Tuesday’s Headlines: That Was Not a Demolition Derby Edition

Our favorite story yesterday was the video of that cop using his squad car as a battering ram in Flushing. The Daily News also covered the story, adding nice details, including one person whose truck ended up bashed in what New York’s Hometown Paper definitively declared road rage (the NYPD said the cop become “disoriented.” Sure, whatever).

Meanwhile, the Post and Gothamist wrongly described the cop’s violent action as a “demolition derby,” when, in fact, everyone knows that drivers in that great state fair pastime always bash other cars in reverse to avoid damaging their own engines. (Someone at those two great outlets needs to watch more demolition derby, that’s for sure.)

And now, the rest of the news:

• Now the West Side Highway’s congestion pricing exemption has everyone talking. But, really, it’s no surprise given that the FDR Drive is also excluded from tolls (as long as drivers stay on the highway, that is) (NYDN). Vin Barone at amNY looked at how the MTA is seeking high-tech solutions for the actual logistics of tolling all those cars.
• Meanwhile, it took 50 years to get congestion pricing passed in New York — but only one day for the Times to declare the birth of a new era of congestion pricing around the country.
• A day late, but definitely not a dollar short, Gothamist ran Ross Barkan’s piece from Sunday’s Queens Boulevard rally.
• Gothamist also did a nice write up on the documentary work of Jing Wang, whose interview and video of delivery worker Deqing Lian appeared last year in these pages to great acclaim.
• No fooling: The Daily News editorial board is all in on congestion pricing. Meanwhile, the Post focused on how little the MTA will change.
• And finally, our April Fool’s Day story about Mayor de Blasio banning cars from all of Lower Manhattan fooled more than a few people.