The New York City Council’s Transportation Committee held a hearing yesterday on Councilman David G. Greenfield’s proposed legislation to lower the speed limit on most residential and side streets to 20 miles per hour. Joining Councilman Greenfield in testifying was Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, which supports the proposed legislation, and the parents and sister of 12-year-old Samuel Cohen Eckstein, who was struck and killed by a van on Prospect Park West in early October, just a few months shy of his bar mitzvah. Under the proposed law, all residential streets that are 60 feet wide or narrower throughout the five boroughs would be subject to the new 20 mile per hour speed limit.

“It is clear that we must do much more to make our streets safer for everyone, especially pedestrians. Barely a day goes by without another New Yorker being seriously injured or killed by a speeding or reckless motorist. This is a problem that impacts every community and everyone who walks our streets. One of the simplest things we can do is reduce the speed of drivers traveling through our residential and side streets,” said Councilman Greenfield.

“Traffic deaths are preventable. We know the decisions people make that contribute to fatalities, and we know what actions to take to help people make better decisions. We must decide whether we are willing to take the action necessary to eliminate traffic deaths,” testified White. “We should make 20 miles per hour the default New York City speed limit. This is a reasonable approach to saving lives.”

According to Transportation Alternatives, a drop in average speed of 1 mile per hour on urban, pedestrian-heavy streets leads to a 6 percent decrease in traffic fatalities. That means the implementation of this legislation would save lives every year in New York City, which is home to the most pedestrian-dense streets in the nation. Last year, at least 270 people died in traffic-related incidents across the five boroughs, which was the highest number since 2008. Of those, 148 who died on city streets were pedestrians. During his testimony, White noted that every week last year, 1,262 people were injured, 58 lost a limb or suffered serious life-altering injuries, and five New Yorkers were killed in traffic crashes. Councilman Greenfield’s legislation is especially important given that a person has an 80 percent chance of surviving being hit by a car traveling 30 miles per hour, and a 98 percent chance of survival when hit by a vehicle traveling 20 miles per hour.

During the hearing, Councilman Greenfield urged city residents and advocacy groups to continue pushing the Department of Transportation (DOT) to make reducing the speed limit and improving safety on local streets a top priority.

Since taking office, Councilman Greenfield has worked closely with the DOT to improve safety on streets and at intersections across his southern Brooklyn district. This has resulted in the installation of stop signs, traffic lights and other traffic calming measures at busy locations around the district. However, this legislation represents his keynote effort to improve traffic and pedestrian safety for every community in Brooklyn and New York City.

“This emotional hearing showed the toll and impact that dangerous driving has on our citizens and our communities. The time to take real steps towards improving the safety of our streets for everyone is now. That’s why I am proud to have introduced this common-sense legislation and to help lead the fight in New York City for safer streets. My thanks to Gary Eckstein, Amy Cohen and Tamar Cohen Eckstein for their powerful and emotional testimony regarding the loss of their son and brother, Samuel Cohen Eckstein, and to groups like Transportation Alternatives for supporting this critical legislation,” added Councilman Greenfield.

Councilman Greenfield has made the safety of pedestrians, especially children and seniors, the hallmark of his three years in office. He brought countdown clocks to dangerous intersections around his district several years ago and has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for the installation of additional countdown signals. Greenfield also recently funded a bike helmet giveaway event, during which more than 600 free helmets were distributed to local children and adults. In addition, he has worked with the NYPD to crack down on reckless drivers who illegally drive past yellow school buses that are stopped with their lights flashing to pick up or drop off children.

(YWN Desk – NYC)