Vision Zero picks up speed

whynot_31

While billed as a way to reduce pedestrian and bicycle deaths, many viewers perceive the effort as really being motivated by a desire to wrestle control over NYC speed limits and roadways from Albany.

Does that mean I am against it?     No.

It just means that that this campaign is a little more clever than it first appears.

whynot_31

Off to Albany the advocates go....

http://www.transalt.org/calendar/7464

whynot_31

Nothing is easier than giving New Yorker's a place to complain, then showing the complaints to Albany:

http://visionzero.herokuapp.com/place/178191

pragmaticguy

And as soon as we can stop kids from running out into the street and pedestrians from crossing where a driver doesn't expect them we can really become safe. I suggest a collar that gives people shocks when they do something stupid like this. Because after all, it's always the driver's fault.

whynot_31

In my view, pedestrian and bicycle deaths could actually increase over the length of this campaign, yet the organizers could declare it a success.

....after all, the goal is to show concern for the deaths [this earns one votes] and get control over traffic rules from Albany [this gives one power]. 

morralkan

Probably that collar should be worn by some of the parents whose precious little angels are running out into the streets.

mike dunlap

In my view, pedestrian and bicycle deaths could actually increase over the length of this campaign, yet the organizers could declare it a success.

....after all, the goal is to show concern for the deaths [this earns one votes] and get control over traffic rules from Albany [this gives one power]. 

The goal is also to decrease traffic violence. Car drivers collectively kill more people than gunmen in this city.

pragmaticguy

 @ Mike Dunlap...Maybe so, but it's not always the driver's fault. So, they'll get tickets but all the people that jaywalk get away free. The discrimination against vehicles is blatant. I don't think any driver purposely wants to run down someone whereas a shooter purposely has to pull the trigger. You're not comparing apples to apples. It's acceptable to give drivers tickets, not so much walkers.

whynot_31

By stating that the primary goal is reducing biker and pedestrian injuries and deaths, the proponents of Vision Zero have effectively insulated themselves from accusations of "power grabbing" by Albany politicians and car advocates.

The advocates learned this technique the hard way: A few years ago, they failed in their attempt to toll the East River bridges.

This time, their goals are the same, but they are being more clever about their tactics and messaging.

morralkan

You do realize, pragmaticguy, that DeBlasio is not simultaneously campaigning against unsafe bicycling practices. I doubt whether it is safe for a cyclist to wear noise-blocking headphones while riding, but I've seen that many times. Or for a cyclist to talk on his cell phone while riding, but .. ditto. How about tickets for the cretins blithely walking through crosswalks while texting? Or parents letting their little darlings play in the street while unsupervised? No, any pedestrian or biker death is automatically the fault of the driver and the "victim" must never be blamed. And certainly not the city's ill-advised "bump-outs" which can cause a vehicle to swerve unintentionally. 

[By the way, I don't drive, never did; I walk, take public transportation, and bike.]

mike dunlap

No, any pedestrian or biker death is automatically the fault of the driver and the "victim" must never be blamed.

You cannot be serious. Car drivers kill cyclists and pedestrians in this city almost every day and very, very rarely receive anything more than minor citations for it.

mike dunlap

I don't think any driver purposely wants to run down someone whereas a shooter purposely has to pull the trigger.

Of course, but the end results are what I described. Car drivers now kill more people in this city than gunmen. And they do far more damage in other areas.

They rip up and down Crown Heights avenues in their giant machinery, greatly endangering its residents and polluting the area in numerous ways, from their noise to their dirty exhaust to the incredible amount of glass, metal, oil, and other garbage they scatter everywhere.

Bravo for De Blasio and anyone else who wants to reduce the immense amount of damage cars do to our neighborhoods.

whynot_31

Part of the genius of the map is that it allows everyone (bikes, cars, pedestrians, trucks. etc) to complain about everyone:

  

http://visionzero.herokuapp.com/place/183432

This makes it appear as if Vision Zero has everyone in mind, and is out for everyone's best interests.    It implies that there are ways in which everyone can win;  no group will lose.

whynot_31

Throughout the city, DOT and the politicians are doing everything they can that does not require the permission of Albany:

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140501/inwood/speed-limit-be-reduced-on-broadway-above-columbus-circle-dot-says

The real fun begins a few months.    

• If pedestrian and bicycle injuries and fatalities go down, the politicians and the advocates can proudly declare success. Then, they can state that they could be EVEN MORE successful if they could remove additional cars from midtown during workdays, and that tolling the East River Bridges would accomplish this.   They would promise that all revenues would go to very popular things:   Parks, improving subway and bus service.   They would implore the public to hate Albany even more than they already do.   

• If ped and bike injuries don't decrease, they can make the same speech!     They can't lose.  

morralkan

So, Mike, does that imply that EVERY death is the fault of the driver?

Also, you really do have a thing about motor vehicles. ("They rip up and down Crown Heights avenues in their giant machinery, greatly endangering its residents and polluting the area in numerous ways, from their noise to their dirty exhaust to the incredible amount of glass, metal, oil, and other garbage they scatter everywhere.") 

"Giant machinery"? I'm assuming you grow all your own food and that any else that comes to your house is helicoptered to your roof.

