November 19 Our agenda for Adams, our talk with Sen. Schumer, our World Day of Remembrance memorial
Since Mayor de Blasio took office in 2014, traffic violence has killed 1,800 people — a heartbreaking and devastating number. This year has seen record-breaking levels of fatal crashes especially in Brooklyn, which has nearly twice as many fatalities at this point in the year than in 2016.
Please join us at 3 p.m. this Sunday, November 21, at Brooklyn Borough Hall to honor and memorialize our loved ones, neighbors, and community members lost to traffic violence at this year’s World Day of Remembrance. We’ll honor the lives lost with a living memorial: 1,800 compostable pots, each with the name of someone killed, and a packet of “Seeds for Safe Streets.”
We’ll be joined by Mayor-elect Eric Adams, as well as current and future elected officials from across New York City. We will call on our new leaders to stop the violence on our streets and implement Vision Zero to its fullest potential.
If you’re not in NYC, Families for Safe Streets chapters will host memorials across the country. Find a World Day of Remembrance memorial near you.
Three Things To Know
1️⃣ Read our policy agenda for Mayor-elect Eric Adams. Our next leaders will take office amid unprecedented challenges. Our new seven-step agenda for our streets outlines what the next administration must do to fulfill #NYC25x25 and deliver improved walking, biking, and public transit to all five boroughs. We are excited to partner with New York's next mayor to make this vision a reality!
2️⃣ We talked safe streets with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Alongside many other #bikenyc advocates, we met with Sen. Schumer to discuss the most pressing issues on our streets — from ending traffic violence to increasing bike access to how the infrastructure bill can help NYC. Read this short thread from Assembly Member Emily Gallagher for a full recap. Sen. Schumer also recently joined Los Deliveristas Unidos as they made deliveries and advocated for labor rights for these essential working cyclists.
3️⃣ Here’s what we’re reading this week. In the news:
Open Streets Forever: In a new City Limits op-ed, Council Member Vanessa Gibson (the Bronx Borough President-elect) and Council Member Carlina Rivera call on the Open Streets program to be permanently and equitably expanded.
“Boulevard of Life”: TA advocates, elected officials, and community members rallied to celebrate the transformation of Queens Boulevard — and called on the city to extend the life-saving protections to Jamaica. The Forest Hills Post has a recap of our event and Streetfilms covered our victory ride. NY1 Noticias tiene un artículo en español.
Cyclists need real protection: Read this op-ed in Streetsblog calling on the city to use more than paint and flex posts when building bike lanes.
Two Things to Do
1️⃣ Attend a virtual candle lighting for FSS members. If you have lost a loved one or been injured in a traffic crash (or care for someone who was), join us for this special World Day of Remembrance virtual candle lighting ceremony at 8 p.m. on Sunday, November 21, with Families for Safe Streets members across the country.
2️⃣ Sign our new petition to unblock bike and bus lanes. Cars blocking our bike and bus lanes create unsafe, unsustainable conditions for our city. Intro 2159 is a City Council bill to fight back against illegal parking issues in our city by creating harsher penalties and creating a civilian reporting system. Tell your Council Member to support Intro 2159.
One Action To Take Now
RSVP to our forum with NYC Council Speaker candidates: On Tuesday, November 30, at 6:30PM, we are co-hosting a transparency and transportation-themed virtual forum with the candidates for Speaker of the next City Council. Professor Christina Greer is moderating and the event is co-sponsored by our friends at Riders Alliance, Citizens Union, and Common Cause NY. Remember to RSVP.
Thanks for reading! One more thing: We’re hiring a Brooklyn Organizer! This organizer will work with community partners, activists, and volunteers to reclaim street space from the automobile for pedestrians, cyclists, micromobility, and mass transit riders in Kings County. Learn more about the position and apply.
Jacob and the TA Staff
P.S. Your gift to TA is doubled thanks to the generous support from a local foundation through the end of the year. Chip in today, and help build better stre