A weekly roundup of good deeds, missteps, heroic feats and epic failures in the tri-state region and beyond.
WINNERS
New Yorkers — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (finally) reached an agreement on how to fund the MTA’s five-year capital program.
Hoboken, NJ — The city launched the first phase of its long-awaited bike share program.
Maryland Department of Transportation — The agency will be the first state transportation department to fund pop-up protected bike lanes.
Transformation Department — Speaking of pop-up protected bike lanes, this anonymous group of safe streets advocates created one along Manhattan’s Chrystie Street using 25 traffic cones and a dozen sunflowers.
Fayetteville, Arkansas — Fayetteville eliminated minimum parking requirements for commercial properties citywide, making it the first U.S. city to do so.
LOSERS
Midtown pedestrians — The three-month trial run for Penn Station’s Plaza33 ended this week.
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy — Seemingly oblivious to the concept of induced demand, the governor claimed that widening Interstates 95 and 84 will boost the state’s economy by easing congestion.
Long Island drivers — This week, several Long Island drivers engaged in seriously dangerous driving, including leaving the scene after striking a pedestrian, crashing into a family’s living room, driving while intoxicated with a 3-year-old passenger, and endangering young children and bystanders.
Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi — Following the Volkswagen emissions scandal, several other car companies’ diesel models are now known to emit significantly more emissions during realistic driving tests than in the lab.
