On Friday, in recognition of Earth Day, New York City’s mayor is calling on residents to take to the subways as a means to boost environmental awareness. "Car Free Day" as mayor Bill de Blasio is calling it, has elicited more than a few chuckles from residents in a city where over half the population does not even own a car and 54% of residents rely solely on public transportation.
The mayor did not stop there, however. In an attempt to let his constituents know that he’ll be suffering through public transportation along with the rest of New Yorkers, he said he will try to "go car-free as much as possible" and that he will take public transit and walk "whenever feasible."
Fortunately, de Blasio’s noncommittal attempt at car-free empathy was not lost on the city’s Twitter users who thoroughly mocked his suggestion.
One Twitter user, Alissa Walker wondered, "Anyone know what transportation Bill de Blasio used to leave the UN today? Citi Bike? Hoverboard? Kayak?"
Others, like Bill Cunningham, argued that maybe the New York mayor could convince his friends at the UN to stop backing up traffic as they negotiate updates to the climate treaty.
Nichol Brummer had an interesting idea on how to enforce New York’s car free day, calling for pedestrians to walk in the middle of the road, before asking himself whether such a measure was too aggressive.
Ultimately, there was no shortage of New Yorkers that do not need to be reminded by the city’s increasingly unpopular mayor that "this is f***ing New York, the most walkable and transit city friendly city in the country."
