This Week: Rally for Traffic Justice at NYPD HQ

The highlight of the Streetsblog calendar this week is Wednesday’s rally led by Transportation Alternatives calling on Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and NYPD to uphold traffic laws and hold reckless drivers accountable. You can RSVP here.

  • Today: The City Council Transportation Committee will consider a pair of bills introduced by committee chair James Vacca that mandate what NYC DOT already does: consult with other city agencies before implementing street redesigns and report on the effect of those projects. However, in addition to requiring safety and traffic speed measurements, one of the bills — Intro 671 —  would also mandate reports on vehicular level of service, the discredited traffic engineering metric often used to justify road expansions or thwart pedestrian, bike, and transit improvements. The hearing starts at noon.
  • Tuesday: NYU’s Wagner Center hosts a discussion with Dr. Kelly Henning, director of public health programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies, about road safety from a global perspective. Traffic injuries cause 1.27 million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization, predominantly in developing countries. Dr. Henning will talk about the current state of road safety in low- and middle-income countries, and share information about the Bloomberg Global Road Safety Program. 8:30 a.m.
  • Wednesday: Reckless driving claims lives with alarming frequency in New York, but police and prosecutors almost always send the message that this behavior is acceptable. In the vast majority of cases, drivers who kill are not charged with a crime, even when they operate without a valid license or when witnesses observe them breaking traffic laws. More than 1,300 people have signed letters to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly demanding NYPD uphold traffic laws and take the investigation of traffic deaths seriously. Transportation Alternatives will deliver the letters at a rally at One Police Plaza. The public is invited to attend, and you can also add your voice by sending a letter to NYPD. 8:30 a.m.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

City Council Bills to Release Traffic Data Pass Committee Unanimously

By Noah Kazis |
Three bills to open up information about traffic and street safety to the public cleared the City Council’s transportation committee unanimously today. According to committee chair James Vacca, the bills are scheduled for a floor vote this Wednesday. Two of the bills, in particular, should provide New Yorkers with a much clearer picture of what’s […]

After NYPD Kills Bill, Council Pushes for Traffic Safety Data From DOT

By Noah Kazis |
The City Council Transportation Committee held a hearing yesterday on four bills that would release new information about traffic crashes and how the Department of Transportation decides whether to install traffic calming measures and traffic control devices like stop lights and stop signs. All together, the bills would cover a wide spectrum of information, but […]

Where to Go for Traffic Justice Rally at Noon Today

By Ben Fried |
Last week Matthew Lefevre was killed by a hit-and-run truck driver while biking in East Williamsburg. According to the wisps of information NYPD has released about the case, it seems that police exonerated the driver based only on his own explanation — that he never saw Lefevre or noticed he’d run him down. At noon […]

Vacca Lectures DOT on NYPD Delivery Cyclist Enforcement

By Brad Aaron |
The City Council Transportation Committee is on a mission to bring bike delivery workers into compliance with traffic laws, but council members appear unsure as to how to go about it. Concern over sidewalk riding, red-light running and other behaviors by restaurant workers led to the creation of a DOT commercial cycling unit, which is […]

City Council Lets Albany and NYPD Off the Hook for Traffic Violence

By Ben Fried |
City Council Speaker Chris Quinn and Transportation Committee Chair James Vacca finally responded to the deaths of Amar Diarrassouba and Raizel and Nachman Glauber today, after devoting their energy earlier in the week to keeping municipal parking underpriced. So are they calling on Albany to pass speed camera legislation? Nope. Pressuring NYPD to get serious […]

This Week: City Council Probes NYPD Crash Investigations

By Streetsblog |
Even with new laws on the books designed to hold dangerous motorists accountable, NYPD still, by and large, allows drivers who maim or kill other people to get right back behind the wheel with little or no repercussions. Stories abound of police failing to follow up with crash witnesses, neglecting to use the legal tools […]