PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Matt Dennis from Flatbush on Intro 606 and Street Safety
7:32:33
·
125 sec
Matt Dennis, a resident of Flatbush, strongly opposes Intro 606, arguing that it fails to improve safety and creates new problems, particularly regarding selective enforcement. He urges the City Council to consider alternative measures to enhance street safety for all users.
- Advocates for passing Intro 1138 to require daylighting at all intersections
- Calls for more protected bike lanes and better enforcement of the Streets Plan
- Suggests improved protections for delivery bikers to ensure safe routes and reasonable speeds without risking their livelihoods
Matt Dennis
7:32:33
Hi.
7:32:33
I'm Matt Dennis, and I live in Flatbush.
7:32:36
I'm strongly opposed to intro 606 because that fails to make anyone safer and that creates new problems.
7:32:42
As others have mentioned, one of those problems is the way it would be enforced.
7:32:45
We've seen that 77% of jaywalking tickets in, went to black or Hispanic people just looking at the first half of this year, which is why the council recently repealed the jaywalking law in New York City.
7:32:56
I think that was a great decision.
7:32:57
And I think it's clear that interest 606 would be selectively enforced in a very similar way, and that alone is enough reason for the council to reject the spill.
7:33:06
I am very glad to see the council trying to make our streets safer.
7:33:09
There are many ways that you could actually make a difference here, not just for the sort of very ebike specific things discussed today, which are important to you to make better, but also for fixing the problem where hundreds of New Yorkers are dying every year in preventable car crashes.
7:33:24
And it turns out that a lot of the solutions would make both of these things better.
7:33:28
So, first, I strongly urge the council to pass interest 1138, which would require daylighting at all intersections in the city, which is how it already is in the rest of the state.
7:33:39
And when it's easier for drivers and bicyclists and pedestrians to see each other at intersections, it feels safer, and more importantly, it's proven to save lives.
7:33:48
Another proven life saving measure is to add more productive bike lines, you know, because when bike riders have a safe dedicated place to be, it doesn't just keep them off of sidewalks, but it's been shown to reduce deaths and serious injuries for pedestrians and drivers as well.
7:34:02
A few years ago, the council passed the the streets plan, which for we which requires new protected bike lanes, but this hasn't happened because the mayor thinks he's above the law.
7:34:11
So the council should exercise its oversight powers to fix this.
7:34:17
One more thing the council could do is you could take action to provide better protections for delivery bikers, so they can choose safe routes and travel at reasonable speeds without risking earning less or even losing their jobs.
7:34:30
In conclusion, I strongly urge you to reject interest 6 0 6 and instead take any of these actions
UNKNOWN
7:34:35
where Thank you.
UNKNOWN
7:34:35
Your time has expired.
Matt Dennis
7:34:36
Things you can do.
7:34:37
Thank you.
