Yesterday was gorgeous and today will provide more of the same — thanks (yes, again!) to that high pressure over West Virginia.
We'll be in and out today, preparing lots of news (and Christmas dinner) for your consumption, but for now, feast on today's news roundup:
- A judge threw out the city's plan to reduce cruising by Uber, Lyft and other app-based cab companies, sending everyone back to the drawing board. The goal was to reduce congestion, but Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank called a cap on cruising "arbitrary." (NYDN, NY Post, amNY). The good news? Maybe the city will get serious about congestion and institute a per-minute empty-cruising fee. That'll learn 'em!
- We got two decent stories out of yesterday's DOT/NYPD press conference, but Guse of the Newsuh and David Meyer at the Post played it straight (we'll debunk the NYPD's fake crackdown later today when we catch our breath). Meanwhile, Vin Barone at amNY at least found an angle, connecting the end-of-year spike in fatalities to the spate of holiday deliveries. Gothamist focused on a supposed crackdown on trucks, though one wasn't actually announced. And for some reason, no one noted the awesomeness of the DOT's new pedestrian plaza on 12th Street in Long Island City (pictured above). Finally, you can get up close to a glacial rock — and sit and have lunch next to it. It used to be a parking lot.
- The Daily News editorial desk joined Streetsblog in calling the MTA's "forensic audit" a bit bogus.
- Brian Rosenthal of the Times is still stalking the Pulitzer committee with yet another awesome story about the taxi medallion catastrophe — and this time, it's personal.
- Enough with the fetishistic car coverage, NY Times!
