Wednesday’s Headlines: Stringing Along with Stringer Edition

Mayoral hopeful and city Comptroller Scott Stringer will make some big news this afternoon, releasing his transportation plan (which we’ll post when the time comes!) and we’ll even get to cover his in-person press conference, too (which will provide us with a chance to put on real clothes for the first time in weeks).

And later, at 6 p.m., the Department of Transportation will have the first of two visioning sessions to figure out if a small minority of car owners will prevent North Brooklyn’s open streets from becoming something truly wonderful (register for the Zoom call here). Why can’t we have nice things? Because people buy cars and then expect the city to provide free places for them to store them.

And at 6:30 p.m., Queens Community Board 1 will listen as DOT presents its plans for a permanent protected bike lane on Northern Boulevard, which was a great temporary protected bike lane … until the Department of Sanitation destroyed all the flexiposts during the December snowstorm. The meeting agenda is here.

We’re on those stories. Until then, here’s our news roundup:

• Any ideas why the MTA would be late on filing a state-mandated report on how its costs compare to transit systems in other cities? Any guesses? Any? (NYDN)
• After catching flak for admitting it removed benches to prevent homeless people from sleeping in the subway, the MTA put in those terrible fake “benches,” which are really just pieces of wood on the wall. (NY Post)
• The latest “War on Cars” podcast is out — a fun, in-depth analysis of the Super Bowl ads (especially a brilliant take-down of Springsteen’s “The Middle” Jeep ad at around 31 minutes). But we can’t help wishing that the three hosts, Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon and Aaron Naparstek, had kept up the sportscaster conceit of the opening three-minutes (the “pre-game” show). Gordon, referring to the new U.S. DOT top officials as “The Boot and the Trottz” was a highlight. Even the ads on this episode are great. (War on Cars)
• Left unsaid in the episode was Gordon’s tweet from last week about his new media company that is poised to profit on the micro-mobility revolution. Gordon says the production company, Brooklyn Spoke Media, is “intended to help mobility companies, advocacy organizations, governments and more tell stories that promote better cities.”
• The hit-and-run driver who critically wounded a delivery cyclist on the Lower East Side was caught and hit with minor charges — and was called “sir” by the judge. (NYDN)
• Pollution from fossil fuels is killing more than eight million people a year. (The Guardian)
• Larry Penner still has questions about the LIRR’s plans for that new Elmont station. (This Island Now)
• And, finally, can the Mets do something right this time? (amNY)