Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Today's Headlines

Friday’s Headlines: Laissez Les Bons-Temps Rouler Edition

Our editor flew to New Orleans last night and could not believe that there is no public transportation option after 9:20 p.m. from Louis Armstrong Airport to his scheduled appointment with a Sazerac and Brice Miller at the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street.

There will obviously be more on this story as the weekend develops.

For now, here's the news:

    • The MTA Board postponed consideration of a fare hike at Thursday's monthly meeting. Vin Barone of amNY reminded us that the agency loses $30 million every month that there's no fare hike, creating an ongoing "existential crisis." The Post focused on rider outrage over a higher fare for declining service. And Politico's Dana Rubinstein highlighted called attention to Cuomo-generated chaos of the current moment.
    • At Gothamist, Aaron Gordon added more details to Streetsblog's scoop from Wednesday about late night and weekend service under Governor Cuomo's proposal to repair the L train tunnel. The prospects for riders are terrible: Because of overcrowding, 20-minute headways may become 40 minutes or more, and agency officials fear above-ground overcrowding, which could prove disastrous on narrow streets like Williamsburg's Bedford Avenue.
    • Meanwhile, MTA board members are flat-out calling the decision to cancel the long-awaited L train shutdown "a mistake," the Post reports.
    • Speaking of the board, the Times' Emma Fitzsimmons did a nice MTA board explainer yesterday, pointing out how unaccountable it is to millions of New Yorkers who can't name a single member.
    • Up in Albany, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie did not sound optimistic about passing congestion pricing on WCNY's Capital Pressroom. He also voiced concerns about Governor Cuomo's desire to have more control over the MTA. For those who can't or don't want to listen to the whole show, the Post ran a summary of Heastie's comments.
    • Speaking of congestion pricing, the governor's proposal to toll drivers enter Manhattan below 60th Street is actually polling better than ever. Quinnipiac is out with new numbers that show 54-percent of city voters support the plan. Statewide, however, voters are split, with 45-percent in favor and 44-percent against. The poll follows similar results from Siena earlier this month.
    • Governor Cuomo wants stricter penalties for drivers who disobey school bus stop signs, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports.
    • And back here in New York City, Mayor de Blasio was at the NYPD's West 32nd Street Tow Pound feting his already-announced plan to create tow truck units dedicated to bus lane enforcement. ABC 7 and WPIX covered it. So did the Daily News.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday Video: Meet the Subway’s Straphanger-Free Trains

We've all seen them. Now, thanks to YouTube's "Half as Interesting," we can tell you the purpose of each one.

October 3, 2025

The MTA Is Headed To The Lab To Design The Ridgewood Busway

A filthy private road underneath the elevated M tracks could become a gleaming bus-first corridor.

October 3, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Good News Edition

The Department of Transportation reports that traffic deaths are way down through the first three quarters of 2025. Plus other news.

October 3, 2025

‘Bean-Counting Street Safety’: Advocates Blast Gale Brewer’s Daylighting Flip-Flop

The Upper West Side pol's inconsistent safety record is getting a second look from activists who once supported her.

October 2, 2025

There’s Good Science Behind the Human Craving for Livable Streets

It's time to understand the science of pedestrian-friendly cities. Or, why streets should be designed like gardens.

October 2, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Mourning Becomes Enforcement Edition

Why were cops ticketing cyclists at the very intersection where a bike rider was killed by a driver on Saturday? Plus other news.

October 2, 2025
See all posts