Amazon's call for applications from cities interested in hosting its second headquarters, and the 50,000 employees that could come with it, has local officials across the country scrambling to pull together proposals.

Asked whether Amazon should be concerned about the traffic that often clogs the area's streets and the MBTA, which sometimes struggles to provide reliable service for commuters, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said the massive retailer likely has bigger questions about the region.

"I think every city in America has the same issue. I mean, go to New York City, and traffic in New York's far worse than here," Walsh told reporters.

"And you know, most days, the MBTA's reliable here. It's just that when something happens, it gets spotlighted by the press so bad, that it's like, it makes it sound like it's crumbling. It definitely needs infrastructure upgrades and I said that yesterday at the Chamber," Walsh added, referring to his speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

Walsh told business leaders that while the MBTA is investing in repairs and replacing train cars on the Red Line and Orange Line, more resources are needed because "it seems like we're stuck between stations."

As for traffic in the area, Walsh told reporters, "30 years ago there was traffic in Boston. There was traffic on the Southeast Expressway. There was traffic on side streets, there was traffic on side thoroughfares."

For Amazon, "I think it's about more than traffic," Walsh continued. "I think their number one priority, I'm assuming, is going to be workforce. I think another concern they're going to have is about housing, and making sure there's enough good housing in the region that they're talking about. I think those are probably two of the biggest issues they're focused on."

Applications are due Oct. 19.

Walsh said Boston business leaders have indicated they're willing to step up and help the city with its bid and get to the next round.

"That's really our goal, to get to the next round," Walsh said.

"There's certainly plenty of cities in Massachusetts going for it," the mayor said. "But I'm not sure what type of competition we have on the East Coast. I'm assuming you're going to see maybe Providence go for it, maybe a city in Connecticut go for it, maybe New York. Who knows, we'll see what happens."