Mayor Adams hates when the press does its job and reports on the rips and wrinkles in his governance of the city. Apparently, that may include coverage of his badly argued decision to rip up three blocks of the Bedford Avenue protected bike lane.
On a recent episode of journalist Nayeema Raza's "Smart Girl Dumb Questions" podcast, Adams whined about the City Hall press corps, whom he derided as "lefties." Adams complained, hardly for the first time, that local news media focus too much on his shortcomings and too little on his accomplishments:
City Hall has City Hall reporters. See, that's what a lot of people don't understand. I'm not talking about my editorial boards who have real level-head, deep thinkers, and really go into the projects. I'm talking about the people who are covering me. They're lefties. So they get happy whenever — if I don't do something they like about bike lanes, they enjoy it. "We're going to rip him apart." "So what you did, you're doing more pre-K seats in the history of [the city] — yeah, we're going to find one parent who's upset."
Of course, we know Hizzoner couldn't be talking about Streetsblog because as everyone knows, we have not enjoyed the mayor's messy decision to rip up the bike lane one bit, especially since the Department of Transportation says the move will make the roadway less safe.
Rather than seeking out a real solution for Bedford Avenue, Adams chose to pit communities against one another. He chose to create an ugly situation where one small constituency put a larger one in danger — and the entire city lost a crucial piece of a bike network.
It's sad to see a protected bike lane literally scraped off the street — and a fitting possible penultimate chapter for a mayor whose transportation record is stacked with failed promises and crony meddling.
Meanwhile, Bedford Avenue bike lane opponents celebrated their renewed ability to block the bike lane after Adams removed it, PIX11 reported and Williamsburg 365 gloated:
ALERT: The DOT is urgently requesting that no cars be parked along Bedford Avenue over Shabbos so crews can continue the bike lane work swiftly. They’ll be working tonight, and Motzei Shabbos to complete the project more quickly. pic.twitter.com/aFMib4edpP
— Williamsburg 365 News (@Williamsburg365) August 1, 2025
In other news:
- The mayor refuses to sign off on funding for free trash cans for city homeowners. (NY Post)
- Chappell Roan rode a Citi Bike (and the subway) in the video for her new single "The Subway." (YouTube)
- A recent tragedy is another sad reminder that cars are weapons. (Daily News, ABC 7 NY)
- DOT's anti-daylighting talking points provided the fuel for the Post's pro-parking, anti-safety, anti-progressive fire over the weekend. Other outlets piled on. And amNY piled on.
- OMNY trip history is back after an extremely long hiatus. (Jason Rabinowitz via Bluesky)
- An SUV driver killed an e-cyclist in Queens Village. (amNY)
- Gov. Hochul and the MTA celebrated the initial approval of the IBX, which is still years from opening. (NY Post, Curbed)
- "The MTA accidentally made a bomb." (Gothamist)
- Sign this petition in favor of expanding park access under the Queensboro Bridge. (New Yorkers for Parks)
- Here's why the 2/3 train is skipping Clark Street. (Second Ave. Sagas)
- And finally, despite last week's heat, the Pulaski Bridge bike path hit new highs, thanks to the installation of the McGuinness Boulevard protected bike lane:
