More than 50 years ago, an early form of congestion pricing almost came to New York City when Mayor John Lindsay attempted to charge drivers for crossing the East River bridges into Manhattan. While Lindsay’s push died in court, one of his chief planners, Sam Schwartz, has been stuck in city traffic ever since. 

“Gridlock Sam” is a former New York City traffic commissioner who has studied driving behavior almost his entire adult life. With the June 30 launch of congestion pricing fast approaching, Schwartz joined NY1’s Errol Louis to talk about the complicated history of traffic in New York City. They also discussed the origins of the term gridlock, support for bike lanes, recent safety issues plaguing McGuinness Boulevard in Brooklyn and the future of apps like Waze.  

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