This week's episode of the Hell Gate Podcast arrives this weekend. Make sure you never miss an episode by subscribing here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
It's officially summer, and what better way to celebrate than in the Rockaways with your friends at Hell Gate, Rippers, Shea Stadium, and a bunch of great bands. Come on out both Friday, July 10 and Saturday, July 11 for a weekend of music, burgers, and sunshine as Hell Gate caps off its inaugural "Beach Week." We'll see YOU at the beach!
By the end of Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign season last year, any die-hard supporter, and the reporters covering him, could recite his stump speech almost verbatim (for too long, that race had been going on, amirite?). But even casual observers knew that every speech culminated in the now-mayor exuberantly listing his main campaign promises in a call-and-response fashion—promises which vaulted him to Gracie Mansion.
How's he doing on those? Well, first there was freezing the rent. Check. Taxing the rich. Check, kinda. Providing universal childcare. Check, eventually. And then there was his promise to bus riders, New York City's lowest-income commuters. As mayor, Mamdani promised he was going to make buses fast and…freeeeeeee. That was going to be a tough one to pull off.
As it turns out, when it comes to buses, the Mayor of New York City really only has power over the city's streets, and not as much say when it comes to collecting fares. The MTA is run by the state, but the ground its buses travel on are controlled by the mayor. Both the governor and the MTA have repeatedly said they were less than thrilled by the prospect of handing out free fares. So for now, New Yorkers are just going to have to settle for faster buses.
Yesterday in Downtown Brooklyn, Mamdani, alongside Governor Kathy Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, announced a $882 million plan to speed up New York City's buses, revive its stalled-out version of Bus Rapid Transit along important transit corridors, and finally get cops to crack down on those drivers who block bus lanes with near-impunity.
"For decade after decade, the working people of our city who rely on the bus have had their precious time treated with disdain," Mamdani said. "New York's bus system carries more riders than America's next four largest bus systems combined. And those riders commute on the slowest buses in the nation, many of which crawl at an average of five miles per hour."