Tuesday’s Headlines: More the Merrier Edition
We couldn’t be happier that Hell Gate is eating our lunch on the hypocrisy of supposed law-and-order types supporting a right-wing, pro-police gubernatorial candidate while driving around in cars with scores of violations on their record.
Law and order for thee, but not for me?
One day after the upstart website published Liam Quigley’s great piece about an Adams administration staffer driving around in a ghost car (the kind on which the mayor said he’d crack down), Christopher Robbins wrote up the Lee Zeldin truck rally that was led by recidivist reckless driver Inna Vernikov and featured many vehicles with multiple infractions.
A few weeks ago, we caught Vernikov with 23 camera-issued tickets, but she didn’t call us back. She also didn’t respond to Robbins, who likely wanted to ask her how she reconciles being a school-zone speeding law-breaker with her support for electing supposedly tough on crime Lee Zeldin.
Jeff Coltin midwifed the whole thing:
If you’re excited about it this, you’re not allowed to complain about the big motorbike / ATV rides. https://t.co/Mceri4U1Db
— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) November 6, 2022
We’re just happy that other outlets are getting in on the “hey, reckless driving is part of law and order” beat. But truth be told, we wish we’d had the Zeldin convoy story; it’s a good one.
In other news:
- Two girls were hit by a driver in Sunset Park — along the very strip where the city had wanted to make safety improvements only to backtrack amid predictable protest by local business people and their car-loving enablers (not that the Daily News pointed out that part).
- These are the kind of wonderful people who are taking from our communities because of reckless drivers. Rest in peace, Verna McKnight. (NYDN)
- The “Get Stuff Done” mayor isn’t doing enough on climate change, critics say (The City). Gee, we wonder why! (Crain’s)
- Weekend subway ridership is still way ahead of weekday commuting. (amNY)
- Train Daddy Andy Byford is back in the States and looking for work, the Post reported. We have just the job for him.
- Today’s Election Day, so of course the Post is still shilling for Lee Zeldin. Endorsements are one thing, but literally finding random people in the subway to say they’re voting for Zeldin tells us nothing.
- It’s what we’ve been saying all along: “affordable housing” isn’t. (Crain’s)
- Bloomberg is the latest outlet to realize that adding cops to the subway isn’t working.
- Big Ben Brachfeld beat us into print with his writeup of the DOT’s solid plans for the Washington Bridge, but we’ll get him back soon. (amNY)
- Just as we found with the 34th Avenue open street in Queens, North Brooklyn residents are pointing out that car-free streets are just plain safer. (via Twitter)
Our beloved #BerryOpenStreet is a safer passage for all from the Williamsburg Bridge, to school, to work, to local businesses, and to McCarren Park. Have you signed our petition to make this permanent? https://t.co/BRmfwOZJZo Let's dive into the data: pic.twitter.com/k2MRj1E1kE
— North Brooklyn Open Streets (@nbkopenstreets) November 7, 2022