Town Hall Meeting on "Vision Zero"

On February 25, I hosted a capacity crowd at my town hall on “Vision Zero,” the Mayor’s plan to eliminate traffic fatalities within a decade. According to NYPD statistics, more than 16,000 pedestrians and cyclists were injured in traffic accidents last year, and 178 were killed, a number of those here in our State Senate District.

I am grateful to the many constituents and activists who attended and helped to create an engaging and informative dialogue. Our esteemed panelists—DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit Manhattan Director Kassandra Perez, NYPD Sergeant Amber Cafaro, CHEKPEDS Co-Founder Christine Berthet and Transportation Alternatives Organizer Tom DeVito—covered a lot of ground addressing immediate traffic safety concerns and long-term implementation of the Mayor’s Vision Zero Action Plan. The full plan can be seen at nyc.gov/visionzero and a video of the Town Hall can be viewed below. 
 
As was discussed, implementing parts of the plan will require State legislative action, and I strongly support the measures the Mayor has proposed. Moreover, I have introduced legislation he has called for that would grant NYC home rule to set its own, lower speed limit, and that would require side under-ride guards for large trucks operating in the city to protect pedestrians, cyclists and smaller vehicles from sliding underneath them. You can see the complete Vision Zero state legislative agenda below.
 
I will continue to work with the de Blasio administration, other colleagues in government, advocates, community organizations and constituents to help New York City achieve its goal of zero traffic fatalities within a decade. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (212) 633-8052 or at hoylman@nysenate.gov if you have particular traffic safety concerns or any questions.