TESTIMONY
Margaret Forgione, First Deputy Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation, on Intro 346 and Legalizing Jaywalking and Pedestrian Safety Concerns
0:40:08
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94 sec
Margaret Forgione expresses concerns about legalizing jaywalking, which could have deadly consequences, as over the last 5 years, 34% of pedestrian fatalities were due to mid-block crossing or crossing against signals.
- The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) has implemented numerous pedestrian safety initiatives
- Over the past 2 years, DOT has added 1 million square feet of pedestrian spaces like curb extensions
- DOT supports reducing penalties for jaywalking to civil summonses instead of criminal summonses
- But DOT has reservations about fully legalizing jaywalking due to safety concerns
Margaret Forgione
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Next, intro 346, sponsored by Council member, Nurses.
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This bill would permit pedestrians to legally cross the roadway at any point.
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Including outside of a marked or unmarked crosswalk, and allow for crossing against traffic signals.
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It would legalize the activity commonly referred to as Jaywalking.
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And specify that no penalties can be imposed for Jaywalking.
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DOT continuously works to enhance the pedestrian experience throughout New York City.
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In the 1st 2 years of this administration, DOT delivered 1, 000, 000 square feet of new clauses, sidewalk extensions, pedestrian islands, and more.
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We have implemented a record number of safety initiatives and intersections, including adding leading pedestrian intervals at 6000 intersections to give pedestrians a head start.
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And this year, we will be adding daylighting to 1000 intersections to improve visibility among all road users.
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We also look to add mid block crossings where needed to short and walking distances.
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Although Jaywalking is a common practice in New York City, it can have deadly consequences.
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Over the last 5 years, 200 people lost their lives while crossing the street mid block or against the signal, making up about 34% of all pedestrian abilities.
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Our laws require that all road users, including pedestrians, share the responsibility of abiding by the traffic rules designed to keep us safe.
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Therefore, we have concerns with fully legalizing this practice.
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However, we do support reducing the penalty for such behavior and removing the criminal summons and replacing it with the civil summons.
0:41:39
We look forward to discussing this further with the counsel.
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Margaret Forgione, First Deputy Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation, on Intro 301 and the efficacy of solar-powered traffic control devices at crosswalks
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Margaret Forgione, First Deputy Commissioner at the NYC Department of Transportation, on Intro 468 and making speed reducer and traffic control device requests available and searchable on DOT's website