Tuesday Headlines: Point Party Is Over Edition

The state Department of Motor Vehicles rolled out a new penalty system for dangerous drivers that could lead to quicker license suspensions.

In New York, drivers rack up "points" against their licenses for certain driving infractions like speeding or driving without a license. When drivers get 11 points or more over an 18-month span, their license can be suspended by the state.

The new changes lower the points needed for a suspension to 10 within two years and raise the point penalties for several offenses. Some offenses, like driving without a license or refusing to take a roadside inebriation test, will net motorists 11 points on their license and used to have no point penalty. Points will also stay on a driver's record for two years rather than 18 months.

“Our job is to make sure that New York’s roads are safe for everyone, and if someone chooses to be reckless and unsafe, they do not deserve to be behind the wheel, period,” said Mark Schroeder, state Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner.

Goodness, Streetsblog is in the unusual position of agreeing with the DMV.

In other news:

• The state Department of Transportation has issued a travel advisory now that the 363 Gateway Project has begun in Binghamton. (The Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin)
• North Country highway officials are looking for more road repair funding from the state. (NCPR)
• Rockland and Orange counties want the state to fund and start a study of freight rail lines west of the Hudson River feasibility for passenger service. (The Times Union)
• Gov. Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced an additional $1.5 billion in state funding for the new mayor's city budget. (Gothamist)
• Bathroom stowaways are proving a problem as the LIRR tries to combat fare evasion. (Newsday)
• Legal failures bedamned, President Trump is still opposing the Gateway Tunnel project. (Politico New York)
• Three school districts in Kingston are getting school zone cameras with warnings to start next week. (Mid-Hudson News)
• Pedestrians in Syracuse are taking dangerous journeys on foot as poor snow management has made sidewalks unreliable, Sean Kirst writes. (Central Current)