Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s transportation boss all but declared war on drivers during an event Thursday — claiming most car owners are “wealthy” and calling parking a public land “giveaway.”

Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn told an audience at a New York Law School breakfast that the administration is prioritizing walking, public transit, cycling and e-bikes while making driving and parking so burdensome that it forces motorists to ditch their cars.

He framed the push as a way to save working New Yorkers money.

“Car owners in our city are more than twice as wealthy as non-car owners,” he said, calling car-owning a “burden” for lower income New Yorkers — then ripped parking as a “giveaway.”

NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn acknowledged that some lower-income New Yorkers “have a car, need a car,” but still argued that improving transportation for residents without vehicles would “support our transportation equity goals.” Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Post

The claims riled the members Brooklyn4All, a grassroots group of Brooklyn neighbors made up of bus riders, cyclists, subway riders and drivers.

“Transportation is not one-size-fits-all, and people must have the freedom to choose what works for their lives. Aren’t we a democracy?” a spokesperson told The Post.

The group formed about five months ago because residents felt the DOT wasn’t listening to them.

DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn told an audience at a New York Law School breakfast that the administration is prioritizing walking, public transit, cycling and e-bikes hoping New Yorkers will drive less. Christopher Sadowski for NY Post

A 2024 Hunter College report cited by Flynn during his speech even warned that “low income residents need cars more than middle to high income residents.”

The report said a car can help someone improve their “economic mobility” and the data showed housing type and neighborhood are better indicators of car ownership than income, race or age.

The data showed about 85% of Staten Island households have a vehicle, compared with 63% in Queens, 45% in Brooklyn, 40% in the Bronx and just 23% in Manhattan — despite Manhattan having the highest median income.

About 87% of residents in single-family homes live in a household with a vehicle, compared with 33% of people in apartment buildings with five or more units, according to the study.

Brooklyn4All said drivers include seniors, people with disabilities and workers with odd hours.

Brookyln4All is a group of Brooklyn neighbors who have banded together because they felt DOT was not listening to them as it pursues street redesigns around the city. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

“For people in our community, a car isn’t a luxury; it is a necessity to get to work, take our kids to school, and buy groceries. Can we go to Costco on a bike?” the spokesperson said.

Flynn acknowledged that some lower-income New Yorkers “have a car, need a car,” but still argued that improving transportation for residents without vehicles would “support our transportation equity goals.”

The Hunter report, despite its warning about lower-income residents’ need for cars, recommended making vehicle ownership more expensive and parking more difficult to encourage New Yorkers to ditch their vehicles.

Their proposals included paid street parking, which Flynn said the administration is reviewing.

The study also suggested a recurring registration charge based on a vehicle’s value and a three-cent-per-mile driving fee.

Drivers need cars to get to work and run errands, a spokesperson for Brooklyn4All told The Post. AFP via Getty Images

“Punishing drivers by making commuting harder doesn’t force people onto bikes and public transit—it just places a heavy, unfair tax on working-class families who are already struggling to get by,” the Brooklyn4All spokesperson said.

The authors said their target was occasional, recreational car use — not residents who rely on vehicles for work and everyday tasks.

Hunter’s project page lists DOT as a client, and the report thanks the agency and “other community advocates” for participating, which “helped form the contents of this report.”

Ryan Russo, the faculty guiding the report, no longer works at Hunter College and did not immediately return The Post’s request for comment.