March 11: Home Rule for Street Safety, Willoughby Ave Open Street, Upcoming Women's Ride in the Bronx
The City of New York — not legislators hundreds of miles away in Albany — should be able to control the speed limits on its streets and its automated enforcement programs.
That statement sounds obvious, right? Well, right now city officials have to beg Albany for permission to implement basic, life-saving measures such as increasing the number of intersections with red-light cameras above the current 150 limit.
But our campaign to give New York City home rule powers over streets has momentum. The New York Daily News Editorial Board endorsed the call for home rule after we released our latest report, Home Rule Means Safe Streets.
More and more people agree: It’s time for state lawmakers in Albany to give NYC home rule over our streets. Read all about it in NY1, Gothamist, News12, and City & State.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
Car-free spaces such as the Willoughby Avenue Open Street in Fort Greene are here to stay. Thank you to everyone who showed their support for the Willoughby Avenue Open Street on Monday, and thank you to NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez and Council Member Crystal Hudson for their leadership during the meeting. Our message was loud and clear: Open Streets are vital community spaces and we need more of them, not less.
Paris is building a car-free zone. What would that look like in NYC? Check out our new tool to see an approximation of what the 5-square-mile car-free zone coming to Paris in 2024 would look like in NYC. We can make this possible here with NYC 25x25.
In the news. Here’s what we’re reading this week:
As more data rolls in, the success of the Brooklyn Bridge bike lane becomes even clearer, reports Streetsblog. It’s time for all of our bridges to get the Bridges 4 People investment.
Across the pond, London is expanding its Ultra Low Emission Zone to the entirety of Greater London, according to CityLab. Meanwhile, we’re still months away from the next phase of congestion pricing implementation.
Is the pandemic really to blame for the rise in crashes? TA’s Jessie Singer spoke to the New Republic about the true cause for the spike.
Believe it or not: The NYC Department of Finance is actually reducing fines for delivery trucks that block bus lanes, writes the New York Daily News.
TWO THINGS TO DO
Save the date for our Women’s Ride on April 2. This free, family-friendly event will start at noon on April 2 in Joyce Kilmer Park in the Bronx. In partnership with Citi Bike, Council Member Amanda Farías, and the City Council Women’s Caucus, this event seeks to address the gender gap in our bike lanes. RSVP for this ride today.
Remembering loved ones killed in crashes. If you’ve lost a loved one to traffic violence, join Families for Safe Streets on March 23 for a meaningful show-and-tell support session. We invite you to share something that will help us learn more about you and your beloved family member. Learn more about the event.
ONE ACTION TO TAKE NOW
Show your support for the Crash Victim Rights and Safety Act. From funding complete streets to lowering the speed limit to a safe speed, the CVRSA will bring safe streets investments to all of New York State. Tell your friends and your lawmakers to pass the full package without delay.
Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you soon.
Jacob and the TA team
P.S. Are you a brilliant filmmaker? A dynamic storyteller? A NY-based artist looking for your next project? We’re looking for a filmmaker to capture the stories of those impacted by traffic violence and create powerful advocacy pieces. We will apply jointly to the CRNY Artist Employment Program, and if selected, you will receive a $65k salary and benefits. Email PJ Mead at pj.mead@transalt.org by 3/16 with a brief bio, a description of your work, and links to work samples.