Sometimes you have to get the big guns involved.
Sidewalks on the Court Street Bridge between Troy and Watervliet are finally free, but only after Assembly Member John McDonald (D-Cohoes) got involved.
Capital Streets, a non-profit focused on livable streets, tried to figure out who was responsible for clearing walkways after plows from the state Department of Transportation pushed the recent snowfall onto the sides of the road.
It turns out everybody is to blame.
Troy and Watervliet are each responsible for the sidewalks, but are stretched thin. In the end, McDonald and elected officials are working to make sure maintenance is more communal going forward, but advocates hope that state DOT takes more leadership in the future.
More news:
- If you haven't seen it yet, stop everything and read Sophia Lebowitz's powerful coverage of Big Tech's effort to use the Big Game to normalize worker exploitation and reducing compensation to crash victims. (Streetsblog NYC)
- Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the presumptive Republican nominee for governor, has a running mate. Well, actually, he had one: Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino — but Giardino pulled out amid intraparty criticism. The new pick, at least at the time of writing, is Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood. (Newsday, NY Times)
- Lawmakers are dropping like flies these days: Assembly Member Will Barclay (R-Pulaski) abruptly announced he wouldn't be seeking re-election and resigned his leadership position .... (The Times Union)
- ... But as the state Legislature gains leaders, it loses them just as fast. State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris (D-Queens) is not running for re-election, citing the need to make time for his family. (City & State)
- Mayor Mamdani is taking an odd approach as he heads to Albany on Wednesday with his tin cup out. (NY Focus)
- Gateway Tunnel funding will remain frozen while the Trump administration appeals a federal decision ordering them to release the cash. (NY Times, Gothamist)
- New Jersey Transit trains were on two lines in and out of Penn Station during this morning's commute, following issues with Amtrak's overhead wires. (PIX11)
- Syracuse Common Councilors approved a contract with Axon to read license plates after its old contractor, Flock, had data that federal immigration enforcement could access. (Central Current)
- Canandaigua residents say speeding and truck noise are out of control, but the state is reluctant to add more signs or lower speeds. (The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
- Two weeks after a hefty snowstorm, New York City residents are wondering if the city could have responded better.
- And in Binghamton, residents are still having trouble using sidewalks and pathways after plow snow has inundated the sides of roads. (The Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin)
