A weekly roundup of good deeds, missteps, heroic feats and epic failures in the tri-state region and beyond.
Winners
Congressman Jerrold Nadler — The Cross Harbor Rail Freight tunnel, which Rep. Nadler has supported for years, got $70 million from the Port Authority for a Tier II Environmental Impact Study and planning and engineering work.
NYC Council Members Helen Rosenthal and Ydanis Rodriguez — The New York City Council passed a bill sponsored by Council Member Rosenthal which will direct the city’s Department of Transportation to study pedestrian scramble (or “Barnes Dance“) crossings, and another bill sponsored by Council Member Rodriguez which will direct the DOT to study sidewalk congestion.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin — Connecticut’s capital city is pedestrianizing a downtown street, investing in safety upgrades on a major thoroughfare, and backing a plan which would reconnect neighborhoods by capping over portions of Interstate 84.
Losers
NY Governor Andrew Cuomo — New York City’s subways are becoming less and less reliable, and the governor is nowhere to be found. Oh wait, there he is, awarding a multimillion dollar contract for the AirTrain to LaGuardia that nobody needs.
Amtrak — Can anyone spare $38 billion?
Curtis Sliwa — Frustrated and surprised by road closures related to the 5 Boro Bike Tour — which has been going on for 40 years now — the radio personality and Guardian Angels founder took to social media to blast Mayor Bill de Blasio for prioritizing “Pee Wee Hermans on their bicycles” over people driving cars.
