February 18: Home rule for NYC, NYC 25x25 + buses, CVRSA
With fatal crashes up nearly 70 percent over last year, New York City must use every tool available to get Vision Zero back on track. But New York State limits the City from doing so.
While the causes of the crisis are many, and while street redesign is the best answer to preventing reckless driving, one solution could quickly and easily help restore the promise of Vision Zero: home rule over streets for the City of New York.
To install more red light cameras, set life-saving lower speed limits, or even alter the operating hours of our successful speed safety camera program near schools, the City must go to the NYS Legislature to beg for permission to save lives.
It shouldn’t be this way. Read a new op-ed in the New York Daily News from TA's Executive Director Danny Harris calling for an end to the absurdity of Albany’s control over our streets.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
TA Head Writer and Senior Strategist Jessie Singer is out with a new book from Simon & Schuster. We hear it all the time when drivers crash and cyclists or pedestrians are killed: “Sorry, it was just an accident.” And we’ve been deeply conditioned to just accept that explanation and move on. But there are no such things as accidents. Buy Jessie’s new book, There Are No Accidents.
How NYC 25x25 would improve buses. Our buses crawl along car-congested streets at an average speed of 8.1 mph, the slowest in America. By reclaiming 25 percent of our streets from cars, we can build 500 miles of protected bus lanes and 40 miles of car-free busways, improving commute times for essential workers and improving the efficiency of our streets.
In the news: Here’s what we’re reading this week:
Gothamist breaks down what home rule would mean for New York City: clearer bus lanes, safe school zones with 24/7 speed safety cameras, and more red light camera-protected intersections.
Families for Safe Streets members Irma Rosenblatt and Monique Williams went on BronxNet to talk about why we need the Crash Victim Rights & Safety Act.
Pedestrian deaths are spiking across the country amid increases in speeding, reckless driving, and larger cars, reports the New York Times.
A new Streetsblog piece shows speed safety cameras are evenly distributed across the five boroughs. Read our Twitter thread for key takeaways from the article.
TWO THINGS TO DO
Design a panel for Vision Zero Cities. Vision Zero Cities, our international conference dedicated to street safety, is set for October and we want you to be a part of it. Panel submissions are being accepted through April 29.
Rally for accessible subways in Queens. At 11 a.m. on Friday, February 25, our friends at Riders Alliance are rallying with Congresswoman Grace Meng and calling on Governor Hochul and our state leaders to make sure that every station in Queens is fully accessible to all.
ONE ACTION TO TAKE NOW
Tell your lawmakers to support the Crash Victim Rights and Safety Act. This week, we testified to the State Legislature in support of the CVRSA. We need your support to ensure the full package of life-saving bills becomes law this year — sign our petition to send a message in support to your lawmakers.
Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you soon.
Jacob and the TA team