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Nick Benson

@nickbenson.com
360 followers 236 following 109 posts

Chief Communications Officer & Deputy Commissioner at @nyc-dot.bsky.social. Lover of public service, politics, urbanism, Cleveland sports, and Oasis. Working class kid from Appalachian Ohio.

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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 20/05/2025
Curious about @nyc-dot.bsky.social's daylighting study, why bike lanes are good for people who don't bike, and the future of Vision Zero? Check out part 2 of the Curb Enthusiasm podcast with DOT Deputy Commissioner Eric Beaton. 🎧 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
podcasts.apple.com
Episode 8 (Part 2): Eric Beaton on the Truth About Daylighting, Why Bike Lanes Benefit Everyone, and the Future of Vision Zero
Podcast Episode · Curb Enthusiasm · 05/20/2025 · 29m
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Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
Truly wonderful. There’s such a huge demand for open streets in New York!
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 06/05/2025
New Today: The Man Who Designs NYC's Streets Check out Deputy Commissioner Eric Beaton on @NYC_DOT's Curb Enthusiasm Podcast. He's the best of the best. In part 1 of the episode, he discusses the importance of data in transportation planning. 🎧 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
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David Leavitt @davidleavitt.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
The community note
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 26/04/2025
The final honor guard for Pope Francis included migrants, prisoners, transgender people, the homeless and others selected by the Vicariate of Rome as a symbol of the late pope’s mission of inclusion and outreach. Read more from the funeral: wapo.st/3YdDGqM
“That they should be the ones to welcome Pope Francis’s coffin in the basilica is because these people are those who represented the focus of his mission,” said Father Giulio Albanese, head of missionary cooperation and communications for the Vicariate of Rome. “They are those who live on the peripheries, geographical and existential peripheries.”
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 21/04/2025
Some thoughts on the NYC City Council universal daylighting bill... 🧵
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 02/04/2025
Encouraging news: Traffic deaths in New York City reached historic lows during the first quarter of 2025 and injuries also sharply declined. Declines include every category of road user. Vision Zero works, but there’s more to do because one death is one too many. nypost.com/2025/04/02/u...
nypost.com
Exclusive | NYC traffic deaths plummet in first quarter of 2025, city data shows
Traffic-related deaths have plummeted in the Big Apple during the first quarter of the year, new city data released Wednesday shows.
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 19/03/2025
Dems should focus on bread and butter economic issues. It’s how FDR cemented Democratic majorities for generations (Dems controlled the House for 58 of the next 62 years after his election!!) Build coalitions that get you to 270, 51, and 218. You can’t change anything if you can’t win majorities
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 14/03/2025
a journey of 1,336 pages begins with a single sentence Power Broker sighting on the train. God speed, sir!
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 13/03/2025
“NYC streets, sidewalks and open spaces have achieved record-breaking safety and accessibility improvements in recent years” There’s so much to celebrate and the work continues! www.amny.com/nyc-transit/...
amny.com
NYC streets and open spaces see more safety and accessibility in 2024: DOT
NYC streets and open spaces have achieved record-breaking safety and accessibility improvements in recent years, officials say.
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 12/03/2025
I love this story that captures what makes vinyl so special. The best sound in an age of compressed digital Enjoying a full album as intended in an age of shuffle A physical connection to music in a digital age Supporting artists who make peanuts off streaming www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/a...
nytimes.com
The Wizard of Vinyl Is in Kansas
Chad Kassem is on a mission — saving listeners “from bad sound” — at the rural factory where he pores over LPs from some of music’s most important artists.
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 04/03/2025
Overweight trucks on the BQE declined 60% after @nyc-dot.bsky.social began using weight sensors to nab violators. A game changer for protecting aging infrastructure. Commish Rodriguez is in Albany today pushing for renewal & statewide expansion of law permitting use www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/n...
nytimes.com
For Once, Good News About the B.Q.E.
Fewer overweight trucks are heading toward Queens, the Department of Transportation found, thanks to hidden sensors.
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 01/03/2025
NEW: Senator Marshall (R-KS) RUNS AWAY, fleeing his own town hall after being asked about DOGE firing Veterans. MAKE HIM GO VIRAL.
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Vincent Barone ⛲️ @vinbarone.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
There are so many demonstrably untrue claims in this Post story about our Sixth Avenue project. Let’s go over each one.
