As a new mom, there are so many things that keep me up at night about the safety of my daughter. I’m excited to raise her in the City I grew up in, in the neighborhood that I call home, surrounded by our community and family. Seeing entirely avoidable fatalities, especially among children and seniors, happening in my district and across the city made it clear to me that we needed change. That change started with the passage of Sammy’s Law.
Last year was the deadliest year for children in New York City streets on record. 118 pedestrians were killed by speeding cars, including 16 children. In New York, injuries to pedestrians are among the top 10 leading causes of injury-related hospital admission. We simply cannot accept this as the status quo. Research has found that the crash rate decreases by 4%-6% for every 1 mph reduction in speed, and the fatality rate decreases by 17%
Since 2014, parents and lawmakers have fought to empower New York City to determine its own speed limits. The legislation, Sammy’s Law, was named after a child, Samuel Cohen Eckstein, who was killed a few feet away from his home by a vehicle speeding down near Prospect Park West in Brooklyn. In the wake of her son’s untimely death, his mother was compelled into action, devastated by the loss of her child and determined to prevent this from ever happening again. Her fight resonated with parents around the city, including me.
But year after year, this legislation has stalled — both at the city and state level. This year, I introduced a resolution calling on the state to pass Sammy’s Law. At the same time, I worked closely with advocates and colleagues like Chair Selvina Brooks-Powers and Chair Abreu to help bring a home rule message to the Council, before Mayor Adams did in late May. After many conversations and tireless education, from myself, council colleagues and advocates, the home rule message ultimately passed with a significant majority of support. The Mayor, Governor and DOT commissioner were also in support. The state senate passed Sammy’s Law easily.
But in spite of the progress we made at the Council, the bill stalled at its last step: the State Assembly. A majority of Assemblymembers pledged support, but that’s where progress stopped. Assembly Speaker Heastie failed to bring Sammy’s Law to a vote in the Assembly; one man got to choose if the people were able to see how their legislators would vote on the record. The legislative session came and went and the state legislature failed to act.
I refuse to accept this. We trailblazed where there was no path, mobilizing both on the ground and in the city and state government in order to prevent thousands more fatal crashes on our streets. But that process ceased without public explanation. It’s clear that there are other factors at play, closed door conversations from which everyday New Yorkers are excluded. The will of the people is being ignored for unknown reasons. New Yorkers are being stymied – unable to make critical decisions about the streets we know best.
I’m calling on leadership at every level of government to take action on safe streets, heed the will of the people, and make sure we prioritize and pass Sammy’s Law. Alongside advocates, I’m joining the call to prioritize the passage of this legislation and expand neighborhood slow zones, which would slow speeds in residential areas to 20mph. We owe our constituents transparency and action in response to entirely preventable and all-too-common tragedies. In the meantime, the City can act to make meaningful infrastructure investments for safer streets, and could expand slow zones. But until the state legislator comes around, the city has their hands tied behind our backs by Albany.
This fight has been nine years in the making. We deserve accountability from our state legislature and we must finally pass Sammy’s Law. By passing this vital legislation, we can grant parents peace of mind, give children the freedom to play, and save hundreds of lives across our city. We can’t afford not to.
