Weather: Mostly sunny but not quite as hot and sticky, with a high around 90. |
Alternate-side parking: Suspended through Aug. 2. |
 | | Andrew Seng for The New York Times |
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Early Tuesday, a 32-year-old man died while driving a Revel moped in Queens. He had crashed into a light pole, the police said. |
He was killed in the latest in a string of crashes involving the moped-sharing service, whose vehicles can travel up to 30 miles per hour. Just hours after the man’s death, the company suspended its operations in New York City. |
Revel started its app-based service in Brooklyn in 2018, and its electric-blue fleet became popular with commuters who were looking for alternatives to car-sharing services and CitiBike. |
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Revel would need approval from the city to resume its service. |
Here’s what you need to know. |
The 32-year-old, Jeremy Malave, died around 3:15 a.m. on Tuesday when his moped hit a light pole in the center median of Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens, the police said. Days before, a 30-year-old man sustained serious injuries when his Revel crashed into a pole in Upper Manhattan. |
And on July 18, Nina Kapur, a reporter for CBS2, was killed while riding a Revel in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Ms. Kapur, 26, was one of two people on the moped when “the operator swerved for an unknown reason” and the two “fell to the roadway as a result,” Denise Moroney, a police spokeswoman, said at the time. |
In 2018, Revel started a pilot operation of 86 scooters in Brooklyn and later expanded into Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx. The company quickly grew, adding mopeds in Washington; Miami; Austin, Texas; and Oakland, Calif. |
Rentals cost $1 to unlock, an additional dollar to add a passenger and 35 cents per minute. Riders must have a valid driver’s license, and two helmets are included in the storage area of each moped. An online operating tutorial shows first-time drivers how to use the moped. |
The mopeds can travel up to 30 m.p.h., although most New York City streets have a speed limit of 25 m.p.h. |
As the service became more popular in the city, there was growing concern over safety. Revel riders were spotted not wearing helmets or driving on sidewalks and in bike lanes. As a result, earlier this month, Revel informed New York customers in a mass email that the company had suspended 1,000 users for violating safety rules. |
After it suspended its service on Tuesday, Revel wrote on Twitter, “We’re reviewing and strengthening our rider accountability and safety measures and communicating with city officials, and we look forward to serving you again in the near future.” |
At a news briefing that morning, Mr. de Blasio said that members of his administration had spoken to the Revel’s chief executive and that the company’s decision was “the right thing.” |
“No one should be running a business that is not safe, and unfortunately this has been proven to be not safe,” the mayor said. “We will not allow them to reopen unless we’re convinced it can be done safely.” |
Data shows that during the pandemic, the Police Department is overwhelmingly ticketing people of color for drinking in public. [Gothamist] |
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has offered to host every Major League Baseball game in New York. [Politico] |
Customers who refused to wear masks assaulted Trader Joe’s workers in Murray Hill. [Vice] |
As New York City slowly reopens, rats are crawling out of the woodwork. They’re hungry. |
During the height of the virus outbreak, many restaurants were closed, so rats were famished because there were fewer food scraps in the trash, in the subway and on the curb. |
But outdoor dining is here, and ravenous rats are still on the prowl. That means restaurants, which are already struggling financially, might have another problem on their plate — literally. Customers have reported that the creatures are creeping onto their feet and crawling on tables to get a bite of meals. |
The pandemic has also meant a reduction in pest control inspections in the city, and budget cuts could slash millions from extermination programs in the coming years. In Brooklyn, a man and his dog, Sundrop, have taken it upon themselves to exterminate problem rats. |
Gil Bloom, the president of Standard Pest Management in Queens, said the pandemic had “proved what we knew” about the rodents. “They are resourceful opportunists and survivalists,” he said. |
It’s Wednesday — you’re halfway there. |
Metropolitan Diary: Making deliveries |
When I was in high school, I delivered groceries for a deli in Astoria after school. |
Balancing heavy boxes in my bike basket, I would make deliveries to many people in a large apartment complex across the street from the deli. |
Each building had a courtyard, and I would ride my bike on the sidewalk and turn into the ones where I had deliveries to make. |
Two or three times a week, I passed an older man who scowled at me and yelled at me to get off the sidewalk. |
Once, during Christmas week, I was riding with a very heavy load when I saw the man. |
“Merry Christmas!” I shouted before he had a chance to yell at me. I kept riding and was surprised not to hear him say anything. |
When I rode past him the following week, I was taken aback to hear him say, “Hiya, kid.” |
He greeted me the same way whenever I rode past again. |
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