City Council

This January, Bronx City Council Member Jimmy Vacca took over the transportation committee from outgoing chair John Liu.

Legislation that would compel the NYPD to open some of its traffic safety data to the public got a big boost today, when City Council public safety committee chair Peter Vallone Jr. announced his support at a hearing on the bill. The hearing was marked by a tense confrontation between council members and police officials who refused to concede that New Yorkers have a right to such information. 

Electeds and other officials gathered with representatives from AARP today to pledge support for street improvements and to call on Albany to pass complete streets legislation.

If you find yourself with a little downtime, check out this survey from the City Council Progressive Caucus, looking for input on budget priorities for FY 2011.

Last week a group of 12 City Council members announced that they're forming a new bloc, called the progressive caucus, "dedicated to creating a more just and equal New York City." The Times notes that the caucus signifies an unusual development, in that the members came together around shared ideology, not racial or sexual identity.

City Council Member Gale Brewer wants to open up traffic data to improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists on Manhattan's West Side, a campaign that could lead to safer streets across the boroughs.

Lappin imagines the office creating a citywide response to unsafe streets, combining design improvements with better enforcement, education and research. The Office of Road Safety would host monthly meetings with all the relevant government agencies: DOT, NYPD, the Health Department, and the vehicular crimes unit of all five district attorneys' offices. Family members of victims would be present at every session to meet with officials.

Politicker's Azi Paybarah has the scoop on which City Council members Speaker Christine Quinn will likely choose for the most high-profile committee chairmanships. The assignments have yet to be made official, but it looks like the transportation committee, as rumored, will go to Jimmy Vacca, who represents the most suburban part of the Bronx.

New York City's 2009 legislative session didn't end without a parting gift from outgoing Lower Manhattan rep Alan Gerson. A new law that passed City Council unanimously before the end of the term mandates that any significant changes to the streetscape be subject to comment by both the local council representative and the community board. Though the comments are not binding, the law seems primed to slow down the process of re-designing streets at a time when projects to enhance bus service and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists are top priorities in New York City, and hundreds of New Yorkers are still dying every year on city streets. Mayor Bloomberg signed the bill into law on December 28.