NORTHERN MANHATTAN — City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito selected a pair of northern Manhattan councilmen to lead committees Wednesday.
Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez was chosen to lead the council's transportation committee, while freshman councilman Mark Levine was selected to chair the parks committee.
As chair of the transportation committee, Rodriguez will have more oversight on agencies including the MTA, Department of Transportation and the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
In a statement, Rodriguez promised to work to make Mayor de Blasio's Vision Zero traffic safety initative — a proposal to reduce the number of pedestrian crashes on city streets — into a reality.
The committee will be "placing a premium on pedestrian safety to avoid any further avoidable loss of life," he said.
"We will look for ways to expand our great public transportation system with the help of the MTA and transportation advocates; we will seek to cut travel times for New Yorkers to increase the efficiency of our city as a whole; and strike a suitable balance between the thousands of bicyclists and motorists who use our streets."
Levine, who was elected to his first term in the council just last November, promised to push a pro-parks agenda in the council.
"Strong parks are an integral part of reinforcing the fabric of our neighborhoods," Levine said. "I am committed to making that as true in low-income communities as it is in our city's upscale areas."