Wednesday Headlines: Father To Father Edition

The grieving parents and grandparents of crash victims want Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to know his opposition to the Stop Super Speeders Act could mean more people feel the pain and loss that they have.

“Father to Father, if he could consider this, who would want to suffer? I mean, I never wanted it,” said Sam Rivera, whose 18-year-old son was hit and killed while delivering for FedEx. “I don’t even want to be here, suffering with the loss of my son, but I am here.”

Hell Gate, building on where Streetsblog left off last year, reported that Heastie just can’t seem to understand the unique threat posed by drivers who rack up 16 school zone speed-camera tickets in any 12-month period. He should: Last year in his tiny north Bronx district, there were 880 reported crashes, injuring 599 people. And since he took office in February 2015, there have been 19,820 reported crashes, injuring 8,351 people and killing 34.

Politicians and community groups in the Bronx have implored Heastie to see the light on this, but he has been mum on the issue through budget negotiations, where Gov. Hochul has included a version of the Stop Super Speeders Act in her executive budget.

The legislation would allow the city of New York to install speed-limiting devices in the cars of repeatedly reckless drivers. The speed-limiting devices prevent cars from exceeding a set speed, usually just a few miles per hour above the speed limit.

The program would operate as a New York City pilot under the discretion of city Department of Transportation and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. It could expand to the rest of the state depending on its success.

Details are scant on how the program would be administered; under the existing legislation, S4045/A2299 by Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn) and Assembly Member Emily Gallagher (D-Brooklyn), speed-limiting devices could be ordered for drivers who had received six speed or red-light camera tickets during a 12-month period.

“We really don’t want to be waiting for someone to die to do something… It’s the governor’s priority. It’s in the [state] Senate. We just need the speaker to get on the right side of this,” said Corey Hannigan, government relations director for Families For Safe Streets.

More news:

• In Buffalo, becoming police commissioner isn’t as straightforward as one would think. (The Buffalo News)
• Tompkins County will no longer use automated license plate readers, given privacy concerns. (WSKG)
• Lawmakers still want to see change after New York Power Authority personnel’s use of a private jet leaves New Yorkers with a bill. (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
• State DOT is reminding motorists how to safely travel through work zones throughout New York. (The Watertown Daily Times)
• President Trump upended New York Republicans’ plans when he endorsed Anthony Constantino as he campaigns to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-North Country) in Congress. (NCPR)
• As she relies on a more bovine form of support, Hochul claimed it would take a year for auto insurance rates to go down, something lawmakers certainly don’t buy. (NY1, The Times Union)
• The state Legislature isn’t biting on Hochul’s climate compromise. (City & State)
• Putnam County Democrats endorsed Cait Conley in her bid to win the Democratic nomination in the 17th Congressional District and take on Rep. Mike Lawler (R-Rockland County). (The Journal News)
• Lawler, a famed political chaos agent, is also challenging the petitions of one of Conley’s primary opponents because why not? (The New York Post)
• ICE is looking for parking spaces. (The Intercept)
• The feds are starting to cough up some — but not enough — money for the Penn Station renovation. (Bloomberg)