Monday Headlines: A Picture Of Danger Edition
New York’s Capitol Region wasn’t listed as one of the most dangerous metro areas in the country in a new report from Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition, but it faced a fate just as bad.
Stock images of Niskayuna and Schenectady were used to illustrate the report’s title, Dangerous by Design, and the argument that much of the pedestrian death and injury seen on America’s roadways is the result of design logic that prioritizes cars not people.
It’s worth remembering that the danger of the region’s roadways has touched politicians where it hurts most. State Sen. Robert Smullen’s (R-Meco) 14-year-old son Alexander John Smullen was hit by a car while walking on state Route 7 in Niskayuna in 2024. Alexander John died from his wounds.
Despite the localized imagery, the report lays much of the blame at the feet of state DOTs who often hold final authority and the purse strings when it comes to safety upgrades.
“State departments of transportation not only hold incredible amounts of funding and other resources, but they also set statewide design standards and can block much needed progress on roads that serve both as local main streets and state connectors,” the report said. “If state DOTs acted upon their oft-stated priority of “safety first”, they could save thousands of lives each year.”
Elsewhere in the Empire State:
- New York Democrats still need to sell redistricting to the public. (Politico New York)
- Finger-pointing over violence is beginning to shape the race for governor. (The Buffalo News)
- A man boarded a Capital District Transportation Authority bus with gunshot wounds on Central Avenue in Albany. (The Times Union)
- Dutchess County wants input on its next transportation plan. (Highlands Current)
- A two-car crash in Red Hook left an elderly couple in critical condition after their car flipped. (The Red Hook Daily Catch)
- A reporter got his day in traffic court covered by his employers. (The New York Post)
- Who could our next Assembly majority leader be with a mass exodus of state lawmakers taking place? (State of Politics)
- Rep. Mike Lawler (R-Rockland County) wants to debate 17th Congressional District Democratic nominee Cait Conley sooner rather than later. (The Poughkeepsie Journal)
- A ban on border patrol wearing masks in New York is still snaking its way through the court system. (The Buffalo News)
- Syracuse’s airport has a new ground tracking system with one problem: it can’t spot cars…(Syracuse.com)
- Some Newburgh police officers are going to be mounting bikes, not patrol cars, this summer. (Mid Hudson News)
- Young socialists fueled recent primary results in New York City and in upstate New York. (The New York Times)
- Kingston is looking for volunteers for its parking study advisory committee. (Mid Hudson News)
- A Shirley motorist is accused of punching a fellow driver in a road rage incident. (News 12 Long Island)
- Summer Streets and car-free life are returning to parts of New York City. (amNY)
- A 67-year-old pedestrian was hit and killed by a truck Saturday night in Hopewell. (The Finger Lakes Times)
- The MTA’s Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo and Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara write that the future of the Americans With Disabilities Act is belonging. (amNY)
- Rep. Pat Ryan (D-Gardiner) kicked off his re-election campaign. (Mid Hudson News)
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