New York City Councilman Bill deBlasio (D 39, Park Slope, Brooklyn) was unable to attend Wednesday morning's Ride To Work Day Press Conference with ParkingNOW and VCNY. The councilman reserved the steps of City Hall for the press conference, but at the last minute was unable to attend due to a family obligation.

The Councilman issued this statement:

"In New York, where traffic is a problem and space is at a premium, we should learn from other cities and adopt common sense policies that reduce the number of cars traveling into our business districts and encourage the use of smaller vehicles. I urge the Department of Transportation to take a serious look at how it can create parking spaces and parking areas for riders around the city."