Today will be a watershed moment in New York City cycling. Activists will rally at 4 p.m. outside the Midtown North precinct's W. 54th Street stationhouse to protest the treatment of cyclists after a captain was caught on camera tackling a rider on Ninth Avenue yesterday. The protest will also focus on the ongoing ticket blitz against delivery cyclists in the days after a cyclist was killed by a hit-and-run driver on Monday. Some people were even written up for riding without a helmet, which is not illegal — clear evidence of a precinct whose goal is to intimidate cyclists.
Transportation Alternatives, the Biking Public Project and the Asian American Foundation announced the protest on Facebook.
But the day will kick off with Mayor de Blasio's appearance on the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC at 10 a.m., where Hizzoner is expected to be questioned about why the NYPD insists on ticketing cyclists after a driver kills one of them. He'll also should be asked why the NYPD has not made an arrest in Monday's killing of Joseph Chiam even though cops say they have identified the driver.
The tackling of the cyclist — and the enforcement blitz against cyclists after one was killed earlier in the week — was widely covered late yesterday into Friday, with Gothamist and Streetsblog leading the way, and Patch following.
Meanwhile, here was the rest of the news:
- Gov. Cuomo reiterated his support for congestion pricing in a Midtown speech that oddly mocked the very agency that he's trying to raise money for. The speech even seemed to disrespect transit workers, a traditional ally of the governor, as Dana Rubinstein pointed out in Politico. The Post called it a "cheesy takedown." The Times's Emma Fitzsimmons focused on one piece of substance: there will be a 30-percent fare increase if congestion pricing doesn't pass. The Wall Street Journal added that Cuomo said he'll overhaul the MTA structure in an upcoming budget bill.
- Mayor de Blasio released his preliminary budget, and there will be blood. (NY Post, amNY, WSJ) Streetsblog focused on a good bit of news for bus riders.
- Both Cuomo and de Blasio were eclipsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez breaking down our campaign finance system in one spellbinding five-minute video.
- Let's stay on the topic of Ocasio-Cortez for a second. The Queens-Bronx foundation-shaker and Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts unveiled their Green New Deal resolution, which is devoid of specifics beyond wanting our economy to be pollution neutral. But that didn't stop Fox News from freaking out. Meanwhile, StreetsblogUSA focused on the implications for transportation. But, reminder: The nation is governed by laws, which start out as bills. Thursday's announcement offered none...yet.
- Friend of Streetsblog Ed Janoff wrote in Crain's that the chaotic Brooklyn Bridge needs a real caretaker, not the city. "Like other iconic New York destinations, including Central Park, Times Square, the High Line and the 9/11 Memorial, the bridge promenade should have a nonprofit manager," he wrote.
- Thank you, Stephen Rex Brown of the Daily News for showing that Robert de Niro is just another entitled driver who thinks he can park wherever the hell he wants.
- The mystery of the L train stench has been solved. (NYDN)
