Thursday’s Headlines: Adams’s ‘Tale of Two Cities’ Edition

How about that Eric Adams out-Tale of Two Citiesing Bill de Blasio!

The other day, when he formally introduced Ydanis Rodriguez as his pick to lead the Department of Transportation, the incoming mayor took a moment to both embrace his predecessor's Vision Zero initiative and shove it right in the supposedly progressive mayor's face (and he even got in a poke at the elitist media, too) when a Times reporter asked him about the central challenge of the de Blasio years: juggling the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and bus riders when car drivers make the most noise.

"I want to touch on that for the New York Times, it's important," Adams said. "We're going to expand pedestrian plazas, where they're not only localized in some communities, they're going to be citywide. What is happening in some communities should also happen in other communities."

He then pointed out that Rodriguez — who will be the first Latino to run the DOT, following many White people — has an implicit understanding of the so-called "two cities" from his years as a Council member in Upper Manhattan.

"Ydanis understands that — he know what's happening in our central business district is not happening in Washington Heights, is not happening in south Jamaica, in Brownsville. The failure to connect the use of our streets is something that we're going to ensure is equitable."

Cool.

Meanwhile, the Times did a deep dive on whether Mayor de Blasio closed the gulf between the two cities in his fabled campaign tale.

In other news:

• Let's first start by praising great people — you know, the smart, funny, savvy people who have donated to our annual FUN-draising campaign in the last two days (we forgot an honor roll yesterday). If you want to join the super-cool crowd, click the yellow icon above and make a small (or big!) tax-deductible donation. Meanwhile, here's some thanks: Thanks, John! Thanks, Jonah! Thanks, Sheryl! Thanks, Alana! Thanks, Jade! Thanks, Ian! Thanks, Michael! Thanks, Trevor! Thanks, Rafael!
• Is the MTA spending properly on big projects? Who knows! (NYDN, NY Post)
• Citi Bike had a bad software glitch during the morning rush. (Gothamist)
• Does Mayor de Blasio deserve credit for the EV transition of the taxi fleet? The Post doesn't seem to think so.
• Speaking of EV taxis, there's a new cab in town — one that's not only electric, but has face-tracking technology to somehow crack down on bad driving. (The Verge)
• Cop hater ... or anti-placard abuse vigilante? (NYDN, NY Post)
• Drunk cop driving recklessly in Union Square. (NY Post)