Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
DWI

Thursday’s Headlines: Happy New Year Edition

Mayor de Blasio and the First Lady on New Year’s Eve. Photo: Joanna Graham/Mayoral Photography Office

Happy New Year, Friends of Streetsblog. We look forward to another year of bringing you the hottest livable streets coverage — and want to thank our readers for their generosity during our December donation drive, when we raised more than $82,000 (including a gift from our headline sponsor, Dutch Kills Centraal, a great place for a meal and a local craft brew in convenient Long Island City).

We promise to put your donations to good use, starting ... right now, with today's headlines:

    • The Times did a deep dive on the rise in road fatalities this year, the first time that deaths went up in the Vision Zero era. The story never really answered its question-mark headline, but kudos to reporter Emma Fitzsimmons for not absolving drivers for the singular role they play in last year's carnage, a refreshing break from months of pro-car, anti-safety coverage in the Times.
    • The top Republican in the state Assembly was busted for drunk-driving his massive GMC Acadia update on New Year's Eve. (Patch, NY Post)
    • Cars make people crazy. (NYDN)
    • The MTA's $51-billion capital plan was approved, without any oversight by the mayor's office, which blinked first the latest tete-a-tete with Gov. Cuomo (NY Post). Politico's Dana Rubinstein saw that coming earlier in the week.
    • On the plus side, the mayor did get his big ask from the governor, who approved the city's ability to do "design-build" projects. (NYDN)
    • The Tabloid of Record is covering the Pulaski Bridge pedestrian path like it's Watergate, this time with newcomer Vin Barone handling the update.
    • Finally, New York City Transit President Andy Byford has embraced the nickname Train Daddy (NY Post). Can the ire of Gov. Cuomo be far behind?

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday Video: Meet the Subway’s Straphanger-Free Trains

We've all seen them. Now, thanks to YouTube's "Half as Interesting," we can tell you the purpose of each one.

October 3, 2025

The MTA Is Headed To The Lab To Design The Ridgewood Busway

A filthy private road underneath the elevated M tracks could become a gleaming bus-first corridor.

October 3, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Good News Edition

The Department of Transportation reports that traffic deaths are way down through the first three quarters of 2025. Plus other news.

October 3, 2025

‘Bean-Counting Street Safety’: Advocates Blast Gale Brewer’s Daylighting Flip-Flop

The Upper West Side pol's inconsistent safety record is getting a second look from activists who once supported her.

October 2, 2025

There’s Good Science Behind the Human Craving for Livable Streets

It's time to understand the science of pedestrian-friendly cities. Or, why streets should be designed like gardens.

October 2, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Mourning Becomes Enforcement Edition

Why were cops ticketing cyclists at the very intersection where a bike rider was killed by a driver on Saturday? Plus other news.

October 2, 2025
See all posts