The City Council’s Transportation Committee is tackling a vexing problem, as part of a larger package of bills: how to measure NYPD enforcement efforts as they relate to traffic safety. Martin Treat has been resolute in his quest to gain this data from the various precincts, with very limited success. However enforcement is the third leg of the traffic safety triangle : Engineering , Education , Enforcement.
The proposed legislation package (Intros 370, 374, 376-A, 377-A) would institutionalize a strategy toward increased transportation safety for all street users, by ensuring that pedestrian safety studies are updated regularly, that preventive and remedial plans are designed and implemented, that various agencies work in a coordinated fashion to reduce deadly crashes. It would obtain crash and enforcement information.
On a tactical level, It would cause the DOT to normalize the traffic calming tool kit, to establish guidelines for its application and to communicate promptly on studies and conclusions.
Read the New york Times article on this matter
This is a terrific set of legislation on which we have a few suggestions.
City Council Transportation Committee – Pedestrian Safety
Wednesday, November 4, 2010 – 10:00 am
250 Broadway, 16th Floor
(Chamber Street, A, C, E, 2, 3)
Cars are always parked on the sidewalk on 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in the upper 80’s in front of Guiffre’s Dealership and across from the firehouse (not an emergency!) and Panda Sports in the 90’s as well as on the side street around from Guiffre’s Dealership. No matter how many times we complain or meet with NYPD, nothing is done about it, especially after 5 p.m.. On the side streets, there is no room to pass by and wheelchair users like me cannot safely go into the street(!). On 5th Ave., those cars have to go up and down the ped ramps to get on and off the sidewalk! There is another car dealer who does it too. Why aren’t the laws enforced?
Jean ,
It happens all over our neighborhood as well.
What has been successful in the past , is to start a petition and send copies of that petition to Mr Tuller, the head of traffic enforcement at NYPD .
You can also request the Transportation Committee of your Community Board to send a letter to DOT to request enforcement at specific locations.
This is all very time consuming and mind boggling but we have to play with the hand we have today.
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