Driver-caused carnage was on our minds on Monday, thanks to, well, all the carnage that drivers continue to cause.
The Yeshiva World rocked our afternoon with exclusive video of a crash on — where else? — Ocean Parkway. The video standard issue fare — a reckless driver impatiently running a red light on a badly designed, overly wide, recklessness-encouraging mini-highway — but we couldn't help but remember that the scene of Monday's crash was just a few blocks away from where Miriam Yarimi was able to get her Audi up to 68 miles per hour, crash into another car and kill a mother and two of her children earlier this year.
There was an outpouring of outrage last week when Yarimi was "only" sentenced to three-to-nine years — but not so much outrage that any of the law-and-order local electeds demanded that Ocean Parkway be tamed with a safety redesign (let's not get crazy here!).
Until it's made safe for all road users, crashes like the one depicted below are going to keep happening. Remember, there are no "accidents"; there are only results. This time, at least, there were only injuries:
The Yeshiva World video came as we were all digesting the second-day coverage of the crazy car-culture violence in Whitestone over the weekend. Gothamist did the straight write-thru (as we used to say on the rewrite desk), the Post got the NYPD to apologize and promise swifter response, while our own J.K. Trotter found an angle that poked holes in Council Member Vickie Paladino's notion of street safety.
And speaking more of carnage, a man was killed by a hit-and-run driver on the Grand Concourse. The NYPD didn't apologize for that, mind you. (NY Post, Gothamist)
In other news:
- Mayor-elect Mamdani released the lists of his transition team members in multiple categories. We were pleased to see so many bold-faced names (and frequent sources!) on the "Transportation, Climate, & Infrastructure," including: Sara Lind, Ben Kabak, Ben Furnas, Eddie Bautista, Tabitha Decker, Michael Flynn, Meera Joshi, Nivardo Lopez, Clare Miflin, Betsy Plum, John Samuelsen, Siddhartha Sanchez. Tiffany Ann Taylor, Midori Valdivia and Justin Wood. It's like Page Six for Streetsbloggers! The Daily News, the Post also covered.
- Let's continue the gossip-page style with this little tidbit: Former high-level city DOT official Ryan Russo was not on the transition team list. Perhaps he's already gotten the job he wants?
- In a relatedly story, Mamdani said on Monday he remains "troubled" by allegations that the NYPD was involved in an FBI investigation that included surveillance of volunteer immigration observers. (The City)
- Surprisingly, very few outlets covered yesterday's Council hearing on making outdoor dining a year-round program. But Gothamist and yours truly had more or less the same angle: The program is dying, no matter who you blame. Oddly, Hell Gate played it straight.
- Rick Cotton, we hardly knew ye. (NY Times, NYDN)
- Remember how we reported that Rad Power Bikes was in trouble? Well, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is piling on. (CPSC via X.com)
- Talk about tactical urbanism! Meet Elise Joshi. (Via X.com)
