

She also wants people to consider buying reused art supplies rather than buying brand new, “so that we can keep things in the circular economy and people can afford more art supplies.”

Any profit made from the materials and classes is used to pay for the space and the teachers, and is mostly put back into the business, she said. Currently, O’Brien is the only staff member and the nonprofit is largely run with the help of volunteers overseen by a board of directors.

O’Brien said she toured a number of different locations for the permanent home. Industry City stood out because of its creative energy.

“It’s a lot of artists and tattoo shops and tailors and just people that already are in the arts,” she said. “We felt like the energy here was very welcoming to a sustainable creative organization coming in, and the space itself is very creative, being in the Industry City building has a good vibe to it.”

Even with the brick and mortar, O’Brien said Brooklyn Creative Reuse would still hold pop up events with other community organizations across the borough and “meet people out in their neighborhoods.” As the nonprofit grows, she said they will eventually offer donation pick up.

Brooklyn Creative Reuse will be open Wednesday through Sunday. Open hours started in April, Wednesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be an official opening party on Saturday, April 18, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

This story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper's sister site Brownstoner. 

How does the racing, gaming and wagering industry benefit New Yorkers?
New York’s racing and gaming industries are unparalleled. Thanks to smart gaming policies of Governor Hochul and the Legislature, New York State generates billions upon billions of dollars in revenue through the games we regulate that support public schools, local governments and charitable organizations across New York State. By virtue of rigorous regulation, many of the downsides of gaming, particularly underage and problem gaming, have been sharply curtailed.

What improvements would you like to see made to racing, gaming and wagering in New York?
The illegal market needs to be addressed. Offshore gambling operators and prediction market operators are beyond our jurisdiction and do not have the players’ best interests in mind. There are no safeguards or age limits, and some of the wagers offered by prediction markets are absolutely reprehensible. Unfortunately, this federal government has not shown any interest in addressing the issue.

How do you see new technology impacting racing, gaming and wagering in the future?
Technology has a role in all parts of the industry. Our racing division employs tech to promote equine health and safety. Our gaming division is exploring ways to protect vulnerable populations from gambling harms. Our lottery division runs a vast network of 14,000 retailers across the state, with multiple drawings and promotions that require various iterations of technology. Our charitable gaming division works with organizations across New York to modernize their bookkeeping and gaming equipment.

What is a recent change to the racing, gaming and wagering industry that you are excited about?
It’s an exciting time. Three new commercial casinos will be coming online soon in New York City. Belmont Park’s redevelopment is nearly complete and will usher in a new era of thoroughbred racing. Mobile sports wagering continues to exceed revenue expectations – but we must temper that with the need to prevent gambling harms. I am particularly excited that the Governor’s charge to the Commission to employ biometrics to curtail underage and problem gambling.

What influenced you to join this industry?
I have not joined the industry by virtue of the Governor's appointment – I regulate the industry. I am excited to lead a team that assures the entire industry – from muti-billion dollar casinos and sports betting to neighborhood bingo games – is conducted fairly and honestly, where the best interests of the betting public and New York State taxpayers are always at the forefront.

Immediately after the ceremony, Mamdani tapped city government veteran Mike Flynn to lead his Department of Transportation (DOT) in delivering on his campaign promises to speed up city buses and make the streets safer for all who use them.

Before inviting Flynn to speak, Mamdani said his administration "will take seriously the responsibility and the opportunity we have to make this streetscape and the public transit of the city we call home the envy of the world.”

Over the 100 days since then, Mamdani has made a series of announcements about transforming the city's streetscape to be safer and more usable for pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders. Many of the announced projects were previously under construction until they were paused by Mamdani's predecessor, former Mayor Eric Adams.

Addressing Mamdani's biggest transit campaign promise: Fast, fare-free buses

Creating a fast, fare-free bus system was perhaps Mamdani's biggest campaign promise focused on transportation. So far, in his first 100 days, the mayor has made plenty of moves to make the buses faster — but making them fare-free has not been as easy.

