Tuesday’s Headlines: Big Day for Street Safety Edition
Sometime today, the City Council is expected to pass the Reckless Driver Accountability Act, which means our crack crew will be at City Hall all day, covering every development.
That’s where we were yesterday, as the Brad Lander-sponsored bill passed its first hurdle with an 8-1 vote in the Transportation Committee (The Post covered the hearing via live-stream; Streetsblog was on hand for some minor controversy, Gothamist offered a broad preview; the News was less broad).
Here’s something you’ll also like to hear: Our long national nightmare is almost over — pitchers and catchers report tomorrow (for the Mets) and Thursday (for the Yanks). Until then, here’s the news:
- Mayor de Blasio has finally appointed an MTA board member to fill one of his two vacant spots. Here’s hoping the nominee, city Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Vincent Calise, gets through the Senate confirmation process and then gets Gov. Cuomo’s nod. (NYDN, NY Post)
- A good get is a good get. Sure, it seems like Queens Chronicle Editor Michael Gannon ran into outgoing NYC Transit President Andy Byford on the subway, but he still got the exclusive interview.
- Wednesday will be your last chance to ride a Lindsay-era subway train (otherwise known as today’s J, Z and A). (Gothamist)
- In case you missed it, Guse of the Newsuh had a story about an obscure mandate on the MTA to compare its costs to the costs of comparable transit systems. Apparently, the MTA is late in filing its report.
- The MTA did make good on one promise yesterday — opening a new Avenue A entrance to the L train’s First Avenue station. (amNY)
- The Wall Street Journal’s Paul Berger kinda buried the lede on its Brooklyn Bridge story yesterday. Maybe there is some “design competition” going on, but the city already has a perfectly good (long overdue) design — one that the city itself has stalled by failing to complete a cable inspection that’s also long overdue (as Streetsblog reported). The real news in Berger’s story was that bike commuting over the crowded, dangerous bridge has fallen 16 percent because of the crowded, dangerous conditions. No wonder Streetsblog gave the DOT’s failure to fix the bridge honorable mention for a Streetsie Award last year.
- President Trump wants to cut Amtrak funding by 50 percent. (Reuters via NY Times)
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