Quinn Says She Would Aim to Cut Traffic Fatalities in Half by 2021

Mayoral candidate Christine Quinn said today that if elected, she would appoint an interagency “Safe Streets Working Group” tasked with cutting traffic fatalities in half by 2021. The working group, featuring “high level staff” from DOT, NYPD, City Planning, and the Department of Health, would coordinate automated enforcement, police enforcement, street design, and traffic calming interventions.

Achieving that goal would entail a significant acceleration in the reduction of citywide traffic deaths, which dropped 17.5 percent — from 297 to 245 — between 2004 and 2011, then increased to 274 last year.

The news was featured in the transportation section of a mobile app Quinn’s campaign released this afternoon. The app also lays out a few other ideas related to transit and bicycling: installing countdown clocks outside of subway stations, installing MetroCard vending machines above ground at transit hubs along Select Bus Service routes, reducing the amount of time between a bike rack request and its installation, and increasing the amount of bike parking at train stations, bus stops, and ferry landings.

Quinn made a major transportation speech last month in which she focused on expanding ferry service, increasing city control of the MTA, rolling out 10 new Select Bus Service routes in the next four years, and an already-planned expansion of Metro-North service through the Bronx to Penn Station.

  • First step: pedestrian helmets.

  • guestnyc

    Also, encourage even more commercial/residential growth in BIDs like the HUB, E 125th, Court Sq, ect to create more CBDs to decrease overall commute times which would also reduce driving overall.

  • The devil would be in the details, but TA has been pushing for an interagency task force of the type described for some time. Time to heal the dysfunctional relationship between PD and Transportation–by bringing PD to where Transportation is. The first step is getting them speaking to each other regularly on street safety issues. That alone would be a significant accomplishment.

  • Tyler Hill

    She has obviously received some coaching, On the plus side she has a sharp eye for what polls well so work will continue. On the minus she still does not seem to understand or have a vision for livable cities.

  • Alex Knight

    And sidewalk screens to keep people from being struck by cars.

  • Anonymous

    While i like these ideas I really don’t trust Quinn to actually follow through on any of them. I also truly doubt she is a cyclist’s friend. Anyone remember her “Bike lanes are clearly controversial” statement?

  • Bluewndrpwrmlk96

    Agreed on that point. And as per the transportation speech link, all I saw was a shopping list of goodies for NYC but nothing on the allocation of funds. I want to see the nitty-gritty details ahead of anything promised by Quinn.

  • Mark Walker

    Not bad. She actually mentioned traffic calming. But she has yet to articulate a plan to fund the MTA capital and operating budget deficits. Show us the money.

  • Bolwerk

    She probably thinks she can kill enough New Yorkers by 2021 to create such a reduction through attrition.

    Seriously, her ideas are all milquetoast at best. Ferries? More SelectBus? TVMs at bus stops? Wow, courageous, and not even particularly in line with the city’s needs. How about upzoning, removing parking minimums, new subways, and some desperately needed light rail? Then she might deserve some attention, at least on transportation issues.

  • I’m fine with the mayoral candidates sticking to city-controlled issues. Not sure any will have enough clout to move Albany while Assembly members still have the ability to raid MTA funds for their own gain.

  • Anonymous

    congestion pricing/ tolls on east/harlem river bridges

  • Anonymous

    In the delusions of grandeur department, maybe I’ll try to take some credit for this: one of her campaign workers came to my door and I gave him my bit about how the candidates need to start talking about making greater accommodations for pedestrians and cyclists… This was about a week ago…

  • Ben Kintisch

    Okay, so we know Quinn is not likely to be as forward-thinking as Bloomberg on many of these things, but Bloomberg did lay out Plan 2030, and we as activists can press whomever is the next mayor to see it through, especially regarding biking.

    Also, I’m glad that traffic safety and pedestrian safety is finally part of the conversation. When that is talked about, you have a decent chance of moving policies in the right direction, too!

  • Mark Walker

    Quite true. But she does have the power to make an issue of it in the media and sway public opinion. I wonder how many people even know MTA is a state agency.

  • >>an already-planned expansion of Metro-North service through the Bronx to Penn Station<<

    Can someone clear this up for me. Do they want to add new stations to existing lines, or build an entirely new line altogether? If it's the former I think it would just slow down travel times too much.

  • Whoever wins needs to keep Janette Sadik-Khan in her position. She’s one of the best things to happen to the city in decades.

  • Gentleman

    it would reroute metro-north trains along the amtrak alignment in the east bronx, which comes over the hell gate span into queens and then into penn station.

  • guestnyc

    That would do a lot to reduce unnecessary traffic. I feel it is inevitable.

  • guestnyc

    Stops planned for Hunts Point, Parkchester, Morris Park, and Co-op City at this time.

  • No one will want her.

  • Not reroute, a new route, at least for MNCR. Actually, it’s reviving the old New Haven Line local service from New Rochelle to Penn Station via Hell Gate. Most or all of the stations are decayed but in place along the line. Amtrak Boston trains run express through this area. The Metro North New Haven cars can operate under overhead wire from Stamford to Penn Station with little or no modification – other than revising or removing the 3rd rail shoes.