While the mayor has direct control over accelerating buses through street redesigns, any move to eliminate fares must be approved and funded by Gov. Kathy Hochul, the MTA, and both houses of the state legislature. The MTA uses fares collected on its buses and trains to help fund its operating budget.

So far, the proposal has been a nonstarter with Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, who has been particularly skeptical of the idea. Lieber has said it needs to be studied and that he is not keen on subsidizing bus rides for those who can afford to pay.

Since taking office, Mamdani has not focused much on his free buses plan, instead prioritizing other parts of his agenda, specifically his push for universal child care. However, mayoral spokesperson Jeremy Edwards told amNewYork that Mamdani's first deputy mayor, Dean Fuleihan, is speaking with Hochul's team about the topic.

"Mayor Mamdani remains deeply committed to delivering fast and free buses, and his first deputy mayor is in active discussions with the governor’s office," Edwards said. "Our administration will continue to work with our partners at the state and local level to make commutes faster and our transit system more affordable for all New Yorkers.”

Both the state Senate and Assembly included resurrecting a pilot program that Mamdani had championed as a Queens assembly member; it saw one free bus line run in each borough between 2023 and 2024. The state Senate's plan called for expanding the previous program, while the Assembly's simply proposed bringing it back online.

Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director of the group Riders Alliance, said that the most important aspect of free buses is to "get the policy right."

"An expanded pilot or a time-limited version of the program would help illuminate more of the policy issues involved in getting it right," he said. "I think redoing the old pilot wouldn't help as much because we already have the data from that program."

Mamdani's team has reportedly floated running a five-week citywide free bus pilot during the World Cup with Hochul's office. But Lieber denied having any conversations about it during a City Council budget hearing last month.

But while transportation advocates support Mamdani's free bus proposal, they also want him to take a more immediate step toward subsidizing transit — specifically for the poorest New Yorkers.

A coalition of advocacy groups has been urging Mamdani to greatly expand the city's Fair Fares program, which currently provides half-priced trips to those earning up to 150% of the federal poverty level. They want the program revamped to be free for those earning up to 150% of the federal poverty level and offer half-priced trips to those earning between 150% and 300% of it.

"The mayor's affordability agenda is critical for transit riders," Pearlstein said. "We are eager to see his plan for free buses and meanwhile to expand the Fair Fares program."

The City Council last week included the proposal to make Fair Fares free for those who currently qualify for it — over one million New Yorkers — in its response to Mamdani's preliminary budget. The body also said it is looking at ways to boost participation through automatic enrollment.

Mamdani has been a vocal champion of universal programs over those that are means-tested, such as Fair Fares. During the mayoral campaign in late 2024, Mamdani pointed to Fair Fares as an example of how there are "limits" to how many people such means tested program's can help — specifically referencing how not nearly all of those who qualify for Fair Fares have signed up for it.

The mayor has so far not specifically weighed in on advocates' or the council's push to grow the program.

When asked where Mamdani stands on expanding Fair Fares, Edwards did not directly answer, instead referring amNewYork to his statement about being committed to making buses free.

Faster buses

Although Mamdani's free buses promise has taken a back seat, he has been taking steps to make them faster.

Much of that work has been focussed on restarting bus lane projects that the Adams administration paused, often reportedly for political reasons. For Mamdani, building more bus lanes — particularly protected ones — is core to his promise to make city buses run faster.

In February, Mamdani committed to bring back an effort to build bus lanes along the Bronx's Fordham Road.

Mamdani's plan, which Adams' DOT proposed and then put on ice in 2023, following backlash from local business owners and pols, would install "off-set" bus lanes running down the center of the corridor between Sedgwick Avenue and Boston Road. The changes, long sought by transit advocates, are intended to speed up buses on the borough's busiest bus route, where current speeds can be as slow as 4 miles per hour during peak times.

