PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Meryl LaBorde, Member of the Public
6:01:20
·
125 sec
Meryl LaBorde, a resident of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, testifies in opposition to Intro 606 and in support of Intro 1131. She argues that e-bikes are essential for her transportation needs and expresses concerns about the negative impacts of Intro 606 on bike usage and potential over-policing.
- LaBorde shares her personal experience with unsafe streets, including suffering a traumatic brain injury after being struck by a car.
- She advocates for safer street design, enforcement of existing legislation, and app regulations as more effective solutions than Intro 606.
- LaBorde criticizes the potential strain on DOT resources and the reliance on NYPD for enforcement, suggesting it could lead to discriminatory practices.
Meryl LaBorde
6:01:20
Hello.
6:01:20
My name is Merrill Laborde.
6:01:21
I live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and I'm here to testify in opposition to intro 606 and in support of intro 1131.
6:01:29
Living in an area that's underserved by public transit, I rely on bikes as my primary mode of transportation.
6:01:35
Ebikes allow me to balance multiple jobs as well as volunteer advocacy, both of which take me all over the city.
6:01:42
Through my own experiences, I have suffered the consequences of our unsafe streets, including but not limited to being struck by a car and suffering a traumatic brain injury.
6:01:52
My own experiences are why I'm here to ask the city council to reject intro 606 and instead support proven and workable solutions, safer street design, enforcement of existing legislation, and app regulations.
6:02:05
The Department of Transportation is already overburdened and failing to meet the legal requirements for protected bike lane miles in the streets plan.
6:02:13
Forcing them to develop, implement, and manage a licensing program means further strain on a department that lacks the resources and capacity to do their job.
6:02:21
While the licensing would be on DOT, intro 606 would put the onus of safety on enforcement by the NYPD.
6:02:27
The NYPD has proven it cannot be the agency to keep New Yorkers safe from traffic violence, with enforcement dropping significantly over the years as fatalities and serious injuries continue to rise.
6:02:39
Instead of creating safer streets, this legislation will give NYPD the power to to pull over anyone just for riding a bike, regardless of if they've broken a law.
6:02:47
This will undoubtedly undoubtedly discourage bike use, lead to over policing of working class New Yorkers, and disproportionately affect people of color and delivery stas.
6:02:56
Instead of voting for this legislation, which will discourage biking while burdening the under resourced DOT, I encourage you to support proven safe street solutions, enforce existing regulations requiring delivery companies to provide commercial cyclists with the necessary equipment and training to do their job job safely, support stronger protections for delivery workers to make their jobs safer, and disincentivize dangerous riding behavior, make it easier for DOT to meet the goals of the streets plan, and redesign streets to allogate space for safe travel modes.
6:03:24
Thank you.
