Tuesday’s Headlines: Less Wonderful Time of the Year Edition

OK, Christmas is over (we’re already seeing trees end up in Mulchfest piles!), and we’re back to the grind. And, apparently, other outlets are, too, because there was a lot of news this weekend when you were (and when I say “you were,” I mean “I was”) drinking too much egg nog and eating too many fruitcakes:

• It’s nearly 2024 and electric buses are still not ready for prime time, apparently. (NYDN)
• The Post’s Nolan Hicks did a deep dive on why Amtrak, NJ Transit and the MTA need to work together to avoid a Penn Station mess, something we reported a while back.
• The Post caught a guy who parks his car without plates, a problem that has been exploding lately on livable streets Twitter.
• We’ve already reported on how Mayor Adams will miss his legally mandated bus- and bike-lane mileage figures, but now The City is reporting that he’ll miss the 2025 emissions reduction deadline.
• Another misguided would-be traffic engineer has sued over congestion pricing, claiming it will bring traffic to Battery Park City (which is absurd because entering Battery Park City from the West Side Highway would force a driver to pay the toll). (Gothamist)
• Speaking of opposition to congestion pricing, now it’s coming from city EMTs who, admittedly, aren’t paid as well as they should be, but all the more reason why the should not live in places where they are chained to a car (NY Post) — especially given new research showing just how bad cars are for people’s finances. Of course, Brent Toderian had a take:

• Overtime for cops in the subway has cost the city $150 million, up from $4 million last year. But sure, let’s blame immigrants for all our alleged fiscal problems. (NY Post)
• There was all sorts of carnage this weekend:
  • In the Bronx, a driver slammed into a truck. (NYDN)
  • In Queens, a moped rider struck by a taxi driver died after a three-week battle. (NYDN)
  • A beloved Bronx teacher was killed by a driver in Kentucky. (NY Post)
  • There was a vicious crash on Utopia Parkway that left one woman clinging to life, WABC7 reported, but our story had vital context that the TV crews ignored.
• The Times Square shuttle will take a breather this week (amNY), and there’ll be no weekend trains at Queensboro Plaza all of January (Gothamist).
• No one wants to see ants on the street, but you gotta see these leaf-cutters at the American Museum of Natural History. (NY Times)
• Former federal transit man Larry Penner celebrated the anniversary of the opening of the Archer Avenue line in 1988. (Mass Transit)
• And, finally, we had a lot of generous donations to our annual fundraising drive during the weekend, so let’s honor all of our benefactors here: Thanks, David! Thanks, Michael! Thanks, Anne! Thanks, Daniel! Thanks, Rachel! Thanks, Timothy! Thanks, Kathryn (former Council Member)! Thanks, Linda! Thanks, Ian! Thanks, Andrew!
• And if you want to join their ranks, click the logo below: