A weekly roundup of good deeds, missteps, heroic feats and epic failures in the tri-state region and beyond.
Winners
New York State Thruway Authority — After the new “Mario Cuomo Bridge” opens, NYSTA will dismantle the Tappan Zee Bridge and re-use its parts to fix other bridges across New York.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio — After driver Deborah Pecoraro was fined only $250 for killing pedestrian Mary Cerqua in a Staten Island crosswalk, Mayor de Blasio called for stronger penalties for drivers who violate the City’s Right of Way law.
Bristol, UK cyclist Jenni Morton-Humphreys — After Morton-Humphreys’ bike was stolen, she stole it back by pretending to be interested in buying it from the thief.
Losers
New York City transit users — Governor Cuomo is determined to spend $216 to $350 million on choreographed light shows for New York City bridges, even though there’s a really obvious place he should be investing that money instead.
Connecticut — The Nutmeg State’s Special Transportation Fund is hurtling toward insolvency and its debt load — now in a class with only Illinois and New Jersey — has made paying for transportation projects a challenge.
Atlanta — Without the required authorization from the City Council, the City of Atlanta removed a two-way cycle track and replaced it with — wait for it — parking.
USDOT Secretary Elaine Chao — The United States Department of Transportation has quietly terminated the investigation into Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s cancellation of the Red Line project, the funding for which he diverted to roads.