Wednesday’s Headlines: Bikey Day in the Committee Room Edition

It’s a big day for news: The Streetsblog team will be double-teaming today’s City Council Transportation Committee hearing on e-bikes and e-scooters and pre-hearing rallies in favor of the devices that Mayor de Blasio, citing no statistical evidence, says are unsafe.

In advance of the hearing, our friends at Intersectional Riding pointed out that the city’s ban on deliver workers’ e-bikes is basically legalized discrimination. And Lime scooter said it will show off its next-generation electric gizmo at a pop-up shop at 342 W. 37th St. in Manhattan on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Want to ride one (indoors!)? RSVP here.

Here’s the rest of the headlines:

  • The MTA board is under pressure from groups like Riders Alliance (and that guy Cuomo, as Emma Fitzsimmons rightly points out) to not rubber-stamp a fare hike on Thursday. (ABC7)
  • NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill — who started as a transit cop 25 years ago — sat down with amNY to discuss safety in the subways. A big takeaway? He rides the trains a lot more often than Mayor de Blasio (but then again, pizza rat rides the subway more than de Blasio).
  • The plan for four new Metro-North stops in The Bronx is looking more and more likely. (NYDN, NY Post)
  • Gothamist had the right tone in its story on how the MTA has finally increased train speeds.
  • Look, service is getting better on the subway … says the MTA. (amNY)
  • The Times did a big health story about the “stress” of being stuck in traffic. We were happy to see it rightly blamed cars — not bike lanes — for congestion and pollution.
  • Gothamist also sent the big cheese — Executive Editor Jen Chung — to cover the Families for Safe Streets protest outside ABC’s “The View” on a frigid Tuesday. Streetsblog sent superintern Ben Verde.
  • Bad times ahead for Metro-North riders. (WSJ)
  • The cyclist who sued the cop won! (NY Post)
  • The upside of the MTA downside: Less crime! (NYDN)
  • Citi Bike did a massive expansion of its service near the East River ferry dock.
  • Corey Johnson’s subway listening tour made it to The Bronx — and the Riverdale Press was there.
  • Queens is getting an Oonee pod. (QNS)
  • Finally, some personal news: Russell Baker is dead. (NYT)