Vision Zero
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DOT Queens Safety Plan Zeroes in on Problems, Light on Specific Fixes
DOT is releasing a Vision Zero pedestrian safety plan for each borough. The first one was unveiled Monday in Jamaica, and a Manhattan event is underway this morning. The Queens report is a detailed analysis of where motorists are doing the most harm, and it provides a general strategy to prioritize street redesigns and traffic enforcement. But it also makes clear that the pace of planned engineering improvements is nowhere near what is needed to achieve the street safety gains sought under the Vision Zero program.
February 18, 2015
Pedestrians With the Right of Way Should Always Have Protection of the Law
Jiahuan Xu, 15, had the walk signal when she started across Grand Street in Williamsburg Friday morning. Before she reached the far side of the street, she was struck by a bus driver turning from Union Avenue and "pinned under the left front wheel," according to the Daily News. After emergency responders rescued Xu, she was taken to Bellevue Hospital and may lose her left leg.
February 16, 2015
Michael DenDekker: Slowing NYC Drivers Is a Pointless Waste
Assembly Member Michael DenDekker, the Queens rep who once proposed legislation to register cyclists and monitor them with bike lane cameras, says efforts to slow city drivers under Vision Zero are pointless. DenDekker wants an audit of Vision Zero spending, which he reportedly believes is wasted unless it's going toward traffic signals to eliminate motorist-pedestrian conflicts at intersections.
February 11, 2015
TLC Bolsters Cab Driver Safety Regs, Minus NYC Road Test Requirement
The Taxi and Limousine Commission voted to revise some of its rules Thursday, strengthening safety requirements for drivers of for-hire vehicles as well as yellow and green cabs. But the TLC still does not require aspiring cabbies to pass a New York City road test before obtaining a hack license.
January 30, 2015
In Brooklyn, Another Alleged Unlicensed Driver Faces Wrist Tap for Killing
An allegedly unlicensed driver who killed a pedestrian in a Brooklyn crosswalk last month was not charged with criminal negligence by NYPD or District Attorney Ken Thompson. Meanwhile, legislation to increase the penalty for causing a death while driving without a valid license continues to languish in Albany.
January 29, 2015
So Far, Ken Thompson Is the Only DA to Meet With Families For Safe Streets
With Families For Safe Streets appealing to New York City's five district attorneys to prosecute dangerous drivers who injure or kill, one DA has opened his doors to them.
January 15, 2015
More Vision Zero Action Ahead in 2015, Says De Blasio, But Where’s Bratton?
Mayor de Blasio trumpeted last year’s street safety gains, including a record low number of pedestrian deaths, at a press conference in the Bronx this morning marking the first year of his administration's Vision Zero initiative. He also announced new street redesign projects for 2015 and defended Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, who has not spoken at a public Vision Zero event in 11 months.
January 14, 2015
Families of Traffic Violence Victims Demand Justice From District Attorneys
Braving the cold, more than 150 people gathered on the steps of City Hall yesterday to demand that New York City's five district attorneys begin filing charges against reckless drivers who kill and injure New Yorkers on the streets.
January 12, 2015
Steve Matteo and NY1: A Speed Camera Is Working, So Vision Zero Is a Scam
Speeding is the leading cause of fatal traffic crashes in New York City, and with unreliable police enforcement, cameras are essential to protecting New Yorkers from reckless drivers. Data released last summer showed that 20 speed cameras, covering a tiny fraction city streets, issued roughly as many speeding tickets in one month as NYPD did in six months.
January 9, 2015
Sunday: Families For Safe Streets to Train Spotlight on Feckless NYC DAs
Since January 2012, Streetsblog has maintained a database of all known pedestrians and cyclists killed by drivers in New York City. We collect as much information on each crash as possible, including any charges filed against the motorists who took the victims' lives.
January 8, 2015