In January, Mamdani announced the revival of a stalled effort to extend a double bus lane on Manhattan's Madison Avenue from 42nd Street south to 23rd Street. The plan was not completed by the Adams administration after it missed last year's painting season.

Riders Alliance' Danny Pearlstein said Mamdani's commitment to restart construction on the Fordham Road bus lanes, along with other similar projects, shows his administration is off to a "promising start." He said his group was also pleased by a "commitment from the mayor that the city's bus projects will meaningfully speed up buses and save time for riders."

Pearlstein appeared to be referencing Mamdani's pledge to continue revisiting Fordham Road and other future bus lane installations until there is a 20% improvement in bus speeds on the affected corridors. Riders Alliance Executive Director Betsy Plum took credit for Mamdani's 20% committment when telling her members via an internal email that the group's leadership skipped Mamdani's February event because they saw his proposal as inadequate.

Pearlstein added that now that winter is over, his group expects to see DOT begin the work of painting and installing the projects the administration committed to.

"Now that it's finally warm enough to paint, we look forward to seeing new bus lanes roll out in the next several weeks and months," he said. "We've had an exceptionally cold winter, and all of that is weather-dependent."

'A very strong start,' but more work to do, advocates say of Mamdani era

With just over three months on the job, transportation advocates and stakeholders who spoke with amNewYork painted a largely positive picture of the Mamdani administration's work thus far. At the same time, they identified areas they will closely watch to see if he follows through on his promises.

"It's been a very strong start. There's a lot of work left to do, and I think so far it has been a lot of signals and indications, but the construction season is just getting started," said Ben Furnas, executive director of the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives. He was referring to when DOT begins construction on its projects — typically during the warmer months of the year.

"We want to see a lot of these announced projects going into place, and we'd love to see an even more ambitious push, both on street safety and transformation as his administration goes forward," Furnas added.

When reached for comment on Mamdani's transportation performance over his first 100, City Hall spokesperson Jeremy Edwards referred amNewYork to a March 6 news release in which his office touted his successes. DOT spokesperson Vin Barone pointed to the same release.

"In our first hundred days, we’ve shown what it looks like when government delivers: cleaner streets, repaired roads and public spaces that every New Yorker can enjoy,” Mamdani said in a statement.

“In just 100 days, thanks to the talent and dedication of 6,000 NYC DOT employees, we are thinking big, aiming high and delivering real results — making buses faster, streets safer and communities more vibrant for all New Yorkers,” Flynn said in his own statement.

Restarting stalled projects

Beyond the bus lane network, the bulk of Mamdani's transportation actions during his first 100 days were focused on restarting a slew of other street redesigns that Adams had put on the shelf.

Three days into Mamdani's tenure, he announced the DOT would install the city's original planned redesign for McGuinness Boulevard in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn — including the elimination of traffic lanes and addition of protected bike lanes on the throughfare's northern half.

The project was part of the Adams administration's initial proposal for the boulevard — infamously dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike, which it then backtracked on, in favor of installing a partial redesign on the road's southern half. The move was alleged, in a sweeping indictment last summer, to have been ordered by Adams' former chief adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, in exchange for bribes from a local production company.

On the campaign trail, Mamdani committed to reversing that decision and others like it.

"He and his administration have really indicated this desire to move forward with projects that had been stalled or paused or watered down from the previous administration," Furnas said of Mamdani.

Other undertakings paused by Adams' DOT that Mamdani said he will restart include plans to install a bike lane on Brooklyn's Ashland Place.

At the same February event where Mamdani made the Fordham Road announcement, he unveiled the Ashland Place project, which will see the city install a two-way protected bike lane and pedestrian space along one block of the street. The addition will complete a continuous bike route connecting the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Sunset Park and Dumbo.

Similar to McGuinness Boulevard, DOT did not move forward with its plan for that section of Ashland Place after Lewis-Martin allegedly intervened on behalf of a real estate developer that owns a building on the stretch.

