Tuesday’s Headlines: A Pretty Normal Commute Edition

You may have read our report yesterday about how the Secretary of Transportation called New York City’s subway system a “shithole,” though Hell Gate had the only-in-New-York take: “Hey, who the hell are you to call our subway a ‘shithole?’ Only we can do that!”

The thing is, with crime down dramatically, this crotchety New Yorker has been having trouble seeing the subway for the shithole that Sean Duffy thinks it is.

But maybe my eyes are going, so in an attempt to try to understand where our Wisconsin-native U.S. DOT Secretary was coming from, I headed downstairs and decided to share my commute with him. Here are my notes from underground:

In other news:

• Hey, President Trump, your opposition to congestion pricing is “sloppy…” (Washington Post)
• …Unless you don’t like hit shows, I suppose. (amNY)
• In any event, the revenue from congestion pricing continues to be above projection. (NYDN, amNY, Gothamist)
• …And why do we need that money? Because basic accessibility is failing. (amNY)
• Also, the MTA will do some of its capital work in-house instead of contracting it out. (NYDN)
• The New Republic is looking at the immigration threats affecting delivery workers … and the silence of their tech masters.
• The threats don’t just come from bad actors, but also from bad pavement: A 61-year-old delivery worker was killed when he plunged into a pothole, fell off his bike and struck his head. (East Side Feed)
• The mayor can try to defend it, but the City Council says the administration’s policy of involuntarily hospitalizing the homeless isn’t working. (amNY)
• Did you notice the Times’s car industry reporter is more of a bike guy? (Times Insider)
• Speaking of which, you know car culture is weakening when the former host of “Top Gear” says driving in urban London is idiotic. (The Standard)
• We love Hell Gate’s interactive “diner map,” but we think it needs to be beefed up in Manhattan and The Bronx.
• Speaking of which, Paris continues to dine out … on our lunch. (Reuters)

• And, finally, mayoral hopeful and former Assembly Member Michael Blake signed the pledge to finish the McGuinness Boulevard redesign. His John Hancock follows fellow candidates Brad Lander and Zohran Mamdani. Scott Stringer is up next apparently: