When Kate McKinnon Spoofed New York City’s War on Cars

Ten years ago, New York City’s streetscape was on the brink of transformation. A massive bike network expansion was apace. Disused industrial sites in Manhattan and Brooklyn were set to reopen as parks. And to clear space for a 12-block pedestrian plaza, cars were about to be blocked from Times Square.

Not all New Yorkers approved of the people-first changes. One prominent Brooklyn leader feared the “zealots” in city hall would “stigmatize the use of cars.” A New York Post columnist equated the plans for Times Square to “the emasculation of the Crossroads of the World.” Predictably, Donald Trump felt the need to weigh in as well, in his circa-2009 capacity as a reality TV personality: He railed against the loss of the “100-year fabric of Broadway” on The Late Show with David Letterman.