The drum we started beating on Monday morning — that pedestrians and people in wheelchairs are treated like garbage whenever it snows in this town — was still pounding out fat disco beats all through Tuesday.
First, we couldn't stop watching this Reddit video, which is like the Zapruder film of all the ways that pedestrians (and conscientious property owners who do their best to meet their shoveling responsibilities) are fucked:
Scenes like that were on most everyone's mind as the mayor held his daily press conference, where Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson admitted that the city was struggling to make everything safe for pedestrians ... and begged for patience, as Gothamist reported.
The issue, as seen in that Reddit video as well as the photo at the top of this story (taken after noon on Tuesday) is that the city's snow clearing operation doesn't end for days after a big storm, meaning that snowplows were still pushing roadway detritus to the side of the road ... and re-blocking curb cuts for pedestrians.
There has to be another way. If only we had a young, ambitious, bright and shiny new mayor who thinks outside the box — and by "the box," we mean "the same old car-first way we conceive of how the public gets around." We can change this, you know.
For instance, a few years ago, Streetsblog led the fight to get the city's bike lanes swept of snow at the same time as the car lanes. And as the Department of Sanitation showed yesterday, now the equal treatment is just part of city life (enjoy the mandatory-sound-on video below):
And keep your sound on to hear Steve Vaccaro encounter difficulties taking out a Citi Bike in one of his latest Instagram posts (click the still image):
In other news:
- "It's so cold in New York City, the rent froze itself." OK, it's not the funniest thing we've ever heard, but the Post apparently found Mayor Mamdani's joke on "The Tonight Show" a "cringe" moment. Come on, Rupert, lighten up. (After all, our Mamdani-O-Meter keeps adding days.)
- Speaking of how the city gets rid of snow, here's how Japan does it. (The Autopian)
- And here's one way to achieve Vision Zero. (NY Post)
- People were upset that NYC Ferry service was halted because of ice in the river, which sounds fair until you realize that winter ice was the reason that we built the Brooklyn Bridge and an underground rapid transit system. Still, you'd think in 2026, ferries could be all-season? (NY Post)
- Inconceivable! AOC has joined Gov. Hochul's foolish, Uber-led campaign to lower car insurance premiums by denying crash victims proper compensation. How did progressive leaders like her and Mayor Mamdani end up so wrong about such a disastrous policy? (Julie Menin via X)
- Meanwhile, Kevin Duggan was on Radio Catskill talking about the bid to lower car insurance on the backs of crash victims.
- Did Amtrak (or maybe its unions?) blink after Gov. Hochul said she would create Metro-North service between Albany and the city? (Streetsblog Empire State)
- The City had new details from the charges against former Adams adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin. "Much of the discussion regarding the McGuinness Boulevard bike lane and other alleged schemes was secretly recorded by law enforcement, who had been tapping Lewis-Martin’s phones since September 2022," Greg B. Smith reported. "In one exchange, Lewis-Martin ridiculed supporters of the bike lane, writing, 'We do not care what they say. We are ignoring them and continuing with our plan. They can kiss my ass.'" Well, who's kissing whose ass now?
- You're going to be reading a lot today about Andy Byford and the process to create President Trump's dream Penn Station, but for now, the Brit still feels like he's in control of the project. Lol. (Our Town)
- The main issue, of course, is that the Gateway Tunnel project is, indeed, dead because of the president's pique at New York. (NY Times)
- And Byford is tethered to the same president who is killing the Second Avenue Subway, too. (Streetsblog)
- Let's celebrate, anew, the Vision Zero success of Hoboken. (Reasons to be Cheerful)
- Whatever happened to that mid-block crosswalk promised for the Upper West Side? (West Side Rag)
- Changes are coming to the 2, 3, 4 and 5 lines in Brooklyn. (WPIX)
- We have a new Environmental Protection Commissioner! (The City)
- Finally, there will be an Alex Pretti memorial ride in solidarity with Minneapolis this Saturday at 2 p.m. from Foley Square. (Instagram)
