Today’s Headlines

  • Hard to See How Cuomo Can Pay for His Transpo Wish List Without Road Pricing (Politico, Crain’s)
  • What?! Judge: Driver Who Killed Victoria Nicodemus on Sidewalk Wasn’t Reckless (DNA, Gothamist)
  • Add It All Up and Cuomo Wants to Spend $100 Billion on Transportation Projects, Says Aide (Politico)
  • The Most Important Project Is Maintaining the Transit System We Already Have (Gotham Gazette)
  • Where Are Cuomo’s Infrastructure Ideas Coming From? (Crain’s)
  • TWU and Pete Donohue Now Just Blaming Pedestrians for the Hell of It (TWU, Post)
  • Former NYC DOT Policy Director Jon Orcutt Hired By TransitCenter
  • Overhauling 30 Subway Stations in 3 Years Still Isn’t Fast Enough (2nd Ave Sagas)
  • DOT Fleet Overseer Caught Racking Up E-ZPass Fees for Personal Trips on the Taxpayer’s Dime (Post)
  • The End of DDC Construction Work on Astor Place Plaza Within Sight (Bedford and Bowery)

More headlines at Streetsblog USA

  • com63

    That Nicodemus article is disgusting. How can someone who drives onto the sidewalk not be reckless? I thought the right of way law was supposed to be strict liability too. Drive onto sidewalk and hurt someone, you have committed a crime.

    “Neither the judge nor prosecutors discussed Sewell’s driving history, which includes a previous arrest in March 2015 for driving without a license and multiple instances of speeding through school zones on Nov. 18, 19 and 24, according to police and public records.”

    It sounds like he is going for the carbon monoxide defense: “his claim that he was lightheaded at the time of the crash due to a carbon monoxide leak in his car.”

  • Parent

    Pete Donohue ought to reconsider his life’s choices. He’s really staked out an entirely immoral position.

  • snobum

    If the whole “article” were just to last 2 lines, he might be on to something.

    “The city’s statistics quantify the dangerousness of our impatience and inattention. It would be reckless to ignore them.”

  • Maggie

    Ugh – Victoria Nicodemus and Charles Kinyeti, the Brooklyn sidewalk killings / misdemeanors of late 2015.

    Is Judge Dougherty making the point that prosecutors didn’t charge Sewell with reckless driving? Otherwise she seems grossly incompetent. The story is sickening. We shouldn’t have to wonder whether drivers with records like Sewell’s are on the roads with us.

  • Brian Howald

    I’m always lightheaded when I drive in my SUV that has a carbon monoxide leak. Glad to know I have a “Get out of Jail Free” card anytime I need it.

  • Joe R.

    Just the fact he ended up on the sidewalk is grounds enough for reckless driving. It’s certainly enough to suspend his license given that it demonstrates gross incompetence.

    The carbon monoxide leak is a new one but it’s still not an excuse even if true. If he knew about it, then why was he driving?

    It seems all the justice system is good for is making excuses for killer drivers.

  • com63

    It’s crazy that this apparently shifts the burden back to the prosecutors. I wish the judge would just say, oh your car had a CO leak, then lets upgrade the charges to criminally negligent homicide because you knowingly drove a defective car around.

  • AMH

    Exactly–I can’t believe that irresponsibility is a defense to reckless driving.