If you find all this exhaust, etc so horrible, perhaps you should move someplace like Oregon, Idaho, or wherever. I'm sure the extremists out there would be glad to have you. NYC is obviously NOT the place for you.

mike dunlap

Nah, I'm fine here, thanks. We have a long way to go still, but things are moving in the right direction. City leaders are now getting much more serious about the incredible amount of death and destruction car drivers cause in this city.

whynot_31

Serious press is now being paid.    The NYT just profiled four injured people that its reading demographics can readily identify and sympathize with:

http://t.co/vdRCvbteYd

eastbloc

As a pedestrian, bicyclist, motorcyclist, and driver in this city for eleven years, I have a cautiously optimistic view of Vision Zero.  

Historically, the enforcement of moving violations against cars has been practically non-existent.  If anything, the NYPD discriminates in favor of drivers.  You're far more likely to get a ticket for running a red light on a bicycle than for doing the same in a car.   I've been stopped four times at motorcycle-only checkpoints, and ticketed for such infractions as failing to have my visor fully down on a hot August day, but never once in a car.  Speed limits are a joke, and drivers who do hit pedestrians are very rarely charged with even a traffic offense, not to mention criminal charges.

In the last month, I've witnessed some things I've never seen before.  I saw a cop on the service road at Bedford and Eastern Parkway actually pursue and pull over someone who ran the light there.  I've seen cops with radar guns parked on Park Ave under the BQE, hunting for speeders.  

It's about time cars have had their comeuppance.  

whynot_31

I don't know whether enforcement is yet up citywide, but it is certainly up in the 77th pct, which covers Crown Heights north of Eastern Parkway:

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140423/crown-heights/crown-heights-drivers-ticketed-up-88-percent-more-this-year-police-say

mike dunlap

It's about time cars have had their comeuppance.

Total agreement with your post (obviously); the only thing I would change there is "cars" to "car drivers." The numerous cars that come ripping up Franklin Avenue all day, often in an especially dangerous side-by-side competition, are not piloting themselves. They are being wielded by people with a complete, neighborhood-menacing disregard for anything but themselves.

(I realize you know all this; just using the opportunity to make a point about the importance of language in this discussion. This too is an area where things are improving as media outlets and government officials are starting to be much more thoughtful about the wording of this stuff. "Accident" being used in the cases of wreckless car drivers smashing into people and property is another error being reconsidered.)

Anyway, thanks for the post and encouraging anecdotes about cops pursuing law-breaking drivers (which driving a car makes 100% of us at some point). More evidence that Bill Bratton is serious about aggressively pursuing traffic violence; something Ray Kelly was completely disinterested in attacking.

booklaw

The most reckless drivers in this city are driving cop cars. They completely disregard traffic lights, stop signs, and all rules that they enforce against other drivers... Whether their sirens and flashers are on or whether it's lunchtime and they are going for pizza.

chrismcnally1111

Vision Zero is about ending all traffic fatalities, not just pedestrians and cyclists. Car passengers and drivers are killed in motor vehicle collisions. A nine year old passenger was killed this weekend. 

In order to control our streets we need to power to make our own laws. This is not a power grab, it's sensible that the city of millions with a density unlike any other in the state needs a different set of standards for traffic behavior. I am in favor of automated enforcement, such as speed cameras and red light cameras, though I think street redesign will be the most effective. 

Vision Zero is also a change in mindset for all users of the road, that we have to take care of each other. Instead of cyclists vs pedestrians and car vs cyclists, we have to realize we all have responsibility when using the streets for our own safety and the safety of our fellow citizens.

Vision Zero is about making streets more forgiving. Everyone makes mistakes, pedestrians, drivers, everyone. Those mistakes should not have be fatal. We've had a mindset that auto crashes are "accidents". They are not. When you build wider streets for high speed, people with powerful engines will speed.  An engine is designed for power. But our neighborhood streets are not an autobahn, it's the streets we live and walk on, so it's time to change the design of our streets for life at people speed, not machine speed.

whynot_31

Bike's gather at St. John The Divine on May 3rd, for the annual Blessing of the Bicycles:

whynot_31

Meanwhile, in areas that are less well served by public transportation, a hearing on Vision Zero results in a conversation that generates 403 posts:

http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2014/04/a-vision-zero-town-hall-meeting/

whynot_31

As of today, city residents now have easier access to city collision data.

Data:
https://data.cityofnewyork.us/widgets/h9gi-nx95

Article about said data:
http://www.streetsblog.org/2014/05/07/nypd-crash-and-fatality-data-now-easier-to-use-and-updated-daily/#more-325007

There are lots of ways to use and misuse this data.

whynot_31

Meanwhile, there were several fatalities this weekend on NYC roads:

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140512/ozone-park/cyclist-killed-hit-and-run-with-mercedes-van-police-say

whynot_31

The battle over space (and aesthetics) takes shape on the UWS:

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140514/upper-west-side/neighbors-rip-proposed-uws-street-safety-features-as-ugly

whynot_31

Fun with bike data:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/bikestats.shtml

whynot_31

Fun with ticketing (aka fishing in a barrel)

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140520/civic-center/nypd-begins-two-day-crackdown-on-speeding

pragmaticguy

The speeding crackdown seems to be everywhere. Driving out on Long Island there were more cops on the highway with cars pulled over than I ever saw. Had one client get an eight point violation for doing 80 in a 55 (dumb shit) on the LIE. Oh well, back to using the radar detector.

whynot_31

Police often step up speeding and DWI enforcement during the summer, and on holiday weekends.

In NYC, I not only perceive a lot of more cars stopped for moving violations, but also a lot more parking tickets being issued.   The agents also seem to be using the "boot" and tow trucks to get the point across.