Tuesday’s Headlines: Everything isn’t Awesome Edition

Remember our story earlier this month about how New York State was planning to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to widen upstate Route 17? Well, one of the reasons taxpayers are footing the bill for this oligarchic scam — the new Legoland New York — just got slapped with hundreds of thousands of dollars in environmental fines, the Post reported.

Remember that next time yet another corporation wants its share of highway welfare.

In other news from a tortoise of a news day:

• That convenient program that allows commuters to deduct transit from their pre-tax wages is backfiring for the work-from-home crowd. (NY Times)
• The Times is taking Corey Johnson’s race for comptroller seriously. (And we thank reporter Jeffery Mays for linking to our prior story on Brad Lander’s still formidable position in the race.)
• Bad timing: Two ferry stops in Brooklyn are being renovated now, just as the ridership is poised to return. (Brooklyn Paper)
• Specific details about federal transit funding from the latest stimulus are starting to emerge. (NJ.com)
• Annie Weinstock’s Reorientations blog picked up our story about the overcrowding on the Second Avenue bike lane. The more the merrier (coverage, we mean, not narrow bike lanes).
• It’s not just an American problem: With few exceptions, transit systems all over the world are struggling during the pandemic, which could have major implications for efforts to combat climate change. (New York Times)
• A vehicle-miles tax could be part of President Biden’s infrastructure plan, according to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. (CNBC)