Tuesday’s Headlines: Mamdani On Notice Edition

You may have noticed that we have been covering police parking and reckless driving for years. Our coverage has been so solid that even the federal Department of Justice was inspired to act.

Mayor Mamdani knows all about that, but it’s hard for a mayor to know about every single recklessly driving cop who threatens all the residents within driving distance of his precinct house. I mean, there are so many!

But as part of our annual March (Parking) Madness contest this year — polls close tonight at 10 p.m.! — we spotted cops at the 120th Precinct whose personal driving is so egregious that we simply had to bring it up to Hizzoner.

So we sent Sophia Lebowitz to ask the question — a question, frankly, that other outlets should be asking:

As part of Streetsblog’s annual review of placard parking at precinct houses, we discovered that at Staten Island’s 120th Precinct, 82 percent of police officers’ personal vehicles had been ticketed by cameras for reckless driving multiple times. One cop had 57 camera tickets, another had 40, another had 25 and another had 24, you get the idea. Why does the city provide free parking to police officers who drive recklessly through school zones — or will you do something about it?

First, Mamdani showed off his charm:

But then he promised, “We will definitely follow up on that thank you for flagging.”

A “thank you” from the mayor! So I guess I’ll offer a hearty, “You’re welcome!” to the mayor for our role in making him fully aware that cops are among the worst drivers in town. But it also means the mayor is again on notice that the Mamdani-O-Meter (right) doesn’t only move in one direction … and we’ll be watching to see what he does.

In other news:

• The big news yesterday was that Waymo’s permit to test driverless cars has expired and was not renewed by the city or state departments of Transportation. We’ll also be diving deeper into that, but for now, The City has you covered. And City & State looked at the politics of the end of testing.
• The yellow cab drivers’ union put out a mixed statement about Gov. Hochul’s attempt to reduce car insurance premiums that, in short, urges the governor to refrain from making it harder for crash victims to get compensation. (NY Taxi Workers Alliance via Twitter)
• Speaking of insurance, no insurance company has confirmed that it will lower rates if Gov. Hochul’s Uber-backed plan is adopted anyway. (Capitol Confidential)
• This sounded alarming at first, but it’s not that bad. Parts of Penn Station will be closed to everyone but World Cup ticket holders on game days later this summer, NJ.com exclusively reported, but the biggest pain will be for the usual suspects: NJ Transit users: “NJ Transit commuters will not be able to access New Jersey-bound trains at New York Penn Station for four hours before World Cup matches are set to start at MetLife Stadium.” But Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road customers will merely be directed to other entrances, a slight inconvenience.
• Classic New York Post: Here the tabloid celebrates a new way to place restaurant orders for delivery — but then will completely forget its cheerleading when it wants to blame cyclists for “chaos” on the streets.
• Get ready for the non-stop whining of Staten Island-bound drivers. (Brooklyn Eagle)
• It’s spring — and a young kid’s fancy turns to bikes. Make sure the little ones are ready with these free classes provided by Bike New York in Herald Square over the next three Saturdays. Click here for details.
• The city Department of Transportation put out a massive racial equity roadmap. Check it out here.
• Oh, so here’s why we’re having so much trouble planning Streetsblog’s 20th anniversary block party! But once again, we agree with Council Member Frank Morano (R-Staten Island), who said, “New York used to be the city that never sleeps. Now it’s the city that cancels.” (NY Post)
• Why do we allow such big trucks in the city? (Reddit)
• Gov. Hochul wants to outdo Mayor Pothole, as Hell Gate reported, but, of course, the Post hates anyone who (checks notes) does the thing that the Post demanded in the first place.
• I’ve always loved City & State’s “Grizzled Old Editors in Transportation” list for obvious reasons, but yesterday’s “trailblazers” in transportation was a bit, um, meh. I mean, I like state Sen. Leroy Comrie as much as the next guy, but it’s hard to call a lawmaker who has been in office virtually non-stop since 2002 a “trailblazer.”
• So much for “renewable” fuel. (The Footprint)