Monday's Headlines: Misinformation Edition - Streetsblog New York City

"First, on Friday night, a driver going way too fast smashed his Mercedes into parked cars and then onto the sidewalk, where he killed two people just kicking off the weekend by being outside, as New Yorkers do. The Post's first-draft coverage was solid, which is more than I can say for the Times ("Two Killed as Car Slams Into Crowd on Sidewalk in Manhattan," was the paper's driver-absolving headline) or the TV news stations, which also focused on the notion that the car had somehow committed the carnage all by itself."

"It turned out, of course, that driver Elvin Suarez, 61, was drunk and driving recklessly, cops said. But in a world where cars are normalized - the world that Streetsblog seeks to repair - it didn't take long for haters to find their target of blame: This was one of the redesigned streets. It has a protected bike lane and a planted median, etc. Outdoor dining is a bad idea."

"Sure, that's a repulsive take (and a wrong one, given that the pedestrian island probably saved lives), but it was hardly the only one, nor will it be the only one whenever city officials try to make our streetscape more livable by adding a bike lane, adding pedestrian infrastructure or allowing restaurants to revitalize our streets with outdoor dining instead of parking. (Indeed, our daily headlines are all too often a chronicle of media outlets that want to take the city backwards.)"

"In the weekend's other big story, on Saturday, LIRR workers walked off their jobs, shuttering service on the nation's busiest commuter rail system (amNY has a Monday commute primer here). We obviously hope for a short strike - public transit is the life blood of New York"

A driver speeding and drunk crashed a Mercedes into parked cars and then onto a Manhattan sidewalk, killing two people. Early coverage framed the incident in ways that reduced focus on the driver’s recklessness, including headlines and TV narratives that treated the car as if it acted alone. Later information identified the driver as Elvin Suarez, 61, and cops said he was drunk and driving recklessly. Despite evidence that pedestrian and bike infrastructure can protect people, some blamed redesigned streets, including protected bike lanes and pedestrian islands. Separately, LIRR workers walked off the job, shutting service on the busiest commuter rail system, with hopes for a short strike because public transit is essential to New York.

Read at Streetsblog New York City