Gov. Hochul certainly loves to mingle with out-of-towners in diners when they tell her how great she is for not charging them to drive into the part of the region best served by transit, but when it comes to hearing from city residents who not only support the exceedingly fair toll, but the law state law that created it, the gridlock guv is nowhere to be found.
Such was the case on Sunday, when the governor was the headliner at a rally to get the Democratic faithful fired up and ready to go for Kamala Harris (see flier right), but then bailed at the last minute after finding out that protesters were going to jeer her (we told her as much in a tweet last week):
Perhaps we were naive to think that the state's top official would be willing to listen to critics instead of surrounding herself with "yes" men and selfish drivers, but, of course, it's all part of the governor's ongoing divorce from reality.
Or, as Gothamist put over the weekend, "Gov. Hochul says NY has ‘successfully’ funded the MTA for over a century. Huh?"
And while all this was going on, groups of activists orchestrated by Riders Alliance fanned out to protest Gov. Hochul's pause on congestion pricing ... and the subway accessibility improvements it would have funded. The event was dubbed “One Day, Five Boroughs, 23 Stations” — that last number represents the nearly two dozen locations that won't get elevators. (amNY, Gothamist)
Meanwhile, our intense coverage of congestion pricing over the last three-plus months earned us some Crain's coverage.
In other news from a busy weekend:
- The best story of the weekend was the crazy pickup truck driver who assaulted a tow-truck driver, then stole the tow truck, and then took a joy ride that ended up destroying his and about a dozen other cars (here's the shocking video from not one, not two, but three angles). Unfortunately, most coverage focused on the road rage sparked by being towed, but not the precipitating event: When you run the plate — not that any media outlets did, even though its super easy! — you see that this guy was wanted for hundreds of dollars in unpaid speeding tickets. So before you laugh off the story as just a crazy guy who got upset, remember that the tow truck driver was merely doing his job trying to get a reckless scofflaw off the street. And you media types: if a gun had been involved, you likely would have shown more diligence, so please show the same investigative interest when the weapon is merely a car. (NY Post)
- The MTA is putting together its next capital plan, the one that already has a huge funding hole (but, of course, Larry Penner is on it (Mass Transit)
- There's a lot more to the story of the trumped-up charges against two police reporters booted from their offices by the NYPD. Number one, it's part of a reporter's job to interview people in power. And, number two, the police do not get to make the rules about number one. (NYDN, NY Times)
- A drunk driver smashed his car ... right into a roadside memorial to a New Jersey State Police officer who had previously been killed in a highway crash two decades ago. (NY Post)
- Meanwhile, an off-duty cop was charged with drunk driving. (NY Post)
- The MTA and NYPD did another joint enforcement effort at the Midtown Tunnel, though no one was singing "Criminal Mischief" (maybe next time?). (amNY)
- From the assignment desk: It's going to be a very busy day today:
- At 9 a.m., Families for Safe Streets will rally at I.S. 125 In Woodside, Queens, to demand Mayor Adams take immediate action to prevent traffic violence and protect children. On hand will be the family of 16-year-old Jael Zhinin, who was killed by a reckless driver in June.
- At 6:30 p.m., the mayor will hold that bizarre "invite-only" town hall meeting to discuss the Underhill Avenue bike boulevard, which activists think will be a pretext for removing it. The local Council member, who supported the project, wasn't even invited, she told a Redditor.
- And at 6:30 p.m., I'll personally be attending a Brooklyn Community Board 7 Land use Committee meeting to witness firsthand a major proxy battle over Mayor Adams's City of Yes rezoning plan. Details on the Streetsblog calendar.
