Council Speaker Corey Johnson will give a State of the City address (not to be confused with the State of the City address) this afternoon in Queens, but our own David Meyer spoiled some of the fun — so when Johnson mentions city control of the subway, click here for the primer. (NY1 also offered its own preview.)
Meanwhile, we asked Mayor de Blasio if his car-centric view of the world — plus the 50,000 free parking places he gave to teachers via placards — was the main reason why he canceled schools during yesterday's rainstorm. He said no — blaming school buses and the weather prediction — but added that he longs for the day when he won't be using a car anymore.
"I am someone who did not even own a car until 1999, and I do not intend to own a car, going forward," he told Streetsblog's Gersh Kuntzman (who, we have some vague sense, won't let the future former mayor forget those words). The Daily News let Hizzoner have it, though for different reasons than Streetsblog. The Times took a news-free approach.
And now the rest of the news:
- The Daily News has joined the outrage over the death of delivery cyclist Aurilla Lawrence, covering Monday night's vigil and pointing out that she was the fifth cyclist killed so far this year.
- The Post covered the death of a pedestrian under the wheels of an MTA bus in Queens, yet didn't report how dangerous the area is for pedestrians and how locals have been calling for safety improvements. (Streetsblog)
- The one-year anniversary of the fatal crash on Ninth Street in Park Slope was marked by mourning and a reminder that the city can move quickly to make roads safer when there's enough pressure and outrage (amNY).
- Lyft filed for a $100-million initial public offering (CNN), beating competitor Uber to the stock market, and Curbed says its partnerships with cities and commitment to transit and environmental stewardship will now come under further scrutiny. Higher prices might be coming, too, as the IPO means Lyft will be under pressure from stockholders to become profitable.
- NY1 followed up on the story we mentioned yesterday about cops getting legally parked cars towed away so they could park for their flag-football game. One resident of the Inwood street called it what it was: "A real abuse of power."
- In case you missed it, Transportation Alternatives interim co-Director Ellen McDermott wrote an op-ed in the Daily News demanding more dedicated bus lanes.
