Mayor De Blasio Dodges Traffic Controversy, Heads For Pennsylvania

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - First he fled a news conference, now Mayor Bill de Blasio has left New York City all together.

Mayor de Blasio is spending the weekend in Pennsylvania and is still refusing to answer questions after CBS 2 recorded exclusive video of his security detail breaking traffic laws.

CBS 2's Steve Langford spoke with residents Saturday who wondered if City Hall won't obey traffic signs, who will?

"So if he's not doing it why should I?" one resident posed the question on the minds of many.

"It's not right. If I'm going to get ticketed passing a stop sign, why not him?" Maspeth, Queens resident Tony Virga asked.

The mayor was apparently in no mood to answer questions about the incident at a press conference on Friday.

New Yorkers told Langford that the relative silence only makes the appearance of a double safety standard even worse.

"I think he should follow the rules just like everyone else is supposed to do," Middle Village resident Angela Canella said.

Those who watch drivers race through stops signs in the same neighborhood where de Blasio's motorcade was spotted said they're frustrated the city's top boss can't at least set a good example.

"The people who have position they don't care about the law," Maspeth resident Kazimierz Wojciechowski said.

"The majority of people - I'm here all the time - they never stop," Maspeth resident Frances Parker said.

NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said the NYPD drivers, not the mayor, make decisions about how to handle traffic.

Trying to teach New Yorkers, all New Yorkers, traffic safety will be a tall order for the mayor moving forward.

Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.