Monday’s Headlines: E-Scooter Day in Albany Edition

The irony of the NYPD crackdown was that Police Department employees often order food for delivery. Photo: Ben Verde
The irony of the NYPD crackdown was that Police Department employees often order food for delivery. Photo: Ben Verde

It’s a good thing Mayor de Blasio will be in Albany today, as his end-of-session lobbying swing comes one day after Vin Barone at amNY reported that nearly a dozen City Council members are urging their counterparts in the state legislature to pass Senator Jessica Ramos’s bill and legalize e-scooters and e-bikes now.

The mayor opposes the bill because people complain to him that they’re afraid, though statistics show very few injuries are caused by e-bike riders. So today should be a fun day upstate.

For now, though, here’s the news from a slow weekend:

  • Cops say a drunk correction officer smashed up a few cars in Queens before he was arrested Sunday. (WABC7)
  • The New York Times delved into Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao’s ties to the shipping industry and the Chinese government, raising new questions about conflicts of interest.
  • The Red Hook Star Review had a nice, well-deserved tribute to Peter Reich, the creator of the Swift Folder, a handmade folding bike that appears to be reaching the end of its long roll.
  • In case you missed Todd Maisel’s solid coverage, there was car carnage in Bath Beach on Friday. (Bklyner)
  • The Daily News gets action — now you can take a public bus to Jones Beach.
  • Why do the professionals at DOT even bother to present their street redesigns to untrained yahoos anyway? (The Forum of Howard Beach)
  • Looks like bike share fans in San Francisco are onto Lyft’s shortcomings there, too. (SF Examiner)
  • In case you missed it, tenant leaders at three public housing complexes said in a Daily News op-ed that they want the BQX trolley because it’ll be better than a bus — and said anyone who thinks otherwise isn’t really an advocate for the less-fortunate. NY1 focused its segment on supporters.
  • Reggie

    Q.: “Why do the professionals at DOT even bother to present their street redesigns to untrained yahoos anyway?”
    A.: Among other reasons, they are to some degree less untrained afterwards.

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Gross. Photo: Rolls-Royce

Tuesday’s Headlines: State Pols Crack Down on de Blasio Edition

By Streetsblog |
Many outlets — including Streetsblog! — covered the legislature's expected passage of a bill legalizing e-bikes, which have long been the bane of self-styled progressive Bill de Blasio. Looks like Hizzoner will have to find a new target than poor delivery workers. Click on the headline for that story, plus a look at a gross $350,000 car (pictured).