Meanwhile, the Mamdani administration has also pledged to build a separate bike entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge's Manhattan side that was proposed but not followed through on by Adams' DOT.

It billed that announcement as one of several to prepare the city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, which will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey this summer. Among those projects are a newly announced redesign of Manhattan's Ninth Avenue and expanding bike lanes and pedestrian space in the SoHo and NoHo sections of the borough.

In its Monday release, Mamdani's administration touted other undertakings it unveiled in its first 100 days, including a fresh redesign of Manhattan's 14th Street, new protected bike lanes on Brooklyn and Kingston Avenues, and a fresh bike network across the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Midwood, Flatbush, and East Flatbush.

One City Council Member, who did not wish to be named in order to speak freely, told amNewYork that the Mamdani administration's transportation actions so far show an evolution from the Adams era.

"I think this administration is showing an attitude change in a positive direction," they said.

Streets Plan

In order to increase bus speeds throughout the city, officials and transit advocates say Mamdani's administration must do more than just relaunch shelved Adams-era projects. It will need to significantly boost the number of new protected bus lane miles it adds each year.

The council member who spoke anonymously to amNewYork expressed skepticism about the Mamdani administration's ability to make buses move faster. 

"The mayor ran on fast and free buses, I think that there's still a lot of work to be done on the fast part," the council member said.

They said the administration has still not committed to "fully" funding DOT so it can meet the number of new bus lane miles it is required to add under the Streets Plan, established by a 2019 law.

The plan requires the city to add 150 miles of new protected bus lanes and 250 miles of new protected bike lanes between 2022 and this year. But the Adams administration failed to meet the plan's mandated targets year after year.

But at two City Council hearings last month — one focused on the Streets Plan and another on DOT's allotment in Mamdani's preliminary budget plan — Flynn would not commit to meeting the plan's goals of 30 miles of new protected bus lanes and 50 miles of new protected bike lanes for this year.

"We're committed to doing our best to meeting the targets in the plan," Flynn told council members during the March 17 budget hearing. "We're leaving no stone unturned, identifying all of the ways we can put out as much output this year as possible."

Manhattan Council Member Shaun Abreu, who chairs the body's Transportation Committee, asked Flynn and other DOT brass how much the agency would need in additional staff to meet the Streets Plan goals for this year. They said they could not provide an exact figure but that they are discussing it with Mamdani's budget office.

"We are in conversations with the administration and OMB (the Mayor's Office of Management and Budget) about that exact question and expect to have an answer, close to an answer, by exec budget," said DOT Executive Deputy Commissioner Paul Ochoa, referring to the executive budget plan the mayor must release in the coming weeks.

Flynn also pointed to a new $5 million allocation Mamdani made to DOT in his preliminary budget for 20 additional staffers — including planners and engineers — to work on its bus and bike lane projects.

However, the council member who spoke to amNewYork said that if the Streets Plan is not fully funded, Mamdani's pledge to make buses faster could "take a hit."

Furnas similarly expressed that his organization would like to see DOT get far more city money in this year's budget, acknowledging that could be difficult as the Mamdani administration attempts to close a $5.4 billion deficit. He said DOT should nonetheless receive enough funding to substantially grow the staff within specific units of the agency.

"There's certain units that probably should be at least doubled in size in order to deliver the streets that New Yorkers are really clamoring for," he said.

Furnas said those include DOT's transportation planning and management, sustainable streets, and the bike, pedestrian and transit units.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday that he “was not aware” that his nominee to lead the city’s Department of Investigation (DOI) had donated to and canvassed for his mayoral campaign after City Council members raised concerns this week about whether the pick could independently lead the city’s anti-corruption watchdog

Mamdani made the remark at a Prospect Park Zoo press conference announcing the city’s settlement with HungryPanda, a delivery app accused of charging illegal fees to immigrant-owned restaurants.

