Beyond Streets

Pilots, Progress, and the Future of NYC Transportation with Arthur Getman

Beyond Streets Podcast Season 1 Episode 17

In this episode, Sam Roxas and co-host Greg Rodriguez sit down with transportation planner/data engineer (and new parent!) Arthur Getman to unpack how practical, measurable street fixes in NYC ripple out nationwide and what the next NYC administration must do next.

We get into:

  • Why “small wins” (LPIs, hardened centerlines, slow-turn wedges) add up to big safety gains and how they scaled from pilots to citywide programs.
  • The quick-build playbook: paint, posts, and proof before pouring concrete.
  • Queens Boulevard’s transformation and what a real feedback loop with communities looks like.
  • Data as narrative: defining success with the public before you design.
  • Future of NYC: the first 100 days playbook for a new mayor + DOT leader -- clear metrics, faster buses, relentless community comms, and a commissioner who blends vision with operations.
  • The “free and fast buses” debate, trade-offs, and why speeds often improve when fares disappear.
  • How big-city choices (busways, plazas, congestion pricing) ripple to every other city

Practical, not precious. Reform that actually gets built. Tune in! 

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