Speak for yourself, then; the rest of us aren’t awful drivers. (Another anecdote to my point that drivers should be professionally licensed and liberally revoked.)

> And your suggested alternative is?

Criminal prosecution of reckless drivers. Dismantling of the tort system, replacement with compensation by statue following criminal verdicts.

Some people are better than others at these things, and people who screw up are marking themselves as incapable of carrying the responsibility accordant to the privilege.

Who ever endangered anyone by texting while stopped at a red?

It’s very easy to let your foot slip off the brake when you’re distracted. I’ve rear-ended someone that way. Good thing I wasn’t at a crosswalk.

Reckless operation of a motor vehicle is already illegal, but nigh entirely unenforced. I think it’s far from obvious that what need more of is laws.

And your suggested alternative is?

Light timing cycles are getting longer. Who ever endangered anyone by texting while stopped at a red?

Reckless operation of a motor vehicle is already illegal, but nigh entirely unenforced. I think it’s far from obvious that what need more of is laws.

Cops will use this to pull over “suspicious” looking people in order to search their cars for drugs, you can take that to the bank.

I can think of a reason, but not a good one. We have all kinds of generally unenforced laws on the books that can be selectively used to harass the powerless and unpopular. Zoning is an example I am most familiar with. Perhaps Gannt is afraid that Black people will be pulled over at random on suspicion of texting while suburban Whites text away without enforcement.

This, however, would fly in the face of his opposition to automatic, color-blind enforcement of red lights. More likely he’s just an idiot.

Raise your hand if you’re the least bit surprised by this.

Last night’s coverage on the CW11 was extensive and mostly positive. There were actually two separate segments separated by a commercial. The first one did a good job of showing the benefits and happy people. The second was shorter and more balanced, with the obligatory angry cab-driver quote, but finished with a soundbite from JSK. I went to bed cheerful, with visions of the Memorial Day crowd in my head.

The Time architecture critic is right — the design is embryonic, the plazas need to reflect “the urban toughness of the city that feeds into them,” and it may be years before the final form of car-free Times Square emerges. I hope its final form is visible and widely accepted by the time Mayor Weiner takes office (not for a long time, I hope). But wow, what an amazing start. Are we a great city or what?!