Vision Zero

Earlier today, Mayor Bill de Blasio returned to the schoolyard where he launched his administration's Vision Zero campaign in January, just feet from where 9-year-old Noshat Nahian was killed last December while walking to PS 152 with his sister. A little more than six months after announcing his intent to eliminate traffic fatalities within 10 years, the mayor signed bills that suspend the licenses of dangerous taxi drivers, require the installation of 20 mph Slow Zones, and make it a misdemeanor to strike a pedestrian or cyclist with the right of way, among other changes.

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed 11 bills today intended to make it safer to walk, bike, and drive in New York City.

NYPD is issuing more speeding summonses this year than in 2013, and data show a substantial jump in the number of drivers ticketed for speeding on neighborhood streets. While the numbers represent an increase from the baseline, it will take a lot more summonses for enforcement to be commensurate with the scale of NYC's reckless driving problem.

The metro is coming to Loudon County, Virginia. Eventually.

Update: According to a spokesperson for Mayor de Blasio, today's scheduled bill signing was postponed.

One of the most substantive traffic safety bills passed by the City Council Thursday was Intro 171 -- “Cooper’s Law” -- which allows the Taxi and Limousine Commission to suspend or revoke hack licenses of cab drivers who cause critical injury or death as a result of breaking traffic laws. The effectiveness of the law, however, depends on NYPD, which often does not ticket drivers involved in serious crashes.

The City Council today passed a slate of bills and resolutions aimed at improving street safety.

Via Gothamist: Early Saturday morning, a driver ran over a pedestrian on the sidewalk in Astoria inflicting serious injuries, then sped off, continuing to drive on the sidewalk. Police told Gothamist that the victim suffered a broken leg and concussion, and they're looking for help locating the hit-and-run driver.

Mayor de Blasio's Vision Zero Action Plan contains a number of initiatives to improve cab driver safety, including "black box" technology to monitor cabbie behavior. TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi told the City Council in early May that the agency has issued RFIs for a telematics pilot program, but she didn't mention the program during testimony at Thursday's council budget hearing.