Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Thursday’s Headlines: Mayor Adams’s Less-Heralded News Edition

Mayor Adams on Wednesday. Photo: Mayor’s office

Mayor Adams had his first Tin Cup Day in Albany, rattling his coin box for state legislatures to give the city more money in the budget. Everyone covered that.

But less heralded was Adams's strong support for one of the top items on the street safety agenda: a demand that Albany allow New York to set speed limits in the city below 25 miles per hour. It sounds like common sense that a city, whether suburban Ardsley or the great Gotham, should be allowed to assess its own streets and set car speeds accordingly. But they can't.

Earlier this year, we caught a rumor that Adams's interest in home rule was waning, so we asked Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez about it, but he gave us the standard, "Stay tuned."

So on Wednesday, people were excited that Mayor Adams's budget testimony included these words, "I would urge the state to transfer home rule to New York City to manage the city’s camera enforcement programs in addition to empowering cities to control speed limits on their streets. Doing so will allow us to rapidly respond to public safety crises on our roadways, reduce reckless driving, and keep private automobiles out of bus lanes."

He also called for "making the bus lane photo monitoring program permanent to ensure that we keep our bus lanes clear and our riders on time." And he reiterated his support for a proposal by Gov. Hochul to increase density in the city.

In other news:

    • Another driver has hit and critically wounded another child, this time in Midwood. (NYDN, Brooklyn Paper)
    • What's with the NYC Ferry system's broken boarding ramps? (amNY)
    • One of the city's great bridges will be closed for a while longer. (Brooklyn Paper)
    • Subway ridership reached a post-Omicron high. (Second Ave Sagas)
    • In case you missed it, our top story yesterday was about how a man started receiving mysterious death threats on his phone after reporting an illegally parked pickup truck to 311 and the NYPD (and after watching two cops chat with the driver).
    • Finally, check out the bollard saving a pedestrian's life the other day:

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Talking Headways Podcast: The Menace of Prosperity

Daniel Wortel-London on his new book, "The Menace of Prosperity: New York City and the Struggle for Economic Development, 1875–1981."

August 28, 2025

MONEY TALKS: Business Interests Call the Shots in Eric Adams’s New York

Forget the bribery charges — you don't have to break the law to buy influence in the Big Apple.

August 28, 2025

‘Safety for Sale’: How City Hall Corruption Hurt New Yorkers and Slowed Bus Riders

The mayor's interventions into DOT projects at behest of campaign donors hurt New Yorkers — literally.

August 28, 2025

GHOSTING: Drivers with ‘Ghost Plates’ Are Speeding Through New York City Streets

Cars with fake, obscured, or mismatched license plates continue to wreak havoc on city streets, a City Council report revealed.

August 28, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: ‘Blessed’ By Duffy and Byford Edition

Sean Duffy became the latest in a long line of politicians to make big promises about New York Penn Station. Plus more news.

August 28, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: Mastro of None Edition

The Adams administration put the brakes on yet another long-awaited DOT initiative as it crossed the finish line. Plus more news.

August 27, 2025
See all posts