A pedestrian safety group Tuesday released a report offering Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio tips from other cities on how to achieve his “Vision Zero” pledge against street injuries and fatalities.
Transportation Alternatives’ report, “Proven Tactics, Better Enforcement,” suggests that de Blasio should foster a “general deterrence” so drivers believe they will be ticketed for traffic violations. “That begins with leadership from the top, from the mayor and the police commissioner,” said TransAlt deputy director Noah Budnick, “sending the message about safety to New Yorkers and putting people on notice that if they’re driving dangerously that they’re going to be held accountable.” The NYPD has been under fire from advocates about enforcing laws on speeding and failing to yield — top causes of pedestrian injury and death.
To create a general deterrence, the report suggests publicized traffic enforcement that gets media attention, the use of data to target areas with high rates of collisions, and public outreach from the NYPD. After the report was released, the NYPD Tuesday said they wrote 4,347 summonses and made 91 arrests for moving violations in a traffic safety initiative from Nov. 18 through Nov. 23 during the morning and evening rush hours. They targeted intersections that have a history of pedestrians being struck by vehicles.
