A far-left New York City council member who ran on an anti-car platform and has pushed for a crackdown on dangerous driving has become a menace to the roads, receiving four speeding tickets in just over a year, The Washington Post has learned.
Democratic Socialist Tiffany Cabán of Queens has received seven traffic tickets totaling $490 in fines and late fees since November 2022, four of which were in the past 13 months after she was caught on camera speeding in a school zone. City Records show.
The remaining citations for the politician’s black Chevrolet Cruze include two for blocking a fire hydrant and one for parking in a “no parking” zone.
“New Yorkers are tired of our self-righteous, hypocritical and anti-public safety elected officials who impose ‘don’t do as I say, don’t do as I do’ policies, demand that we ditch our cars while they drive everywhere they go, and ignore the laws they themselves impose,” said Assemblyman Robert Holden, a moderate Democrat from Queens.
“The hypocrisy and double standards of the left are truly astonishing,” he added.
During the 2021 city council election, Cabán argued: Transform at least 25% of the city’s roads into “people spaces” The move comes as part of New York’s version of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stalled Green New Deal plan, which aims to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
During his campaign, Councilman Cabán, who represents Astoria and nearby districts, called for the city to create 1,000 lanes of permanent car-free “open streets,” 500 miles of bus-only lanes and 500 miles of new bike lanes.
“We can improve our living conditions. [District 22] “Residents will benefit from improved air quality, reduced noise pollution, encouraged social and physical activity, and increased accessibility through public transport and cycling upgrades,” it said. Cabán touts fanciful plans in his campaign pamphlets.
“To advance these priorities and achieve our climate goals, we need to reduce car and truck transportation, the city’s second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.”
The soft-on-crime politician has been known for playing strictly by the law when it comes to cracking down on dangerous drivers.
During his unsuccessful run for Queens District Attorney in 2019, Cabán said that if elected, he would establish a motor vehicle crimes unit within the Queens District Attorney’s office because he felt police and prosecutors were not doing a good job of prosecuting bad drivers who commit vehicular manslaughter and other serious crimes behind the wheel.
“She will always seek to achieve justice through non-punitive means, but recognises that there are times when dangerous drivers must be removed from the roads to protect public safety,” Safe Streets said. StreetsPAC has endorsed Cabán for DA.
The Queens politician is the latest in a long lineage of socialists and other left-leaning politicians who have records of habitual speeding despite publicly promoting safer roads and green policies, including Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levin and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
“It really seems to be a far-left mantra: You have rules, I don’t have rules,” said City Councilwoman Joan Arriola (R-Queens).
“1 minute [Cabán is] “One minute they’re rallying with alternative transportation teams, pushing for stricter regulations for drivers and calling for limited car use in cities, and the next minute they’re driving around town far above the speed limit. The hypocrisy of the left never ceases to amaze me.”
Kaban did not return the message.
