All rise!
A few hours after we posted on Monday morning that yet another Bronx judge had recused herself from the specious legal challenge to DOT's plan to make Morris Park Avenue less of a death zone, a jurist finally stepped up to handle the case. We'll soon have an update on Monday's late afternoon hearing from the very lively courtroom of Lucindo Suarez, but here's a spoiler alert: Suarez issued no ruling, but left in place a temporary restraining order barring the city from making street safety improvements. (Think about that for a second: The city is barred from fulfilling its obligation to keep the roadways safe.)
Not to get on a soapbox, but we can't quite figure out why other outlets — looking at you, Times Metro section — aren't covering a case that would be the demise of Vision Zero if Suarez rules in favor of the handful of Morris Park Avenue business owners that's suing the city.
It was a long day in the Bronx for our editor. So here's a news roundup from Monday that both he and you, dear reader, need:
- More details emerged about the delivery worker who was killed by a drunk driver (with her 4-year-old in the backseat) in Canarsie. The victim, Mohammed Abdullah, was here from Bangladesh on political asylum. (NYDN)
- On the same day that a roid-ragin' FDNY officer was arrested for endangering a cyclist with his car (NY Post, Streetsblog, Gothamist), we got word that someone on Staten Island did something even more horrifying with his car — mowing down five baby geese. (Advance)
- The long-awaited 14th Street busway will start on July 1. (NYDN, amNY)
- Here's a thoughtful piece from Bloomberg that points out that inequality and traffic go hand in hand. "Cities that want to reduce congestion have to find a way to put affordable housing and jobs in closer proximity," the website reported.
- In case you missed it, Gov. Cuomo plans to put his budget director Robert Mujica on the MTA board (NYDN), even though it would violate the board's residency requirement, as Reinvent Albany pointed out promptly.
- NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill honored crossing guards on Monday (NY Post), but no one pointed out that the real goal of city officials should be to make roads so safe that crossing guards are obsolete. The Post at least pointed out, "Being struck by a car is the leading cause of injury-related deaths for children under 14 years old in the city."
- The homeless population underground is rising — and the MTA can't handle it. (NY1)
- You know how politics works: When you want to get something done, you convene a blue-ribbon commission. So that's what Mayor de Blasio is doing for bus speeds. (amNY) Snark aside, it'll work if members of the panel actually listen to fellow commission member Jaqi Cohen of the Straphangers Campaign, who told Vin Barone, “To win better bus service, we’re not dealing with the infrastructure problems [like] the subway. We’re dealing with the political will to redesign our streets to better accommodate buses."
- Gothamist followed up on our criticism of NYPD fare-evasion tactics.
- Something's fishy about this perfectly graffitied Q train spotted at 96th Street (NY Post, after Jose Martinez tweet). Sorry, but that paint job would take way too long to not be noticed.