    The current MNCR New Haven trains would continue to Grand Central from New Rochelle.

    More interstate-interagency fun. New Jersey Transit rail cars are also capable of running from Penn to Stamford. Instead of dead heading NJT trains to Sunnyside and back, the train can continue up the Hell Gate line to Stamford and back, through Penn and on to NJ. It won’t take up an extra East River tunnel track slot.

  • I don’t see education in that laundry list for the working group.
    There has been a total lack of traffic education negatively impacting drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Not to speak of the accidental and deliberate misinformation about the traffic laws.

    Remember Bloomberg insisting that cyclists MUST ride in bike lanes ALWAYS – even though the 18 word in the bike lane law is EXCEPT. The mayor, the police and the courts, much less drivers, never read past that work EXCEPT and need to be carefully taught that cyclists have the right under the law to leave the bike lane for many reasons.

    There are three basic E’s for traffic safety, Engineering, Enforcement AND Education. In this city, the whole responsibility has been placed on just Engineering, and that’s DOTs mandate.

    The other two, we are still waiting to hear about.

  • Larry Littlefield

    True, but I get to park my bike in a parking garage due to a controversial city ordinance that was passed in recent years. Everyone seems to have forgotten that.

  • Larry Littlefield

    Actually Quinn’s Council was involved in a lot of things that benefit bike commuters. But because “bike lanes are controversial” she doesn’t want to talk about it.

    I’ll bet if she wins the primary suddenly all that stuff will come out.

  • Anonymous

    I wouldn’t commute by bike if the Council hadn’t passed the “bikes in buildings” law. That’s more relevant to my situation than all the bike lanes in the world (not that I don’t like the bike lanes!)

  • NYFM

    Which courageous politician will propose ticketing speeders in midtown on a regular basis? And yes, I am talking any and all vehicles going over 30 MPH. Zero tolerance for speeding will lead to zero traffic fatalities.

  • Jared R

    Steven, I’d love to see through-running of NJT trains through to Stamford for this particular route. That would sort out some confusion for passengers heading south from Stamford on the two routes (via New Haven local vs. via Hell Gate). It would also open up the controversial time slots that Long Island politicians are screaming about. The more NJT trains that you can get out of the way, the more overall platform slots will become available. The same is true for through-running the future Hudson Line (empire corridor) service to Penn onto LIRR tracks in Queens (or beyond). Something tells me you know this already, but for everyone else. . . just a thought. Plus, I’d LOVE to be able to take Hudson Line trains from Queens as it would dramatically cut down on my travel duration from Clinton Hill, Brooklyn to the Hudson Valley.

  • Jared R

    Light Rail/Streetcar is HUGE, especially in Brooklyn/Queens.

  • JK

    The city needs a new police commissioner more than an interagency traffic safety task force. We currently have a PD which basically ignores City Hall. Nothing involving PD will improve if Ray Kelly stays. Also, don’t forget, it took awhile for the livable streets friendly Bloomberg to evolve. He had to lose the 2012 Olympic bid before Plan NYC could happen. The first couple years of Bloomberg were all about the NYC2012 bid — which Bloomberg headed with Dan Doctoroff before becoming mayor and dep mayor. In 2002 the city’s bike and pedestrian staff were all working on the parking garage EIS for the Midtown Olympic/Jets stadium — which was ultimately prevented by Sheldon Silver of all people.

  • Joe R.

    In general, the idea of being able to hop on a commuter train in Queens or Brooklyn, then go to CT or NJ without changing trains, is too good to pass up. In some cases it could take literally an hour off travel time, compared to taking the subway to Penn or Grand Central and catching the commuter train there.

  • Anonymous

    I looked into but out in Chelsea the garages wanted more to park my bike then it was worth.

  • Anonymous

    Let us not forget the shortfalls of this law. Such as you can request that your employer let bikes in. Then the employer goes to the landlord and requests that they be allowed in. Many bosses aren’t going to make this effort.

  • Anonymous

    I wouldn’t hold my breath.

  • Anonymous

    Of course, I was lucky to have an employer willing let us bring bikes, and willing to ask the landlord! Still, it’s a start.

  • Jared R

    I’m obsessed with this concept. 🙂

  • Anonymous

    Your pretty lucky! While I agree it is a start. It’s kinda of like starting a marathon by crawling.

  • Frank Dell

    And pedestrians should be licensed and required to carry insurance. And the sidewalk should be removed from in front of 99 Bank Street as pedestrians could block the entrance to the building.

  • Anxiously Awaiting Bikeshare

    The homicide rate is too low, and declining too quickly, for him to go. Not giving him credit for it, just the way of the world. That decline gives Ray Kelly so much political cover.

  • Bolwerk

    He probably has almost nothing to do with the declining homicide rate. Yet Quinn is indifferent enough to safety and constitutional rights to re-appoint him.

  • Bolwerk

    He probably has almost nothing to do with the declining homicide rate. Yet Quinn is indifferent enough to safety and constitutional rights to re-appoint him.

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