Dear Mayor Bloomberg:

We write to express our strong appreciation for your regular use of public transportation.

You should be proud to have quickly earned the nickname "MetroCard Mayor." The pictures of you on the Lexington Avenue line send an important message to New Yorkers: taking public transportation is a fast and effective way of getting around town. That's particularly critical at a time when traffic congestion is hurting our business climate and fouling the air we breathe.

We ask you to press your commissioners and top staff to follow your example, especially your appointees to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. There's no reason for them to be car potatoes. We also urge you to reduce the use of city cars and cut back on unnecessary parking permits that are issued to city employees. Those steps could take thousands of cars out of traffic.

Your use of mass transit puts you in touch with the needs and experiences of the riding public.
It also gives you greater credibility when you call on New Yorkers to use city subways and buses or when you promote policies to reduce congestion and improve the transit system.

During the fall, you said that: "As Mayor, to encourage the use of mass transit, I pledge to lead by example. During my administration, I will use public transportation at least once every day rather than the City-provided official car." Our groups thank you for living up to this key campaign promise. And we look forward to seeing you on the subways.

Yours truly,

ACORN - Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 726 - Auto-Free New York - Boerum Hill Association - Citizens Union - Canal West Coalition- Clinton Special District Coalition - Contractors Association of Greater New York - Environmental Advocates - Environmental Defense - Fiscal Policy Institute - Gowanus Expressway Coalition - INFORM - Juniper Park Civic Association - Kew Gardens Hills Civic Association - Natural Resources Defense Council - New York City Transit Riders Council - New York League of Conservation Voters - Noble Street Block Association - NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign - PB World - Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development - Regional Plan Association - Scenic Hudson - Sustainable South Bronx - Transport Workers Union, Local 100 - Transportation Alternatives - Trees Not Trucks - Tri-State Transportation Campaign - 504 Democratic Club