Politics

Bill de Blasio, the Speeding Limousine Liberal, Also Jaywalks

(Update: de Blasio is a jaywalker, as well.) Bill de Blasio's caravan should have gotten a speeding ticket yesterday, according to the mayor's new plan to cut down on pedestrian deaths.

By Arit John
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This article is from the archive of our partner .

Bill de Blasio's caravan should have gotten a speeding ticket yesterday, according to the mayor's new plan to cut down on pedestrian deaths. CBS News reported that the mayor's driver was speeding 10-15 miles per hour above the speed limit on Thursday night, as well as driving past stop signs and failing to signal lane changes. According to CBS, if a police officer had pulled over de Blasio's driver, he would have gotten enough points to have his license suspended.

(Update: Bill de Blasio's lawlessness has no limits. The New York Post has video of the mayor jaywalking down a small, residential street Friday morning on his way to the gym. In the video you can clearly see de Blasio and his security detail in the crosswalk, crossing again the red hand.)

On Tuesday, de Blasio outlined his Vision Zero plan, which aims to bring the number of pedestrian-vehicle incidents down to zero by cracking down on reckless driving and "expand[ing] enforcement against dangerous moving violations like speeding." The plan also proposes reducing the speed limit in New York City to 25 miles per hour and pausing the meters of taxi drivers who are speeding. "We’ve put a very bold plan before you, and we want the public to know we’re are holding ourselves to this standard,” de Blasio said Tuesday. It's a pretty awkward situation.

As it turns out, the New York Police Department handles de Blasios transportation. The department said in a statement that, in fewer words, said the driver probably didn't do anything wrong:

At certain times, under certain conditions, this training may include the use of techniques such as maintaining speed with the general flow of traffic, and may sometimes include tactics to safely keep two or more police vehicles together in formation when crossing intersections.

The mayor's team said safety questions should be directed to the police department.

It seems like de Blasio is brushing this off as a non-issue, which he shouldn't. While a police officer driving "recklessly" to keep the mayor safe could be seen as less dangerous that a careless driver, it still has a "do as I say, not as I do" vibe to it. Typical limousine liberal!

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.