Speaker Corey Johnson rallied with street safety advocates on Tuesday to celebrate today's expected passing of his "Streets Master Plan" bill, and for the most part, everyone was able to see the bill for what it is (Streetsblog, NYDN, NY Post, amNY).
Everyone except WCBS2's Marcia Kramer. Continuing to carry her station's relentless pro-car agenda, Kramer asked a series of questions that would have been shocking had they not so clearly been the death throes of an old petroleum-based order being finally pushed to the edge of history's abyss.
First, she questioned — as she often does — whether anyone in city government will step up enforcement against cyclists (ignoring that the NYPD admitted earlier in the week that a disproportionately large portion of all red light tickets —22 percent — go to cyclists, despite their tiny population and minuscule killing power).
But she really revealed her bias when she questioned Johnson about his desire to reallocate curbside space currently used for free car storage for more socially responsible uses, such as more space for pedestrians and transit. In a long windup to her question, Kramer claimed that residents need their cars in "transit desserts such as Washington Heights..."
Washington Heights? You mean the four-block-wide neighborhood with two subway lines and a half-dozen bus lines? It was such a ludicrous comment that Streetsblog dug a little deeper for an epic Twitter rant about Kramer and her news director David Friend (portions below; full rant here).
First of all, @MKramerTV, is this what a "transit desert" looks like? pic.twitter.com/MNsfpFjebg
— Streetsblog New York (@StreetsblogNYC) October 29, 2019
What a day at City Hall. Here's all the news you might have missed:
- Lots of outlets covered a move to stiffen penalties for reckless drivers who kill, a worthy bill from Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance and two state senators. The days of "It was just an accident!" may soon be over. (NYDN, NY Post, amNY)
- And don't forget that on Wednesday, the City Council will also pass a bill reforming the rogue private carting industry, another move that will make streets safer. (NY Post)
- There's a better way to reduce fare evasion — and it doesn't require 500 unaccountable CuomoCops. (WSJ)
- Since when did "Take the A Train" become a heavy metal song? (NY Post)
- How is the MTA doing seven years after Sandy? Let's put it this way — if the next superstorm were to, say, not happen for a few more years, that would be nice. (Politico)
- And from the assignment desk, tonight is State Sen. Zellnor Myrie's bike safety forum, which Dave Colon previewed for Streetsblog.
- And, finally, Pete Wells finally revealed the truth about the overrated Peter Luger steakhouse. Our editor was gloating all day because he wrote his version in 2009.
