A weekly roundup of good deeds, missteps, heroic feats and epic failures in the tri-state region and beyond.
WINNERS
New York City Councilmember Brad Lander — After some outcry from a vocal minority opposing Citi Bike’s expansion into his Brooklyn district, Councilmember Lander issued a fact-based response to concerns over parking, station location and street safety.
Women Who Bike — Citi Bike is celebrating Women’s Bike Month this October to encourage more women to bike in New York City. In a group ride this morning, NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg also announced the opening of the city’s newest protected bike lane on Sixth Avenue.
So many fantastic women leaders in NYC transportation sector. Let's close the #bikenyc gender gap. Become a woman who bikes. #womenwhobike pic.twitter.com/r2sD5pvREY
— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) October 19, 2016
CTfastrak — In a report upgrading New Britain’s bond rating, Fitch Ratings cited CTfastrak as one factor in boosting the city’s rating by attracting developers to downtown New Britain.
MTA — The MTA received the Compassionate Business Award from PETA for stopping trains to rescue a pair of kittens stuck on the tracks.
LOSERS
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie — Governor Christie defended his three-month shutdown of transportation projects as a way to secure tax cuts alongside the gas tax increase, “by essentially holding [Democratic lawmakers] hostage.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio — Instead of hopping on the G train, Mayor de Blasio used an NYPD helicopter to beat last Friday’s evening traffic to get from Prospect Park to Long Island City.
NYPD — According to new data, the NYPD is failing to catch hit-and-run drivers who injure or kill people. Between July 2015 and June 2016, officers apprehended roughly 64 percent of drivers who seriously injured victims and fled the scene, but just 34 percent of drivers involved in fatal hit-and-run crashes.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority — The agency proposed significantly reducing off-peak bus and rail service at 20 low-performing Metro stations, more than half of which are located in D.C. communities that are predominately black and low-income.
WMATA didn’t really propose reducing rail service and closing the 20 least used stations during off-peak periods. Instead they merely threw out a bunch of crazy and poorly documented ideas to scare people into thinking about how to close a FY18 operating budget gap of about $275 million.
While it is true that about half of the 20 stations with the lowest ridership are in lower income and minority communities, the other half are in higher income neighborhoods. The ridership is what it is.
WMATA continues to be a poorly managed agency and time will tell whether some of the new managers from NYC Transit are able to repair the DC system.