Sam Schwartz

For other people named Sam Schwartz, see Sam Schwartz (disambiguation).

Samuel I. Schwartz, also known as Gridlock Sam, is an American transportation engineer, formerly the New York City Traffic Commissioner, notable for popularizing the phrase "gridlock".[1]

Life and career

After graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1965, Schwartz was educated at Brooklyn College (BS Physics) and the University of Pennsylvania (MSCE), and first worked as a New York City cabbie before being hired by the City of New York in 1971.[2] He served as NYC Traffic Commissioner from 1982 to 1986, and when the traffic department became subsumed by the Department of Transportation he held the second-in-command post of First Deputy Commissioner and Chief Engineer from 1986-1990. While employed with the city, he tried to ban cars from Midtown Manhattan but the project was aborted just before implementation by then-Mayor John Lindsay.[2] He also introduced the first physically separated bike lanes on city streets on 4 Manhattan Avenues (5th, 6th, 7th and Broadway) in 1980.[3][4] The project was short lived as Mayor Ed Koch ordered him to remove them after only 6 weeks.[5] He earned the nickname Gridlock Sam during the 1980 transit strike when he developed a series of transportation contingency plans, called the Grid-Lock Prevention Program.[2]

It was under Schwartz's watch that the city almost became the first city to implement congestion pricing. The city's bridges had not been tolled since 1911 and beginning in 1973 he worked with Mayor Lindsay to reintroduce them.[6] Even with a change in leadership (Mayor Lindsay was replaced by Abe Beame in 1974) it looked like the tolls would be reinstated. However, an act of Congress nixed the proposal in 1977.[7] See: Congestion pricing in New York City / History of congestion pricing in New York City.

After he left city government in 1990, he started his own firm.[2] He wrote columns for New York City's Daily News, lower Manhattan’s Downtown Express, The Queens Chronicle and in the Yiddish News Report as Gridlock Shmuel.

In 2025 he donated more than $1M to Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College to start a Transportation Research Program where he serves as Board Chair.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ Kantrowitz, Barbara (February 6, 1983). "The ultimate traffic jam—New Yorkers have a name for it: gridlock". The Seattle Times. Knight News Service. p. A16.
  2. ^ a b c d Renn, Aaron M. (June 1, 2016). "When New York City tried to ban cars – the extraordinary story of 'Gridlock Sam'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  3. ^ Schwartz, Sam (September 8, 2015). "Congestion relief: Pricing plan could be the remedy for gridlock". City & State New York. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  4. ^ Haberman, Clyde (October 16, 1980). "Koch Opens 2 Bike Lanes Already Used to Cyclists; A Fan Since His Trip to China Delays Up to 10 Minutes". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  5. ^ Haberman, Clyde (June 30, 1981). "Koch Says He's Prepared to Get Rid of Bicycle Lanes". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  6. ^ Callahan, Devin (February 7, 2019). "Congestion Pricing: The Road to Improving New York's Transit System". New York League of Conservation Voters. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  7. ^ Chan, Sewell (November 11, 2008). "How East River Bridges Stayed Toll-Free". City Room. New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  8. ^ Barron, James (September 5, 2005). "'Gridlock Sam' Gives Back". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  9. ^ "Sam Schwartz Establishes Transportation Program at Hunter's Roosevelt House". Hunter College. September 5, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
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