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

Thursday’s Headlines: See You in the ER Edition

Not the cat in question … or is it?

We spend a lot of time at Streetsblog using the term “crash,” not “accident” and raging about cyclists who are hit by cars.

So forgive this sentence: Our old man editor had a bike accident yesterday after he was hit by a cat.

Yes, a cat, not a car (as a cop later asked) or a cab (as Rita, the admitting nurse at the Brooklyn Hospital ER misheard). A cat.

It was on Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene. Kuntzman was feeling fine, his side bag filled with grilled chicken and freshly baked bread (sorry, Mr. Mayor) for a secluded rendezvous in Queens.

Car traffic was moving like bats fleeing hell (which everyone has been noticing), and one speeding vehicle spooked a gray tabby, who raced toward our splendid splinter — who thought, “Certainly that cat’s going to veer off or stop, right?” only to discover that the fraidy cat wasn’t stopping. Or veering! The ensuing collision left the cat fine (according to two witnesses) and our hard-working hypochondriac with a severely separated shoulder (which some call acromioclavicular separation).

It also left him with a long list of people to thank: George, who pulled up in his Mercedes and pulled out a first aid kit to stop the bleeding — then later drove him to Brooklyn Hospital; Eli, who saw the whole thing from his door and supplied water, ice and a place to store a bike for a few days (Editor’s note: Eli, it might be a while...); and several other people who didn’t give their names but were polite enough to laugh at our ebullient editor’s gallows humor (reminder: writer Vince DiMiceli is in possession of Kuntzman’s pre-written obit ... for just these occasions).

He will also always be endeared to the woman who walked over with her dog, said she’d seen the whole thing, and declared, in a thick Brooklyn accent, “This is why I hate cats; ya nevuh know where dey gonna go!”

So that was yesterday. In other news (wait there was OTHER news?):

    • In a story that won’t surprise fans of Streetsblog’s  speeding coverage, drag racing complaints to 311 have quadrupled since the COVID lockdown (Gothamist).
    • Gothamist also followed Streetsblog’s story on NYPD precincts’ wholesale theft of streetspace, which mostly started during the protests. “Nearly three weeks after the after the start of protests against racist police violence, the NYPD is still blocking New Yorkers from accessing their public streets and sidewalks outside police stations,” Jake Offenhartz writes. The story exercised @2AvSagas, who asked (having long since given up on the mayor), “do we have a City Council?"
    • MTA honchos Sarah Feinberg and Patrick Foye confidently predict that subway ridership will rebound. (AMNY).
    • The mayor’s surface-transportation panel will recommend several demand-management measures in order to forestall the post-COVID carmegeddon, including HOV lanes and the removal of parking, NY1’s Dan Rivoli reports.
    • Transit advocates are shifting their lobbying efforts toward the federal government, looking too buttonhole Sen. Schumer into corralling “Moscow Mitch” for more stimulus money (DailyNews).
    • The Department of Transportation, the Economic Development Corporation, and Lyft will deliver bikes to NYC Health & Hospitals Coney Island on Thursday as part of their effort to provide bikes to essential workers during the COVID-19 crisis (NYCDOT release).
    • A recidivist felon got arrested — again! — when he dragged an allegedly stolen motorcycle into the subway at 72nd Street (NY Post).
    • Bronx Bust: Wild footage captured a driver going ape-shit in the northwest Bronx yesterday — striking pedestrians, a cyclist and parked cars in a spree that lightly injured seven (NY Post). The 43-year-old driver was taken into custody but no charges have been announced (Norwood News).

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Pedestrian on Bedford Av. Hours Before Long-Stalled Safety Redesign Begins

The driver was traveling so quickly that the victim was tossed high in the air before landing back on the car hood and being tossed to the side of the road as the killer drove off.

October 11, 2024

Manhattanites To DOT: Open Queensboro Bridge Pedestrian Path ‘Without Delay’

"It’s really inappropriate for the DOT to delay," said one member of Manhattan Community Board 6.

October 11, 2024

Council Seeks to Force DOT to Build 175 E-Bike Charging Hubs 

A new bill would force the DOT to build over 100 charging hubs, but will it be enough to keep up with demand?

October 11, 2024

Friday Video: A Vision for West 72nd Street

Maybe someday, a roadway that devotes 88 percent of its space to a tiny minority of users (drivers) could finally work for everyone. We can dream, can't we?

October 11, 2024

Friday’s Headlines: Yes, We Will Mention the Yankees Edition

We are praying for the first Subway Series since 2000. Plus other news.

October 11, 2024
See all posts