Why bother to reduce car use — or even stop parking on the sidewalks surrounding Brooklyn Borough Hall — when you can just paint your way to clean air!
That's what Eric Adams — remember, some polls show him as the leading candidate for mayor right now — proposed over the weekend in a tweet that probably made no sense to anyone:
To recover from the pandemic, we need to reinvest in what makes NYC beautiful. That includes commissioning artists to create murals with paint that breaks down pollutants & harmful compounds in the air, beautifying our city as we rejuvenate it. #CountdownToChange pic.twitter.com/QvyY7Yaeee
— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) May 30, 2021
Paint that breaks down pollutants? Like, is that a thing?
Apparently it is: There's a paint-like product called Airlite that removes pollutants from the air (if you believe the company press release). But some chemists are dubious about its long-term benefits.
One thing scientists agree on is that transportation is the biggest contributor to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, so if Eric Adams wants to clear the air, he should consider starting with cars — not trying to paint over the problem.
In other news from the long, wet weekend:
- An e-bike rider fatally struck a Queens woman on Friday night, an extremely rare fatality, but one that raises questions nonetheless. Details were limited over in weekend coverage. (NYDN)
- Meanwhile, a delivery worker was killed after he toppled from his moped on a rain-slicked street and was struck by a car driver. (amNY)
- The Post decided to kick Shaun Donovan when he's down, going after the mayoral candidate's father's massive carbon footprint (as if the Post cares about carbon footprints).
- In case you missed it, mayoral candidate Scott Stringer promised to cut down on helicopter noise last week (NYDN). Meanwhile, the New York Times printed an inexplicable tribute to the heroic helicopter pilots who report on traffic — which even featured the stunning assertion that the sound of traffic is a good thing: "For city residents seeking signs of a return to normalcy, there may be something weirdly soothing in once again hearing the urban birdsong of car honks and the angry curses from drivers," Sarah Maslin Nir wrote, speaking for literally no one except car-loving Times editors. "Perhaps there’s even a perverse pleasure for New Yorkers in returning to a familiar resting state of aggravation." (The story was even more surprising, given the Times's recent story about highway removal.)
- Speaking of car lovers, Staten Island Advance columnist Tom Wrobleski has spilled plenty of ink over the years opposing restrictions on car speeds on the Rock, so it was awfully ironic to read his piece over the weekend about all "the most annoying things that drivers do." Left off his list? Driving into pedestrians and killing them. (Advance)
- The Times covered the federal approval for the Gateway tunnel project. But our own Dave Colon added value.
- If the mayor truly wants a recovery for all, he needs to start building parks in low-income neighborhoods, as a new report from the Trust for Public Land shows.
- Road rage nearly got an Amazon driver killed by a gunman. (NYDN, NY Post)
- A man was struck and killed as he walked on the Bronx River Parkway, cops said. (NY Post)
- A drunk driver slammed into five cops, which is not a good idea. (NY Post)
- The Empire Center (with which we have tangled occasionally) printed Larry Penner's take on Gov. Cuomo's premature East Side Access announcement last week.
