Press Releases
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2025
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov
Deputy Commissioner Eric Beaton Discusses Daylighting, Deliveries, and Future of Vision Zero on Latest Episode of NYC DOT's Curb Enthusiasm Podcast
Beaton Oversees the Design of City Streets, Vision Zero Safety Projects, the Development of the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Public Safety Program, As Well as the Implementation of Select Bus Service and Transit Priority Projects Alongside the MTA/NYC Transit
This Installment Features Beaton Discussing the Agency’s Daylighting Report, the Shift From Commercial Freight Delivery to Residential Delivery, the Safety Impacts of Protected Cycling Infrastructure, and the Next Phases of Vision Zero With a Focus on Dangerous Drivers and Vehicle Design
NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced the release of the ninth episode of the agency's Curb Enthusiasm podcast. The episode features the second installment of a conversation with Eric Beaton, NYC DOT's Deputy Commissioner for Transportation Planning and Management (TPM), with over 18 years of service at the agency. In this episode, Beaton discusses daylighting, the continuing shift from greater commercial freight delivery demand to greater residential delivery, initiatives such as cites Commercial Loading Zones and the new Microhub zones NYC DOT uses to address deliveries, and the future of Vision Zero.
"Each day the work of NYC DOT touches the lives of every New Yorker as soon as they walk out the door," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "Deputy Commissioner Eric Beaton oversees a division at NYC DOT that is at the forefront of the many great initiatives where NYC DOT is a national and world leader, including street redesigns and Vision Zero. I encourage everyone to listen to this episode to gain better insight to how NYC DOT makes decisions that affect everyone's streets and lives on a daily basis."
In the discussion about daylighting, Beaton covers the surprising findings of the agency's recent study on daylighting. He notes how universal daylighting could, counterintuitively, lead to an increase in traffic injuries, while discussing the benefits of hardened daylighting that uses bike racks, concrete blocks, and pedestrians neckdowns extending the sidewalks. Daylighting had never really been studied before because the general consensus was that its benefits were obvious, regardless of the type of daylighting. As it turned out, hardened daylighting proved to have benefits, but injury data showed that unhardened locations largely yielded either neutral or even harmful results. Other street design treatments, including measures that cause drivers to turn more slowly were more beneficial.
During the rest of the discussion, the focus turns to the transition since the pandemic from greater commercial freight delivery demand to greater residential delivery needs and the resulting increase in truck traffic. Beaton cites Commercial Loading Zones and the new Microhub Zones as two NYC DOT measures to address this changing how deliveries are made. Beaton also discusses the next phase of Vision Zero and the safety value protected bike lanes have for all road users, by making the roadway more predictable.
The Curb Enthusiasm podcast focuses on issues at the local, national, and international level and features guests who discuss the most consequential transportation work happening all over the globe.
The episode is hosted by Emily Weidenhof, assistant commissioner of public realm at NYC DOT.
Curb Enthusiasm is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, and other major streaming platforms.
More information is available at nyc.gov/CurbEnthusiasm.
About Eric Beaton
Eric Beaton serves as NYC DOT's Deputy Commissioner for Transportation Planning and Management (TPM), and oversees the design of city streets, the City's Vision Zero street safety program, development of bicycle, pedestrian, and public space programs, and the implementation of bus and other transit priority projects in partnership with the MTA. Beaton's TPM division also includes the units responsible for the installation and maintenance of the city's 225 million linear feet of roadway markings, as well as production, installation, and maintenance of over one million street signs citywide. Eric has worked at DOT since 2006 in a variety of roles, most recently as Senior Director for Transit Development. In this role, he worked in partnership with the MTA to build a program making the city's buses faster, more reliable, and easier to use through the use of improved fare collection, dedicated bus lanes, transit signal priority, real time passenger information, and other mobility and safety treatments.
Eric earned a Bachelor's Degree from Cornell University, and well as a Master's Degree in Urban Planning from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.
About Emily Weidenhof, Episode Co-Host
Emily Weidenhof is assistant commissioner of public realm at NYC DOT. Emily works closely with community organizations throughout the five boroughs to transform their streets as public space. For over a decade, she has focused on strengthening communities through the creation of plazas and shared streets and retooling the curb lane for innovative programming. She's also played an integral role in NYC DOT's Broadway Vision Plan, which employs a range of tools to reimagine the famed Manhattan corridor from Union Square to Columbus Circle, which now prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists. Emily has worked as an architect and urban designer in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, including at the NYC Department of City Planning.
Emily received her bachelor's degree in architecture from Pennsylvania State University and her master's degree in architecture and urban design from Columbia University.