Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Today's Headlines

Wednesday’s Headlines: Unjustified Victory Lap Edition

Cyclist deaths are surging, but Mayor Adams is shining that turd. Plus other news.

Photo: Flickr/NYC DOT|

Not pictured — a ‘mission accomplished’ banner.

Cyclist deaths are surging — but Mayor Adams and Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez struck a positive tone on Tuesday about their flailing efforts to reduce traffic deaths.

Writing in Tuesday's Daily News, Rodriguez pointed to a 20-percent drop in pedestrian deaths so far this year compared to last year as evidence that the city's "commitment to Vision Zero" has not wavered.

Forget that Vision Zero, as envisioned nearly 10 years ago by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, aimed to cut all traffic deaths to zero by 2024 (which, uh, is next year). Forget that cyclist deaths through the first seven months of 2023 were higher than the first seven months of any previous year on record.

Mayor Adams — who has allowed multiple safety projects to veer off course this summer — jumped in on the round of premature self-congratulations. But as former DOT official Jon Orcutt noted, the end-of-year stats are what truly matter.

In other news:

  • NYPD's proclivity for violent car chases under Mayor Adams landed a 30-year-old cyclist in the hospital after an attempted weapons sting in Manhattan on Tuesday. (ABC 7 NY)
  • ... just hours after The Post reported police brass has urged cops to "familiarize" themselves with the department's vehicle pursuit policy, which states that a chase "must be terminated whenever the risks to [NYPD] and the public outweigh the danger to the community if the suspect is not immediately apprehended."
  • The Daily News editorial board cited Streetsblog's reporting in its admonition of both "whiner" David Simon and the legislators in Albany who control the city's speed camera program.
  • Eight people were hospitalized on Monday after an MTA bus driver side-swiped a parked truck. (NY Post)
  • Will the MTA get out of the way of this Bronx greenway project? (The City)
  • A Long Island cop drove his car into a suspect. Post: "Quick thinking."
  • Toll cheats are top of mind for new head of MTA Bridges and Tunnels. (S.I. Advance)
  • MTA leaders to hold a "virtual town hall" on the proposed IBX. (MTA via X, amNY)
  • Finally — a new era in NYC trash collection has arrived:

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

And the Winner Is…: Streetsblog’s New Video Team Honored with Deadline Club Award

Streetsblog's social media team, led by Engagement Editor Emily Lipstein, received the Deadline Club's award for digital video reporting on Thursday night.

Friday Video: The ‘Clear’ Benefits of Daylighting

The doyen of daylighting is back with a new video.

May 16, 2025

How One Anti-Gov’t Republican Signed onto a Street Safety Bill to Rein in Reckless Drivers

State Sen. Anthony Palumbo went from "government overreach" to reaching across the aisle in a single day.

May 16, 2025

‘All in the Family’: NYPD Commissioner and Power-Broker Mom Are Both Crusading Against E-Bikes

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has justified her criminal crackdown on cycling by saying that complaints about cyclists are the most frequent concerns she hears. Such complaints could be coming from inside the house.

May 16, 2025

Puddles Plague Hudson River Greenway As Rain Batters NYC

Greenway cyclists face dangerous conditions when it rains — as Streetsblog observed this week in Manhattan.

May 16, 2025
See all posts