Looking back, we haven't celebrated Jessie Singer enough in these pages recently. But we're impressed. The longtime editor and strategist at Transportation Alternatives has been getting rave reviews for her new book, “There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster — Who Profits and Who Pays the Price” (Simon & Schuster, Feb. 15, 2022), which goes far beyond merely the world of safe streets to examine why so many people reflexively even use the term "accident" and what that says about our entire society.
It's a gripping read, which is why we ran an excerpt and made Singer the subject of Streetsblog USA's first episode of its new podcast, The Brake.
Obviously, everyone else is catching on. In the recent days, Singer and her book have earned coverage in The Atlantic, Curbed, Jalopnik, Bloomberg and, of course, the War on Cars podcast.
We just want to say we're proud to know her — and we urge you to buy the book today wherever books are still sold.
Now, to the news:
- After saying it couldn't possibly do it, the MTA revealed yesterday that it will spend $100 million to install platform gates as a test at three subway stations. (NYDN, NY Post, NY Times, Gothamist, The City)
- Would-be Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin named the Deputy Inspector of the 70th Precinct in Brooklyn to be his running mate (NY Post). We don't know much about Alison Esposito, except that her precinct is a den of scofflaw parking — it's so bad, in fact, that it made the Sweet 16 in last year's March (Parking) Madness contest.
- A sad sight in Brooklyn and sad news for the city: The Grand Prospect Hall had its side sheared off by a developer. (NY Post)
- The Postal Service has screwed us again, investing in gas-burning trucks for another generation. (Washington Post)
- A 65-year-old woman who was hit by a driver on Monday in Brooklyn has died — yet there are still no charges. (amNY)
- Hat tip to Brooklynite Andrew Kimball for landing the job as Mayor Adams's Economic Development Corporation president. (Gothamist)
- More people are championing "Good Cause Eviction," a measure to make it harder for landlords to just kick you out. (Gothamist)
- We have a very tiny violin for drivers who are complaining about high gas prices ... which have been partly driven up by the sheer size of the American fleet and the profligate manner in which we consume petroleum. (amNY)
- Leave it to the Post to completely misrepresent an installation at BAM as a "drive-thru" movie theater when, in fact, it's not a drive-through at all. And that's part of the point.
- And finally, the Department of Transportation's installation of Jersey barriers to protect some of the city's flimsiest bike lanes continued yesterday on Clinton Street on the Lower East Side. People were sending us Jersey barrier porn all day long:
And CB3 Transportation Committee Vice Chair Michelle Kuppersmith send over this gorgeous picture:
