Thursday’s Headlines: The Gray Lady Reads Streetsblog Edition

Credit where due department: Four months of cut-and-pasting the phrase "34th Avenue is widely seen as the best of Mayor de Blasio's open streets" finally somehow filtered through the editing process at the Times Metro Section and bore not just a piece of fruit, but a whole tree: The Times opened a story about pandemic recovery with a portrait of, you guessed it, the best open street in the city: 34th Avenue (see coverage, right).

"This is a moment of adaptation and improvisation. When people pool what they have to create something new. When they take unfamiliar steps away from what was to what can work now," the piece by Corina Knoll says way up top.

It's what we've been telling Mayor de Blasio for years: Give people car-free space to breathe, to walk, to meet their neighbors, and they'll create something great (and car-free). We're not saying every street — but one critical roadway in every neighborhood (to start).

So, thanks to Metro Editor Cliff Levy for showing off just how great our city can be under such circumstances.

Now, in other news:

• Even as the city heats up with demonstrations against the failure to bring charges in the Kentucky killing of Breonna Taylor, protesters are alleging fresh police brutality. (Gothamist)
• Meanwhile, Albany legislators are eyeing a fresh round of police reforms. (CityandState)
• MTA reward: a giant MetroCard for a subway hero. (amNY, NYDN)
• The broke transit agency will borrow more. (amNY)
• Only one straphanger has been fined for not wearing a mask. (NYPost)
• The MTA's board met yesterday to move against homeless riders, by banning loitering and shopping carts. (NYPost)
• Bombardier's "lemon" train cars have returned to the subway after fixes. (NYDN)
• An un-nicknamed robot will be installing signal equipment in the subway. If it's too trite to call it "Robby," maybe "Siggy" will do? (NYDN)
• Revel mopeds have become a favorite target of thieves looking to scavenge them for parts, says the NYPD. (NYPost)
• Retired federal transportation guy Larry Penner gave a nice writeup to National Car-Free Day. (Mass Transit)
• Finally, California plans to ban gasoline-powered cars in 15 years. Will New York be far behind? (NYT)