Sure, it was a gorgeous day yesterday — but that's only because you're not a mauled street safety device.
As the snows continued receding yesterday, many of our friends on the various social mediums posted pictures of vital life-saving devices that had been installed in good faith by the Department of Transportation only to end their lives ripped up by Sanitation Department snowplows and sent to an early grave.
Here are some examples:
I’ve been seeing these all over intersections. This winter was intense but curious if there is a new strategy being considered by @NYC_DOT in replacing them. Seems like they all popped out and revealed very small bolts had been used. Is there a better approach for #VisionZero? pic.twitter.com/I3eaGLGQYC
— paco (dave) abraham (@subtle116) March 8, 2026
So many concrete blocks & planters got knocked out of place by snow plows on @34_ave clearing snow from the last two big storms, that neighbors are even trying to move them back into place - with extremely little success. Help! @NYC_DOT @StreetsblogNYC @CMShekarK @chabot_jackson pic.twitter.com/Klf46WxUpx
— Streetfilms (Now 1,134+ films!) (@Streetfilms) March 8, 2026
It's no joke; those little black-and-yellow armadillos may not stop a 5,000-pound Cybertruck driver from killing a kid in a crosswalk, but they do signal to responsible drivers to slow down and make wide, safe turns. The DOT has installed them all over the place, and they work ... at least until they're ripped up and cast aside like yesterday's bus bunching report.
And big boulders designed to keep out cars? Ditto.
Got more pics? Send them here and we'll keep posting them. We reached out to DSNY and DOT, but initially only heard back from the Sanitation folks, who said that everything will be replaced. (Update: We later heard from DOT, which said it was working to realign the blocks on 34th Avenue and it should all be done by today. The agency also replaces the rubber pieces routinely, spokesman Vin Barone said. For prompt service, call 311).
In other news:
- Speaking of the gorgeous day, the weather-obsessed Post says it won't last.
- The Times loves cars so much, it even loves how they wink at each other.
- Speaking of the Times, the Paper of Record really botched its story about a Toronto suburb that has become a tourist attraction because of its many immigrant food vendors, enraging locals. The paper barely referenced the fact that in suburban areas, "visitors" mean "cars," instead unleashing a torrent of racist crap in the comments section as readers targeted the wrong villain.
- On the plus side, we were happy that the Times finally weighed in on Gov. Hochul's flawed push to lower car insurance rates (albeit begrudgingly linking to our industry-leading coverage the scheme). On the plus side, reporters Benjamin Oreskes and Stefanos Chen did connect one dot that we hadn't gotten to yet in our copious coverage: Hochul's quick abandonment of her AV taxi expansion is linked to the taxi workers' support for the insurance ploy.
- On the same topic, at long last, the Schneps clan offered victims some equal time in their fairly relentless cheering for Gov. Hochul's car insurance scheme. (amNY)
- The Post was so upset about our story that Mayor Mamdani is considering charging for parking that it got the math all wrong.
- More activists want the Cross Bronx to be fixed not expanded. (amNY)
- QueensLink makes the LitNYC podcast.
- The DOT wants to hear your thoughts about the future look of the 14th Street busway. Gothamist had the handout, but others followed, with amNY playing it straight and Streetsblog pushing the envelope.
- There's always a Streetsblog angle ... even on ICE. (Daily Beast)
- Why can't we have nice enforcement. (Bloomberg)
