Pedestrian safety

Tri-State Maps Ped Deaths by Legislative District and Community Board

After Albany wraps up the budget process, legislators will shift their focus to bills that have been awaiting action -- including a suite of legislation to address traffic safety issues.

By Stephen Miller

5:20 PM EDT on March 12, 2014

After Albany wraps up the budget process, legislators will shift their focus to bills that have been awaiting action — including a suite of legislation to address traffic safety issues.

From 2010 to 2012, there were more than 900 pedestrian fatalities in New York State. Now they're mapped by legislative district. Map: TSTC — From 2010 to 2012, there were more than 900 pedestrian fatalities in New York State. Map: TSTC

Bills lowering the city’s default speed limit to 20 mph, cracking down on unlicensed and hit-and-run drivers, requiring wheel guards on large trucks, and strengthening existing rules like Hayley and Diego’s Law are in play this year.

Yesterday, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign released a new tool that could help make the case for the street safety bills: A map of the more than 900 pedestrian fatalities across New York State from 2010 to 2012, sortable by State Senate and Assembly districts, as well as City Council districts and community board boundaries.

The information behind the map comes from the same federal data source Tri-State used for its report on the region’s most dangerous streets. The group has created similar maps for New Jersey and Connecticut as well.

“With the information in these maps, elected officials can pinpoint the riskiest roadways for pedestrians in their districts,” wrote Tri-State’s Renata Silberblatt, “and advocate more effectively for increased pedestrian safety infrastructure funding.”

Next Tuesday, representatives from Families for Safe Streets are traveling to Albany to speak with legislators. “This is a smaller day with just family members,” said Amy Cohen, whose son Sammy was killed by a driver on Prospect Park West last October. “We are planning a large day with more families and supporters for early May.”

Stephen Miller

In spring 2017, Stephen wrote for Streetsblog USA, covering the livable streets movement and transportation policy developments around the nation. From August 2012 to October 2015, he was a reporter for Streetsblog NYC, covering livable streets and transportation issues in the city and the region. After joining Streetsblog, he covered the tail end of the Bloomberg administration and the launch of Citi Bike. Since then, he covered mayoral elections, the de Blasio administration's ongoing Vision Zero campaign, and New York City's ever-evolving street safety and livable streets movements.

Pedestrian safety | Street Safety