
Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero may have led to fewer pedestrian deaths, but fatalities in one group have actually risen. Twenty cyclists lost their lives in 2014, a sharp increase from the 12 deaths in 2013. Transportation advocates have touted protected bike lanes as a solution, because they offer a physical buffer. Commuters are hesitant to embrace this, however, because it would lead to fewer lanes of traffic and a decrease in parking spaces. (Gothamist)
There is such high demand for the city’s new municipal ID cards that appointments are backed up until April in some spots. Five thousand people have enrolled for the card since it was announced on Monday, but 34,000 more have made appointments, resulting in the three month backlog. City officials have acknowledged they did not anticipate this level of interest. Pop-up centers will be opening this month in Sunset Park and Long Island City to meet demand. (DNAinfo)
Lukasz Skorzewski has been removed from the NYPD Special Victims Division for groping a rape victim after an alcohol-fueled night in a hotel room. Mr. Skorzewski was sent to Seattle to investigate a rape claim filed by a woman who attends college in the city. The woman claims to have had a drink with the NYPD detective before accompanying him to his hotel. Mr. Skorzewski allegedly asked to kiss her and then aggressively began putting his hands down her pants; he also reportedly told her, “You’re my favorite victim.” NYPD Internal Affairs is investigating. (Daily News)
Nothing is sacred–classic children’s book character Eloise has received the hipster update nobody wanted. “Ella” lives at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, not the Plaza. She is an artsy girl who weaves her own purses and goes to Hillary Clinton fundraisers. Her Mary Poppins-style nanny has also been replaced by Manny, a tattooed tough who owns a food truck. (Gothamist)
New Jersey’s Izod Center, once a popular sports arena and concert venue, will close at the end of January. The arena has been losing money since the Nets relocated to Brooklyn and the New Jersey Devils went to Newark. Any events currently scheduled for Izod will be at the Prudential Center. Stay tuned for Bruce Springsteen’s inevitable brooding tribute. (New York Times)