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Vision Zero Sputters As NYC Traffic Deaths Reach Highest Level Of De Blasio Era
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Oct 23, 2020
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By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Oct 23, 2020
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Six years into the de Blasio administration's Vision Zero campaign, New York City is on track to see the highest number of fatalities in a single year since the mayor took office.
There have been 200 deaths on city streets so far this year, the most since 2014, according to a new analysis by the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives.
At the current pace, the city is on track for 243 deaths in 2020 — marking the second straight year of increased road fatalities. Danny Harris, the executive director of TransAlt, said he expected the rate of fatalities to grow as the days get shorter.
"This is shaping up to be the deadliest year for traffic violence during Mayor de Blasio’s tenure," he said.
The surge in deaths follows a nearly two month period at the height of the pandemic during which New York saw zero pedestrian fatalities. That trend reversed this summer, fueled in part by a spike in overnight motorist and motorcyclist deaths.
The Department of Transportation disputes TransAlt's total, counting eight fewer deaths this year (a DOT spokesperson notes that they're tally does not include the deaths of drivers who suffered heart attacks behind the wheel or fatal crashes that occur in driveways or parking lots).
Still, city officials acknowledged the alarming trend, which they attribute to a nationwide increase in speeding that began when streets emptied earlier this year and continued as people emerged from lockdown.
“This year has challenged us like none before it, and we’ve stepped up our efforts to keep New Yorkers safe," said Mitch Schwartz, a spokesperson for the mayor. He pointed to the city's speed camera program, open streets initiative, and efforts to lower speed limits on nine major corridors.
Safe streets advocates, meanwhile, say the mayor's inaction is to blame for the burgeoning crisis. They note that de Blasio has slashed budgets for Vision Zero and the Green Wave program, while delaying implementation of legislation passed by the City Council that would strip the city's most habitually reckless drivers of their licenses.
Amid a boom in cycling, the mayor has ignored the advice of his own expert transportation panel, including suggestions to restrict vehicular traffic in Manhattan and ramp up bike lane infrastructure. Of the 19 cyclists killed on city streets this year, seven died last month, making September the deadliest month for cyclists in de Blasio's tenure.
Meanwhile, recent data has done little to assuage fears of a "carmeggedon" on city streets. With just 10 percent of workers having returned to their offices in Manhattan, vehicular traffic congestion is now back at pre-COVID levels.
“Every crash is preventable, but only if city leaders take responsibility for safety on their streets — and take it seriously," said Amy Cohen, co-founder of Families for Safe Street. "What does it say about our city’s leaders when the death toll has risen to such a high level, even though traffic was essentially shut down for almost three months?"
Tagged
green wave
vision zero
bill de blasio
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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