Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
De Blasio's ferry

Friday’s Headlines: Hire Vin Barone Edition

12:01 AM EDT on October 18, 2019

Reporter and now bike courier Vin Barone, seen last year. Photo: Gersh Kuntzman.

I've been in this business a long time and probably the only thing I'm good at is recognizing talent (those who can't..., amirite?). So I had two thoughts when I heard that New York Times Metro Editor Clifford Levy had promoted Emma Fitzsimmons from the transit beat to City Hall Bureau Chief:

Thought 1: That's a well-deserved promotion for a very good reporter.

Thought 2: Levy should hire amNY exile Vin Barone to replace Fitzsimmons. Barone is not only a rare talent, but he knows the transit beat better than anyone on the market right now. Better still, Barone, gets around on bike and transit. Hiring Barone would strike a blow to New York's insane car culture, which continues to be propped up by dealership-funded local TV and radio stations; politicians who never ride trains, buses or bikes, yet feel comfortable spouting opinions on all of those modes from behind their windshield; and, yes, establishment organs like the New York Times that empathize with the plight of drivers in traffic of their own creation rather than the bus riders stuck behind them.

So do the right thing, Cliff: Give your readers great transit coverage while also saving Barone from his purgatory at the rapidly deteriorating Schneps-owned amNY.

Now for some news:

    • Did you hear — the 14th Street busway is amazing! (NYDN, Streetsblog, NY Post), And the bus lane cameras are working too! (NY Post)
    • Not only is Mayor de Blasio's ferry a subsidized money pit — it's also discriminatory against Muslims! (Gothamist, NY Post)
    • New Brooklyn Nets star DeAndre Jordan rides the subway (but doesn't like the cold). (Nets via Twitter)
    • If you want a detailed analysis of the City Council's vote yesterday to close Rikers Island, we recommend this Times piece by Matthew Haag. But we couldn't help but notice that entitled Queens drivers are already grousing that a new jail near the existing courthouse is going to supposedly ruin everything because court officers will no longer have a place to park, as reported by Queens Eagle Editor David Brand. We blame the mayor for a placard-parking crisis that leads drivers — even city employees — to think that a public job comes with a salary and a parking space.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Analysis: Everyone Agrees — Less Parking Means More Housing

Let's take a second-day look at Mayor Adams's "City of Yes" zoning proposal to do away with mandatory parking in new developments.

September 25, 2023

What is the Life of a Dead Pedestrian Worth?

A cop laughed that a normal person is only worth $11,000 — and that figure was partly due to his racism, but also how little we value the lives of people on foot.

September 25, 2023

Monday’s Headlines: ‘What is Up With All These Flip-Flops, Mayor?’ Edition

It's the same old story with this mayor and his chief adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin. Plus other news.

September 25, 2023

Why Sustainable Transportation Advocates Need to Talk About Long COVID

Covid-19 transformed many U.S. cities' approach to sustainable transportation forever. But how did it transform the lives of sustainable transportation advocates who developed lasting symptoms from the disease?

September 24, 2023

Analysis: ‘Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program’ is a Failure By All Measures

The Department of Transportation wants the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program to simply expire in part because it did not dramatically improve safety among these worst-of-the-worst drivers and led to a tiny number of vehicle seizures.

September 22, 2023
See all posts