Thursday’s Headlines: So How Was Your Day Edition

Cut to the chase: The only story yesterday was Gov. Hochul’s decision to shelve congestion pricing — likely killing it for another generation. Everyone in our world was basically holding their heads in their hands all day, mumbling either obscenities or serenity prayers quietly to themselves while slowly rocking back and forth.

Why can’t we have nice things?

It was a question I asked Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, who was nice enough to attend the Transportation Alternatives gala last night (it was a wake, believe me, plus the line at the bar was too long!). She agreed that it had been a bad day. But then she reminded the crowd that she’s on the MTA board and she’s not happy:

In any event, everyone was on the story. I can’t list them all, so here are the must-reads beyond the basic first-day coverage:

• The Daily News asked what will happen to the $500 million that the MTA spent on congestion pricing cameras (over seven years).
• Plenty of outlets pointed out all that we have lost because of the governor’s decision. (NYDN, Streetsblog, Gothamist)
• The Post gloated, obviously.
• And so did New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. (NY Post)
• The Times, which co-broke the story, asked, “What now?”
• Several outlets pointed out that Gov. Hochul is just another craven politician. (NY Times, Streetsblog, amNY, Gothamist, Hell Gate, Ross Barkan)
• And a liar. (Streetsblog)
• Streetsblog fact-checked the governor’s hostage-video.
• Most outlets covered the basic and abundant outrage on the street. (NY Times, Streetsblog, The City, Crain’s)
• Crain’s focused on the MTA’s silent treatment.
• Finally, Curbed was barbed: “We Need Congestion Pricing, and Kathy Hochul Blew It.” Indeed, is there a more stinging opening paragraph than this from Justin Davidson:

“Even in the rich and varied annals of New York fecklessness, Governor Kathy Hochul’s last-minute decision to block congestion pricing wins a prize for doing harm by doing nothing. New York City should lead the world in urban transformation, as it did when it created a central water-supply system in the 1840s, mapped out an expanding grid of streets, built the subways, fast-tracked the technology of high-rise construction, developed a legal framework to control it, and enshrined historic preservation in law. Congestion pricing should have marked one of those moments when the city acted wisely to shape its own looming future — to start finally liberating itself from a century of obeisance to the internal combustion engine. Instead, it’s given craven politicians one more irresistible chance to blow it.”

In other news:

• Sorry, there was no other news, but Crain’s did follow our coverage of the slow, painful watering down of the mayor’s City of Yes zoning plan.