Asked whether he knew about DOI commissioner nominee Nadia Shihata’s campaign support before appointing her, the mayor said the administration chose her because of its “confidence in her integrity, in her independence, and, frankly, her track record.” 

“We are looking to have that independence and that integrity in the leadership of DOI, and we see her as exactly the right person, and we’re looking forward to that process,” he added. 

Pressed by POLITICO on whether he knew about her support of his campaign for mayor, he said: “I was not aware of that.”

The question came two days after a City Council confirmation hearing in which lawmakers pressed Shihata over her ties to Mamdani. During that hearing, Shihata acknowledged that she had donated to Mamdani four times, totaling $700, and had also spent about an hour canvassing for him during the campaign. Council members asked whether those ties would undermine public trust in DOI, the city’s anti-corruption watchdog, if she were confirmed to lead it. 

Shihata told council members this week that any investigation under her watch would be guided by the facts and the law, not politics or personal relationships. But she stopped short of promising blanket recusals from matters involving Mamdani or senior officials in his administration, saying she would seek legal guidance if conflicts arose.

Mamdani puts HungryPanda on notice

The main purpose of Mamdani’s appearance at Prospect Park Zoo on Wednesday was to announce a city settlement with HungryPanda, a third-party food delivery app accused of illegally overcharging immigrant-owned restaurants through hidden fees and misleading deductions. 

The city said the settlement totals more than $875,000, including more than $580,000 in restitution for more than 380 restaurants and more than $294,000 in civil penalties and fees.

Standing in front of the zoo’s red panda enclosure, Mamdani leaned into the setting, joking that the animals behind him were “very hungry pandas” but, unlike the app, were not interested in “bamboozling hard-working New Yorkers.” He used the moment to cast the case as both a consumer-protection action and a small-business enforcement push, saying neighborhood restaurants already face steep costs for labor, rent, equipment, and utilities, and should not also be hit with what he described as fraud disguised as app fees and deductions.

The administration framed the settlement as a precedent-setting case. According to the city, it marks the first time the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection has enforced the city’s Third-Party Food Delivery Service Laws against a delivery app for harming business owners.

Investigators found that HungryPanda, which is used predominantly in New York’s Asian immigrant communities, violated the city’s fee-cap law by imposing unlawful charges, including by bundling multiple fees into one line item, frequently relabeling charges, and describing illegal overcharges as “promotion deductions.”

Mamdani, Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, and DCWP Commissioner Sam Levine all used the announcement to send a broader warning to app-based platforms doing business in the city. Su said the company had counted on restaurant owners being too small and too busy to fight back, while Levine said the city would not allow delivery apps to hide “junk fees” behind confusing receipts and opaque accounting. Mamdani, for his part, said the settlement showed the administration had “no tolerance” for exploiting either workers or small businesses.

Under the settlement, HungryPanda must pay restitution and penalties, and also change its practices going forward. The company is required to comply with the city’s fee-cap law, provide clearer fee disclosures to restaurants, adopt internal compliance policies and training, and submit annual certifications attesting to its compliance with the law. 

The administration also tied the case to an earlier $5 million settlement involving HungryPanda, Uber Eats, and Fantuan over minimum-pay violations affecting more than 49,000 delivery workers, reinforcing City Hall’s effort to present the app crackdown as part of a broader campaign against exploitative platform companies.

amNewYork has reached out to HungryPanda for comment. 

The settlement announcement also underscored a growing fight over funding for the DCWP. Manhattan Council Member Harvey Epstein, who chairs the Council’s Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection, used his remarks at the press conference to argue that the agency deserves more support, saying its enforcement work is returning money to workers, consumers, and the city and that its staff is “paying for themselves.” 

The comment came days after Epstein joined union members at a City Hall rally urging Mayor Mamdani to fully fund DCWP following reductions proposed in the mayor’s preliminary budget plan. Labor advocates and council members at that rally said the proposal would reduce the agency’s funding from $85.5 million in the current year to $74.7 million in the next fiscal year, though City Hall disputed that characterization and said the proposal represented an increase over the prior administration’s November plan.

