Monday’s Headlines: Cars Can Be Slowed Down Edition

It may have been the slowest news weekend of all time (which was fortunate, given our old man editor’s two-day-nap reaction to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine he received on Friday).

So before we deliver the only news we could come up with, why not watch an informative Bloomberg/City Lab video about why America is failing to protect pedestrians and cyclists:

And now, here’s the big news from the weekend:

• In a stunning upset, the 114th Precinct in Astoria defeated the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst in the Queens finals of our March (Parking) Madness contest. Granted, the 114th is terrible when it comes to how it treats its neighbors, but we thought there was nothing worse than how cops at the 110th have turned their precinct block into their own frat house. Well, better luck next year, 110. We’ll have two more borough finals this week (as you can see on the bracket, right).
• WNYC’s Gwynn Hogan polled all the leading candidates about their commitment to police reform.
• The NYPD has finally removed its barricades at Columbus Circle, leaving the disgraced explorer vulnerable to a long-overdue comeuppance. (Patch)
• Cab drivers protested in front of Chuck Schumer’s apartment in Brooklyn to demand a better bailout. (amNY)
• In case you missed it, mayoral candidate Maya Wiley’s climate plan also included a new “Office of Public Space Management,” something our sister organization, City Rise, has been calling for for more than a year. (NYDN)
• Larry Penner wants to know why the MTA’s 20-year statement of needs plan is 15 months late. (Mass Transit)
• The Wall Street Journal did a whole story about the mayoral candidates’ positions on health — but didn’t even mention the epidemic that kills hundreds and injures tens of thousands every year: road violence.
• Like us, Gothamist covered the W. 181st Street busway.
• And, finally, the New York Times’s Metropolitan Diary continues to be obsessed with parking (though columnist Farhad Manjoo continues to push back on the Gray Lady’s car obsession, this time with a call for better buses.