Wow, we didn't think our little exclusive yesterday about the Sanitation Department hiring the international consulting firm McKinsey to investigate how the city can better deal with garbage was going to make such a, well, stink — but boy did it ever!
The story was straightforward enough: McKinsey — which has a bit of a checkered past, but is certainly no fly-by-night firm — was selected to do a full study of New York's garbage problem, especially the streetscape part, where every day at 5 o'clock, the sidewalks become impassible because every building sets out its garbage for collection.
As Ratso Rizzo might say, "I'm walking' heah!"
Well, our readers made it very clear that they don't like this $4-million consultancy one bit! Here are a few things we heard on the Twitter:
It went on like that all day — with lots of people positing that it's awfully weird for the city to have to study how to do something better (getting trash away from pedestrians in sealed containers) that it's been doing badly for decades. The good news is that people are reading our exclusives!
In other news:
- We're not going to get into a whole debate about subway crime for a second day, but this story of the neon green unitard-wearing crew that beat up two women is crazy. (NYDN, NY Post)
- Bookmark this site — Law Enforcement Lookup — because you can use it to check the disciplinary record of cops. (Gothamist covered)
- The LIRR's third-track expansion is done, making possible better commutes, especially when the MTA brings LIRR service to Grand Central. (NYDN, NY Post, amNY)
- Speaking of the MTA, Ross Barkan had a look at the agency's troubled finances. (Crain's)
- Colin Jost and Pete Davidson have given their Staten Island ferry boat the auspicious name, "Titanic 2." (NY Post)
- Several outlets covered the indictment of the driver who allegedly sped through a red light and caused a crash that killed two men in Inwood in August. (Streetsblog, NYDN)
- If this spellbinding story about the sham of Brooklyn Community Board 1 District Manager Gerald Esposito's surprise "retirement" — and the golden parachute that went along with it — doesn't prompt immediate action to reform community boards, we don't know what will. (The City)
- Speaking of shams, here's some ugly nepotism at the MTA. (NY Post)
- The city made a detail-free announcement that it will create charging hubs and rest areas for delivery workers, which amNY, Crain's and Gothamist covered far too credulously. Our coverage pointed out what was missing and who won't like it. The City also covered.
- Damn competitors! We asked the Department of Environmental Protection on Sept. 27 for details of its noise camera pilot program. We were put on the back burner, and now we know why: Hell Gate got the scoop. You win some, you lose some.
- We were very excited to see that the DOT is going to pour two concrete pedestrian islands and paint four new crosswalks at New Utrecht and 10th avenues in Brooklyn (DOT presentation), but kinda sorta couldn't believe that it takes the agency 18 months to do something so basic. See the timeline below:
- Finally, rain, rain go away (especially since the Braves lost last night — ya gotta believe). (Gothamist)