Mamdani did not address any specific funding change afterward. Instead, he emphasized that the budget process was still underway and that “those conversations are ongoing.” He added that what would “never be in doubt” was DCWP’s “central place” not only in receiving complaints but in acting on them. 

World Cup impact on parkland events 

On Wednesday, Mamdani also defended the administration’s plan to limit some public events during the FIFA World Cup, after the New York Post reported this week that he had signed an emergency order that could block some concerts, food festivals, and other newly permitted events on parkland during the tournament.

According to the Post, the Parks Department adopted the rule at the request of the NYPD, which said staffing would be stretched by World Cup-related demands and events tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary. 

The mayor framed the move as a logistical response to the demands of hosting World Cup-related events and visitors, rather than a broad restriction on park use. He said the city is less than 70 days from the start of the World Cup and described it as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” that will require enough public-sector capacity to manage the volume of related events. 

As a result, he said, the city is looking to move some regularly scheduled events to alternative dates so it can handle the tournament at what he called an “excellent level of quality” across all five boroughs. He also cast the World Cup as a multibillion-dollar economic opportunity for the city.

Mamdani also sought to narrow the scope of what would be affected. He said ordinary park use was “not in question” and drew a distinction between routine recreation and “large-scale events” requiring permits and police presence. “If you’re going to barbecue, you can barbecue,” he said. 

Approval rating 

The latest Marist Poll found that Mayor Mamdani is nearing the end of his first 100 days, with more New Yorkers approving than disapproving of his performance, though he still trails the standing Eric Adams held at a comparable point in 2022.

The survey found that 48% of New York City adults approve of the job Mamdani is doing as mayor, while 30% disapprove and 23% are unsure. Marist also found that 55% of residents have a favorable view of him, 56% say the city is moving in the right direction and 58% say they have at least a good amount of trust in him to make decisions in the city’s best interest. 

At the same time, the poll found that Mamdani underperforms Adams’ early approval rating, noting that 61% of city residents approved of Adams ahead of his first 100 days, compared with 48% for Mamdani. The Marist survey of 1,454 adults was conducted March 26-31 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. 

Asked about the polling at Wednesday’s press conference, Mamdani did not engage directly with the comparison to Adams or the topline approval figure. “I will always leave the grades to New Yorkers themselves,” he said, before pivoting to a list of accomplishments he said would define the administration’s first 100 days.

He pointed to $9.3 million in settlements, more than 6,000 apartments being repaired as part of more than $30 million won from bad landlords, $1.2 billion secured with Gov. Kathy Hochul for universal child care, and more than 100,000 potholes filled. 

He then ended on a joking note, saying the city would pave more than 1,000 miles of road, which he said, while quoting Pitbull, is about the distance from New York City to Miami.

The agency sent an April 7 letter, authored by Commissioner Mike Flynn, to several delivery app companies, including DoorDash, Uber, Grubhub, and InstaCart, among others.

In the missive, Flynn put the apps on notice about the city's requirement that they provide protective equipment, such as helmets and reflective vests, to their workers — who often navigate the five boroughs on e-bikes, mopeds, and bicycles. He also sought to ensure that companies get their workers to complete a new driver safety course launched on Wednesday.

Flynn highlighted the safety hazards workers face while zigzagging around the city's traffic-clogged roads to make timely deliveries, while riding e-bikes with often substandard batteries that can cause deadly fires. He said the agency estimates that 25 delivery workers have been killed, and many more injured, in traffic crashes since 2021.

"The exponential growth in on-demand delivery has provided economic opportunities for thousands of delivery workers and greater convenience to many New Yorkers," the letter reads. "It has also presented new worker, street, and fire safety challenges."

The transportation boss also requested meetings with app representatives to discuss worker safety issues and their responsibility to help mitigate them.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the new training last month as part of his commitment to end criminal summonses for e-bike and bicycle riders, which was put in place by his predecessor Eric Adams last year.

