A weekly roundup of good deeds, missteps, heroic feats and epic failures in the tri-state region and beyond.
Winners
MTA subway riders — As promised 11 months ago, Wi-Fi will be installed in all 279 underground New York City subway stations by the end of the 2016.
Hartford, CT — Connecticut’s capital city was named a Bike Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists, joining Farmington, Glastonbury, New Britain, New Haven, Simsbury, South Windsor and West Hartford.
Stamford, CT — High Ridge Road will be re-striped with buffered bike lanes and narrower traffic lanes.
Copenhagen — Bikes now outnumber cars in Denmark’s capital city.
Losers
New Jersey Transit — NJT has no dedicated funding stream, raised fares five times since 2000, leads the nation’s commuter railroads in breakdowns, safety violations and crashes, and suffers from frequent staff turnover. Oh, and last Sunday, a train derailed at Hoboken Terminal.
Connecticut pedestrians — Not a great month to be walking in the Nutmeg State. December started out with five people killed by drivers in a 24-hour period. And earlier this week, a pedestrian was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Hartford, a man was struck by two different drivers in Bridgeport, and a pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver in East Haven.
NY Assemblymember Dov Hikind and NYC Public Advocate Tish James — Pedestrian safety > driver convenience.
Donald J. Trump — The president-elect has chosen someone with no housing policy expertise whatsoever to lead HUD, and someone who has spent his career fighting environmental regulations for the benefit of the fossil fuel industry to lead the EPA.