Monday’s Headlines: Smell a Rat Edition

Kudos again to reporter Katie Honan for not only photographing the mayor in his new rat swag (which Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, again at Hizzoner’s side, probably won’t don until there’s a version in red), but then solving the mystery of the new garb:

As Honan eluded, there’s more to the rat shirts than just fashion: the city now has a website where you can join the “NYC Rat Pack” and serve your neighbors. All you have to do is attend a virtual or in-person “Rat Academy” hosted by the Department of Health, then join a “Rat Walk,” and then participate in, or host, a “rat mitigation service event.” (Host? The possibilities are endless: little cheese cubes? Slightly nibbled slices of pizza? A buffet lunch served out of a big black garbage bag?)

“As a member of the NYC Rat Pack, you will be deputized to educate, engage, and take action on all things rat mitigation,” the website states (amNY and Gothamist also covered it).

Sounds good, but what about the shirts and caps?

“Once certified [by completing passing all three hurdles], you’ll get the swag to show off your NYC Rat Pack membership!”

Count me in! (I mean, seriously; I’ve signed up for the next virtual academy and I intend to spend my summer taking rat walks and undergoing mitigation service). See you at the garbage pile!

In other news from a busy weekend:

• The best story of the weekend was New York Focus‘s attempt to understand why former congestion pricing supporters in the transit labor universe suddenly flipped to oppose the toll, despite the huge benefit it will have for transit workers.
• The Times finally covered the new student OMNY card announcement from last week. The paper did finally get the main detail that eluded us in our initial coverage: the cards will not be ready for every student in every school on opening day.
• The other day, we reported that drivers would still get their congestion pricing carrot — free intra-Queens tolls — but amNY reported that the other shoe has dropped: express bus service that was set to be improved won’t be because of Gov. Hochul’s freeze of congestion pricing.
• The Post’s effort to undermine congestion pricing supporter Comptroller Brad Lander was so ham-handed that it has to be called out: Yes, the Post nailed Lander but good early this year when it revealed that he had been nabbed by city speed cameras 10 times in about a decade. But in a follow up on Saturday, the Tabloid of Record made it sound like Lander is still driving willfully recklessly all over town. In fact, since the Post’s original story, Lander has only gotten six parking tickets, or roughly one a month. He has not gotten another speeding- or red-light ticket at all.
• Speaking of congestion pricing, the one benefit that is rarely invoked by supporters — the decrease in traffic crashes — should be recalled when talking about the death of Ann Readick last week. The Village Sun story didn’t bother to point it out, but if Gov. Hochul hadn’t stopped the tolls, there would be 100,000 fewer cars in the central business district every day.
• Notwithstanding the aforementioned Post’s coverage, the paper did report on the rising pedestrian death toll.
• The mayor’s gun-sniffing robots may not survive a legal challenge. (amNY)
• Tom Fox wisely doesn’t want more commercial development inside Hudson River Park. (The Village Sun)
• The Times did a profile of Rosa Chang, who is helping to create a new skatepark in car-ravaged space under the Brooklyn Bridge.
• Upper Manhattan cyclists couldn’t help but notice all the new highway asphalt right next to the crumbing Hudson River Greenway. Thanks, Parks! (Hudson River Greenway Cyclists via Facebook)
• Hmm, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso sometimes does oppose new housing. (NY Post)
• Trees really cause havoc on some subway lines. (The City)
• The Village Sun finally printed a balanced take on e-bikes, thanks to commentary from Time’s Up founder Bill DiPaola.