Screengrab of NY Post headline: Car-hating NYC bureaucrats quietly making congestion worse with plan to cut vehicle lanes
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 01/03/2025
Happy 3-1 to all who celebrate
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Wes Marshall @wesmars.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
media.tenor.com
an older man wearing glasses and a maroon sweater is smiling
ALT: an older man wearing glasses and a maroon sweater is smiling
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 27/02/2025
Killed by a Traffic Engineer is one of the most heralded transportation books in recent years. Check out its author Wes Marshall on the new episode of the Curb Enthusiasm podcast by @nyc-dot.bsky.social 🎧 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c... 📺 m.youtube.com/watch?v=4lR2...
podcasts.apple.com
Curb Enthusiasm
Government Podcast · 7 Episodes · Updated Monthly
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 10/02/2025
How can cyclists hit every green light and drivers get to where they’re going just as quickly while driving slower? Ride the ‘Green Wave’ on Third Ave! (It also makes the street safer.) www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/n...
nytimes.com
Why the Traffic Lights Have Slowed Down on 3rd Avenue
The city has reset traffic signals on a two-mile stretch to make it safer for cyclists.
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 08/02/2025
Incredibly sad. Reading his work changed the way I think about parking & streets. He was revolutionary. Honored I met him through @nyc-dot.bsky.social's podcast 🎧https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-2-the-high-cost-of-free-parking-with-donald-shoup/id1753119803?i=1000673135167
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 08/02/2025
Check out @nyc-dot.bsky.social's best bike lane innovations of 2024. Great before/after video highlights by @streetfilms.bsky.social www.streetfilms.org/featured/202...
streetfilms.org
The best before/after video highlights you can watch of 2024 NYC DOT bike innovations — Streetfilms
In the second-half of 2024 Streetfilms made a lot of films focusing on really innovative designs by NYC DOT. And so for those who missed we present this great package of the newest stuff you haven’t s...
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 16/01/2025
Joe Biden has served our country for 1 in 5 days it has existed. We owe him a debt of gratitude for a lifetime in service of others. Our country is better for it. Thank you, Mr. President.
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 03/01/2025
How has @nyc-dot.bsky.social tripled minority and women-owned contracting in 2 years and what does it mean both for small businesses and advancing transportation projects? Governing profiles this work and Commissioner Rodriguez’s deep personal commitment to equity. www.governing.com/management-a...
governing.com
How New York Made Big Diversity Gains in Transportation Contracts
New York City’s Department of Transportation awarded a third of its contracts to minority- and women-owned businesses last year, a priority of Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
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Metropolitan Transportation Authority @mta.info · 02/01/2025
REMINDER: Starting this Sunday, January 5, 2025, vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone in Manhattan — local streets and avenues at or below 60 Street — will be charged a toll. Here's a thread with information about toll rates, discounts/exemptions, FAQs, and more ⬇️
congestionreliefzone.mta.info
Congestion Pricing Program in New York - MTA
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Phil BuildTheFutureNow @philsustainability.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
If all Americans had access to Walkable neighborhoods & mass transit: Healthcare costs ↓ 10-30%, Transportation costs ↓ 30-60%, Life expectancy ↑ 2-5 years. 🤔
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 31/12/2024
My first CD was The Beatles Anthology Vol 1. Dad bought it for me for Christmas in 1995, along with my first CD player. I was immediately hooked on one of his favorite bands. It was fitting to reminisce & listen to this gem he bought when he was in high school.
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 29/12/2024
What demographic is this appealing to? What marketing person is like, “Let’s call this ‘new journalist,’ a scent to which every man can aspire.”
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 29/12/2024
Next up from my late father’s record collection: The Who Who’s Next
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natalia barbour @nataliabarbour.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
Each bridge in NYC experienced ridership growth as city continues delivering safer cycling infrastructure. www.nyc.gov/html/dot/htm...
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 29/12/2024
My dad passed away this summer and I brought some of his records back from Ohio after visiting for Christmas. We always bonded over our shared tastes in music and I’ll share the albums as I listen through them. First up: The Marshall Tucker Band A New Life
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Billy Bragg @billybragg.bsky.social · 25/12/2024
Merry Christmas to all
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 20/12/2024
Interested in building better bike networks? Hear NACTO Executive Director Ryan Russo’s thoughts on @nyc-dot.bsky.social‘s Curb Enthusiasm podcast: 🎧 nyc.gov/CurbEnthusiasm
nyc.gov
NYC DOT - Curb Enthusiasm Podcast
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Tom Broderick @trumbullbrod.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Two years ago this spot was an empty parking lot…now it’s 250 new homes, including a home with a beautiful Christmas tree 🎄🎄🎄 Apartments don’t destroy towns—it’s just the opposite. It’s where our family and friends live and make lives
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Soraya Nadia McDonald @soraya.press · 24/11/2024
"Here the numbers as they actually exist in the real world: Transgender: 1 percent Muslim: 1 percent Jewish: 2 percent Black: 12 percent Live in New York City: 2 percent Gay or lesbian: 3 percent" If they're this divorced from reality I guarantee these folks cannot conceive magnitude of $1bn
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 18/12/2024
My senator. Always. “True populism is about the dignity of work – putting workers at the center. And when I talk about workers, I mean ALL workers – whether you punch a clock or swipe a badge. Whether you’re on salary or working for tips.” youtu.be/DH-bJQfztiY
youtu.be
FULL REMARKS: Sherrod Brown Celebrates Labor And Unions During Farewell Address On The Senate Floor
YouTube video by Forbes Breaking News
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Metropolitan Transportation Authority @mta.info · 17/12/2024
Bumper-to-bumper traffic reduces the quality of life in New York City. Less traffic means cleaner air, safer streets, less time wasted sitting in gridlock, and a better quality of life for all of us. Congestion pricing starts January 5. Learn more: congestionreliefzone.mta.info
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Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com · 10/12/2024
Reclaiming our communities from the car is about more than saving the planet. It’s about saving ourselves from the unsafe, unjust, unhealthy, unloveable places where we live. Sixteen books we read this year that changed how we think about the process of building cities: an #UrbanismBookClub thread.
