Over the course of the week, camera after camera showed up, offering glimpses of an increasingly out-of-focus New York City full of backward plans and nonsensical indications.
Last year’s 132 motorist and passenger deaths were up 50% from pre-pandemic levels, according to the mayor’s administrative report, and many of these deaths are now seen regularly by many New Yorkers. I’ve heard it’s caused by very dangerous driving.
These deaths are on the rise, even though the number of travel violation summons and DUI arrests have both declined by more than 50% since the pandemic began.
The high-speed cameras that the deputies who took Albany hostage finally keep the city running around the clock should pick up the slack. But while it’s making money, it’s not clear how much it’s doing to keep the public safe. Especially since many of the most dangerous drivers damage the plates or buy covers and sprays on Amazon or eBay to make them illegible.
As a result, a camera that temporarily stops Schnook from reaching 38 mph (or what Mayor Adams reportedly security details) in a 25 mph zone will be able to reach 130 mph on the Belt Parkway. Do more than ‘champions’.
In podunk locations like Ferguson, law enforcement really is a revenue game, with horrific consequences.
Speaking of revenue, Amazon finally made a concession in August, announcing it would stop selling plate blockers to New Yorkers. This comes eight months after the city passed a law banning plate blockers. That should help, but it’s also a reminder why cameras can’t simply replace traffic enforcement.
It’s also a reminder that these online commerce giants have only one way of dealing with the social disruption their business models cause. For example, effectively assisting the city’s shoplifting blitz by creating a vast, largely unregulated marketplace for middlemen to resell stolen goods purchased with dime. Political and regulatory pressure until doing the right thing pays off.
The same applies to politicians, who will only do as much as voters ask them to explain. This is even more difficult in states where Democrats are numerically dominant and where most elections are functionally determined by low turnout primaries.
Back to the cameras, Gov. Ho Chul, who is doing his best to whistle for the November maturity without engaging his political opponents, made another bizarre announcement on Tuesday. rice field.
“You think Big Brother is watching you on the subway? You are absolutely right. announced plans to install
She added, perhaps seriously, “We plan to monitor activity on subway trains, which will give people a great sense of security.”
Speaking of which, Governor. Apparently, the shooter on the N train couldn’t be caught, and after changing to the R train he was free to roam the city for a day, passing many other platforms. It wasn’t something that gave people a lot of peace of mind.
More broadly, last month’s “record” passenger numbers were still down more than 30% from pre-pandemic levels, but in fiscal year 2022, the subway system, which already has cameras installed throughout its platforms, will face felony charges. A crime has occurred. Pre-pandemic weekday average.
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It wasn’t until two weeks after she ended her state’s mask mandate on trains that Ho-chul boasted of Big Brother.
The governor wasn’t so policy-making as to belatedly acknowledge the reality, but she did by reusing the same image that reminded people to wear masks properly in her updated language statement. , managed to fail by promoting a new MTA sign that mocks the old one.
More and more, New York governance seems to be defined by meaningless signs — those of the Gun Free Zone taped to the lampposts around Times Square, the skates by the arches of Washington Square Park. No skateboarding stuff next to the boarder — and check the results before trying to fill in the nasty details.
The plans to close Rikers are premised on a continued decline in the inmate population and there is absolutely no plan for what to do now that the population has grown. is the number of earnings that have solicited policies that have not yet been announced as to what the fee will be or who will be required to pay.
Eventually, the cart ends up ahead of the horse while the rider refers to a map unrelated to the territory.
Until then, the hackers in power will gladly turn things over to the cameras, collect the cash they bring in, and do what they do best.
harry@thecity.nyc