We felt like we were reading a Steve Cuozzo piece when we saw Rachel Premack's story in Business Insider about how tough it is to be a delivery truck driver in New York City because all of the bike lanes have ruined everything! Here's another way of looking at it: if you want to show sympathy for hard-working delivery truck drivers, advocate for more loading zones so they can safely do their work and other road users can safely get to theirs. Road safety is not a zero sum game pitting cyclists against truck drivers in a war for limited space. In fact, the real villains are illegal parkers and a city that allows drivers to store their cars in the public right of way when that space would be much more useful for buses, bikes and, yes, delivery trucks.
Here now the news:
- Don't forget that the Marathon is this Sunday. Gridlock Sam hasn't! (NYDN)
- Back to the future? Bklyner announces a print edition! (But for now, it may only be "a" print edition, not "the" print edition.)
- Did you see that Bay Ridge Council Member Justin Brannan opined about the need for more dockless e-bikes? (NYDN)
- The third episode of the "War on Cars" podcast is out, featuring former Toronto Mayor and crackhead Rob Ford defending cars. Which reminds us: It's bad public policy to defend the least-efficient method of transporting people around a city — a method that not only speeds climate change, but also makes our cities less livable. (Which also reminds us that the Houston Chronicle is doing great work on this issue.)
- A British paper created a cycling Hall of Fame — which includes former DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and the current Paris Mayor Anne Hildalgo. But no current New York City officials. When it comes to biking, you gotta be on it to win it, Mayor de Blasio! (Guardian)
- Lots of people fell onto subway tracks yesterday. (NY Post)
- Southeast Queens is talking about e-scooters — so you know it's a big deal. (Queens Chronicle)
- Vice has discovered that the L train will be shuttered.
- HuffPost finally gets into the Uber- and Lyft-bashing game. Welcome!
- The Riders Alliance blames de Blasio for not speeding up buses. But will their hashtag, #deBUSio catch on? (NYDN)
- Here's something about the MTA that really sucks. (NY1)
- Read all about the worst subway disaster in history. (amNY, NY1)
- Friend of Streetsblog Peter Kim showed us all how great Halloween can be when cars are banished. You know what? Every day could be better with fewer cars.
