Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bill de Blasio

Monday’s Headlines: 2021 Just Got Real Edition

OK, it's time to put aside childish things, like all the days between the last real workday and today, when the cold reality of 2021 sets in. It's Monday and it's time to start the workweek with our roundup of all the news you've missed for the past few days:

    • The NYPD says it will leave its Manhattan tow pound — which is inside Hudson River Park, on the river between West 36th and 37th streets — by the end of January. It's unclear what the site will become, but anything is better than a parking lot for scofflaws on prime waterfront space (Patch, Gothamist). The Post took an odd angle on the story, suggesting that closing the tow pound would allow scofflaws to get away with murder; in reality, the city intends to open a new location for the storage of said vehicles.
    • Multiple outlets ran end-of-year stories about how bloody our roads were in 2020, the seventh year of Vision Zero. The Post and the Times focused on the increase in motorcyclist and car passenger deaths, but the Tabloid of Record was also quick to point out that cyclist deaths were almost as bad as 2019, which was the worst of Mayor de Blasio's tenure.
    • Speaking of road violence, 2021 didn't start so great: A man was killed by a hit-and-run driver in the Bronx on Jan. 2 (NYDN). And on the same day, a 4-year-old boy was badly injured by a driver in Prospect Lefferts Gardens (Gothamist, NY Post), a reminder of why coverage of that neighborhood in the Brooklyn Council District roundup story that we published today focused on street safety.
    • The Wall Street Journal did a broad overview of the MTA's expensive efforts to battle COVID-19.
    • As we predicted, the Staten Island Advance would have a problem with the mayor wanting to fight speeding 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But you know how it is with the law-and-order crowd (they only order up laws they want to follow).
    • In case you missed it, Gothamist's Chris Robbins did a guide to winter biking.
    • Also ICYMI, we did our inevitable walk-through of the new Moynihan Train Hall over the weekend. So did WNYC's excellent Stephen Nessen and Gothamist's Sophia Chang. Meanwhile, the Post Editorial Board wants more train halls just like it. And the Post's counterparts at the Daily News also raved.
    • Remember last week's story about the "gang" of teens who supposedly attacked a BMW owner for no reason? Well, the first of the arrested suspects has already been freed in a case of mistaken identity. Now, he's likely to sue the city. (NY Post)
    • The mayor's war on placard abuse — announced to great fanfare in 2019, but the subject of inaction and budget cuts since — is even more stalled than we thought. (NY Post)
    • And in some great news for the city (but some bad news for our old editor's arteries), Sammy's Roumanian will reopen! (Gothamist)
  • So, it being January, we'll officially close our December Donation Drive (click on the logo left if you still want to contribute) with one last roll call of our final benefactors of 2020: Thanks, J.A.! Thanks, Christos G.! Thanks, Samantha H.! Thanks, Kent L.! Thanks, Geraldine B.! Thanks, Dom S.! Thanks, Michael P.! Thanks, Brian L.! Thanks, Katherine R.!
  • And, finally, the single greatest, "Welcome to 2021" moment came from CNN's delightfully inebriated New Year's Eve co-host Andy Cohen, who basically lost it after watching Mayor de Blasio and the First Lady dancing as the ball dropped. If you watch nothing else today, please enjoy Cohen's "Do something with this city!" rant:
  • Stay in touch

    Sign up for our free newsletter

    More from Streetsblog New York City

    ‘Preventable’: Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Two on Third. Ave Corridor Eric Adams Refuses to Make Safer

    A motorist struck and killed two men on a strip where Mayor Adams recently shelved a safety redesign amid a backlash from local business interests.

    July 11, 2025

    Why No BRT For NYC? Two New Reports Tackle Why Your Bus Service Sucks

    Years of bus priority projects barely made a dent in speeds because Big Apple leaders won't install real bus rapid transit, two recent reports argue.

    July 11, 2025

    Citi Bike Riders Are Pissed About Eric Adams’s 15 MPH Speed Limit

    Citi Bike's new 15 mph max speed limit is a bad deal for riders and a potential threat to safety, riders said.

    July 11, 2025

    Friday Video: Cyclists, Check Out Your Next City

    Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson visited London earlier this summer to check in on the Big Smoke's cycling revolution.

    July 11, 2025

    Friday’s Headlines: Just the News Edition

    We've got one more workday before we can hit the beach. Plus the news.

    July 11, 2025

    Council To Close Instacart Loophole, Pass Delivery Industry Regulation Bills

    The City Council will vote on Monday to close the "Instacart loophole" and force all app companies to pay workers a minimum wage.

    July 10, 2025
    See all posts