The 15-to-20-minute online training, available at nyc.gov/DeliverSafely, covers the city's traffic laws, navigating city streets, operating e-bikes safely, and charging batteries safely. It is available in five languages: English, Spanish, French, Bengali, and Chinese.

Under city law, all delivery workers employed by third-party apps are required to take the course, Flynn wrote.

"We would like to discuss opportunities with you to raise awareness of the training among your delivery workers, how we can ensure delivery workers take the safety course as expeditiously as possible, and ways to enable delivery workers to seamlessly share their course completion," the letter reads.

Flynn also noted that, following a 2024 pilot program, DOT plans to install 25 safe e-bike charging stations starting in 2028. 

In response to the letter, Uber spokesperson Josh Gold said the rideshare and delivery giant had requested a meeting with DOT six months ago, while pointing to what it has done to comply with city safety equipment requirements.

“So far this year, we have distributed nearly 35,000 vests and over 7,500 helmets, with our safety training launching shortly," Gold said in an emailed statement.

DoorDash spokesperson Samantha Ramirez pointed to the company's announcement last month that it is giving 1,600 new e-bikes to its delivery workers in exchange for their uncertified bikes this year.

The firm is giving the bikes out in order to comply with a city law requiring delivery apps to provide 8,000 of the two-wheelers over five years as a way to cut down on lithium-ion battery fires by getting more uncertified bikes and batteries off of city streets.

Grubhub spokesperson Katie Norris said: "We received the letter and are working closely with DoT on compliance for the new laws."

From April 6-10, the center hosted its Spring Recess clinic, where 27 girls ages 6-17 trained with top staff and learned from Liberty coaches.

On April 8, participants were joined by New York Liberty Head Coach Chris DeMarco and members of his coaching staff for a morning panel discussing their roles in the organization, the importance of creating opportunities for young girls in sports, and their connection to Brooklyn. Assistant coaches Courtney Paris and Addi Walters, along with player development coach Kristin Mann, also spoke with attendees. 

During the panel, several young athletes eagerly raised their hands, asking questions about being confident on the court, coaches’ favorite players and what it takes to make a team. DeMarco was asked what advice he would give to young girls hoping to excel in the sport, to which he spoke about team camaraderie and how the skills transfer to all aspects of life. 

Since his hiring in December, DeMarco said he has quickly embraced both the team and its home borough.

“I absolutely love it,” he told Brooklyn Paper. “There’s something really special about New York City — and Brooklyn in general. Just the energy of the city, heading into work in the morning, seeing people out after work — it feels like there’s an energy that’s one of a kind.”

That energy, DeMarco said, extends directly into the basketball community. 

“This is just a really cool thing — what Brooklyn Basketball is doing for the community,” he said. “It’s something I’ve never seen before. To have this kind of curriculum, right across the street from where we play, whether you’re just starting out or trying to take the next step — it’s all here.”

While his schedule will become more demanding during the season, which opens May 8, DeMarco emphasized that staying connected to programs like the clinic remains a priority. 

“The reason I fell in love with basketball is because of something similar to this,” he said. “Somebody impacted me when I was a kid. So being around these kids — it’s one of my favorite things to do.”

The all-girls clinic, in particular, reflects the growing momentum behind women's basketball and the importance of creating dedicated spaces for young athletes. 

“I just think the growth of the game — and the growth of the WNBA — is giving kids goals they can reach,” DeMarco said. “If they want to play professionally, that path is there. And even if not, this is such a great environment for camaraderie, competition and building friendships.”

As he prepares for his first season leading the Liberty, DeMarco said he’s most looking forward to experiencing Brooklyn’s passion for sports up close.

“I’ll walk by people, and they’re debating games, talking about teams — I love that,” he said. “And I’m excited to experience the arena, the fans, all of it. You can feel it building.”

For more information on Brooklyn Basketball programming, visit brooklyn-basketball.com.