What a relief.
Hundreds of delivery workers, and supporters such as Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rallied in Times Square on Sunday to mark several new city rules, passed by the Council last year, that go into effect on Monday:
Carlina Rivera's Intro 2298, which requires restaurants to allow delivery workers to use the bathroom — a non-controversial bill ended up being quite controversial on the supposedly progressive Upper West Side.
Additional rules — including one that will give workers more control over their routes, and another requiring app companies to provide workers with insulated food bags — go into effect in April (amNY and The City covered the rally). Until then, here's the news from over the weekend that you might have missed:
- The MTA was the big story over the weekend. Here are the highlights:
- The agency pays more to run transit than comparable cities worldwide. Some of the additional cost is not the MTA's fault — the agency is forced to pay for workers' health care because our country doesn't have national style coverage like they have [checks notes] in virtually every Western democracy, plus our system is 24-7. But some of the costs are due to higher wages. (NYDN)
- Clayton Guse of the Daily Newsuh did a deep dive on how well MTA Chairman Janno Lieber will run the agency now that he works for a sane, respectful governor instead of Andrew Cuomo.
- Another subway rider was pushed onto the tracks, this time at Fulton Street. Fortunately, the train conductor was able to stop in time (NYDN, NY Post).
- Subway assaults are at their highest level since 1997 (NY Post). And track trespassings are also up (amNY).
- The Times looked at how remote work is basically killing commuter rail travel (and the income that comes with it).
- In a sad mirror image of that story, amNY looked at how homeless people struggle to survive in the system.
- Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine wants his borough to be the first for testing of subway platform gates. (NY Post)
- The W train will return on Monday, bringing the subway back to full service. (NY Post, amNY)
- An MTA bus driver critically injured a teenager in a crosswalk. (amNY)
- The borough presidents of Queens and Brooklyn both love the "Interborough Express" (what's not to love?), The City reported.
- Congestion pricing hasn't even started yet, but Tom Wrobleski of the Staten Island Advance is already donning a tinfoil hat in preparation for the next supposed attack on drivers.
- In case you missed it, NY1 did a deep dive on the pros and cons of adding subway platform gates.
- Obviously responding to our editor's unabashed pitch last week, "Saturday Night Live" and Staten Islanders Colin Jost and Pete Davidson addressed their purchase of a Staten Island Ferry boat in a hilarious Weekend Update segment (Brooklyn Vegan). The Times also covered the floating folly.
- The Post really under-reported this story about Council Member Kalman Yeger's bill to allow drivers to remain parked for two days after heavy snowfall. If it's worth discussing the pros of the bill — like how it's probably wise to keep car drivers from driving around looking for parking after heavy snowfalls — it's worth pointing out that this is yet another capitulation to people who believe the city must subsidize the storage of their property in the street. And if drivers don't move their cars, roadways can't be cleared.
- Community boards are in desperate need of reform, argues a Manhattan board member in an important Daily News op-ed.
- NY1 also got great footage of a school bus driver running red lights, which is particularly alarming given last Monday's hit-and-run death of a 15-year-old girl in Brooklyn.
