Friday’s Headlines: 30 Days for Killing a Man Edition

I was pleased to see that the bus driver who killed Citi Bike rider Dan Hanegby got the maximum prison sentence on Thursday, though I still remain horrified that killing a cyclist can carry as little as 30 days in jail. Streetsblog’s coverage included the basic news from Judge Heidi Cesare’s courtroom, plus the full text of Hanegby’s widow’s tearful victim’s impact statement. Both are worth reading. The New York Post and the Daily News were also on hand for the sentencing.

Here’s the rest of the day’s news:

  • Curbed offered a primer on the coming community board term limit referendum, which may be the single most important citywide item on the ballot on Nov. 6.
  • Politico’s Dana Rubinstein gets a nifty scoop: It’s going to cost $60 billion to fix the subway. Meanwhile, fares are going to go. up. (Gothamist)
  • Every day, reporters discover new details about the MTA/DOT plans to mitigate congestion and transit woes during the L-train shutdown next year. On Thursday, the Villager found another: drivers will not be able to use Clinton Street to get onto the eastbound Williamsburg Bridge during the HOV-3 hours. That’s good news for the rest of us.
  • The thing about most political coverage is that it is substance-free, typically reading like a list of an official’s votes contrasted with a list of an opponent’s supposed positions. What gets lost is actual truth, as we see in NY1‘s breakdown of the race between State Senator Marty Golden and challenger Andrew Gounardes, which reported that Golden supported speed cameras. The opposite, of course, is true. In fact, Golden supports more traffic lights near schools, despite studies showing that traffic lights increase speeding.
  • Meanwhile, the Daily News endorsed Gounardes, saying Golden “has worn out his welcome in Albany.”
  • The 19th Precinct in Manhattan tweeted out that it just hired a “bicycle safety officer.” I immediately requested a “ride along.” (No, seriously. I’ll keep you posted.)
  • Finally, an NYPD officer writes a ticket on an illegally parked cop car. Can this be replicated? (NY Post)
  • The Post also covered the video of two people being run over in Crown Heights, but didn’t have Streetsblog’s or Gothamist’s angle. (NY Post)
  • I don’t love the way “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz sometimes enables the feeling drivers get when they’re inconvenienced. This week, he (or, to be fair, his headline writer) made it sound like the annual Tour de Bronx bike ride is bad for the city when, in fact, it’s great for the city. (NYDN)
  • Cheddar did an entire segment on “connected cars,” which is a big DOT initiative that will likely be obviated by driverless car technology. But still…DOT Chief Technology Officer Cordell Schacter did hit plenty of home runs off rookie pitching.
  • On the national front, bike lanes can save cities! (Bicycling) But electric cars may not. (Curbed)
  • And, finally, isn’t it cute the way drivers get upset when they’re stuck in traffic caused by other drivers. Awww, so cute. (Brooklyn Paper)