A collage of 16 photographs, each containing an image of a hand holding a book about city planning in front of an urban streetscape.
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Vincent Barone ⛲️ @vinbarone.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Learn more about NYC DOT's efforts to expand its concrete capacity here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJuc...
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 14/12/2024
Absolutely heartbroken for Conan. So glad they had long, accomplished lives and weren’t apart for long
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Clarence Eckerson Jr./Streetfilms @streetfilms.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
PREMIERE! See how Brooklyn's McGuinness Blvd was finally traffic-calmed! Amazing before/afters to delight the senses! One traffic lane removed (down to 1 lane in most spots now!) plus a protected bike lane & safer pedestrian x-ings. The visuals are among the best I've done! youtu.be/TFzRN0XJ_9c?...
youtu.be
McGuinness Just Got McBetter: Brooklyn's Most Dangerous Blvd is Calmed by Removing A Traffic Lane
YouTube video by Streetfilms®
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 13/12/2024
Citi Bike service will expand beginning in fall 2025! Today @nyc-dot.bsky.social announced that service will reach further into outer boroughs, with 250 new stations and 2,900 new bikes. Now 64% of NYC residents will live within a 5-minute walk of a Citi Bike station.
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 11/12/2024
Commissioner Rodriguez on bill to require e-bike registration: "Reckless driving by motor vehicle drivers remains—by far—the biggest threat to pedestrian safety. So far this year, 105 ped were killed by cars or larger vehicles...6 killed in crashes with [micromobility devices and mopeds]."
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 11/12/2024
The S&P is up 30% this year, what more could Wall Street want? Has working class seen salaries grow 30%? We have a rigged economy. And the righteous anger about it is what has voters primed for populism, even an inauthentic economic populism that has Wall Street laughing its way to the bank.
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Shabazz Stuart @shabazzstuart.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Observation: Cycling traffic has more than doubled on the Brooklyn Bridge since 2021 (2.6k vs 5.5k) while staying basically flat on the nearby Manhattan Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge's vastly improved cycling path is attracting *new* cycling trips not taking away from other bridges. Induced demand.
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Vincent Barone ⛲️ @vinbarone.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Another year of record-setting cycling ridership over NYC DOT's East River bridges, a major metric for city cycling levels. NYC DOT published new ridership data this morning here: www.nyc.gov/html/dot/htm...
NYC DOT average daily cycling rates over the city’s four East River Bridges, from 1980 to 2024. The chart shows four consecutive years of increased cycling ridership and a 17x increase since 1980, from 1,635 riders to 28,108.
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Dr Grace S Peng @gspeng.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Ooh, now the 110 is a parking lot, unless you are in the bus lane ♥️
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 06/12/2024
I lost my dad six months ago today and my heart remains shattered. I loved him beyond measure and I hope I make it out of this fog someday. Until then, here’s my favorite picture of him. And a picture of the little boy who looked up to him.
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 03/12/2024
There’s only one way to celebrate a new bus lane in style! Commissioner Rodriguez took the bus to our ribbon cutting to celebrate completion of the 96th Street redesign in Manhattan. This project and its offset bus lanes will speed up commutes for 15,000 weekday bus riders.
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 02/12/2024
Food (and drinks) are returning to the Staten Island Ferry! Today @nyc-dot.bsky.social announced that Dunkin' has been selected to sell concessions. Have no fear, they are also seeking a license to sell beer. Expect concessions to begin in the next two months. gothamist.com/news/concess...
gothamist.com
Concessions to return to Staten Island Ferry for first time since pandemic
The Department of Transportation also announced that Dunkin’ was selected as the concessionaire.
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Nick Benson @nickbenson.com · 01/12/2024
"A bustling part of Broadway may soon be nearly free of cars, providing more space for pedestrian plazas and two-way bike lanes on the world-famous southbound street, according to a redesign plan from the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT)." @nyc-dot.bsky.social www.amny.com/news/broadwa...
amny.com
Broadway to go nearly car-free for more bike space on 2 blocks in the Garment District
Two blocks of Broadway in the Garment District may soon be nearly free of cars, providing more space for pedestrian plazas and bike lanes.
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