Corey Hannigan
3:08:22
My name is Corey Hannigan with Tri State Transportation Campaign.
3:08:25
We're the supporting organization for families for safe streets New Jersey and have seen firsthand the positive impact universal daylighting has had in Hoboken, which saw a 35% drop in pedestrian fatalities the year after implementation.
3:08:38
Needless to say, we strongly support Intro November.
3:08:41
I'm also on Queen's CB 2, 1 of 22 boards in the city demanding universal daylighting.
3:08:46
We are so grateful to our councilwoman Julie Wan for introducing this bill which our transportation committee also officially supports.
3:08:53
Thank you also to chaired Brooks Powers, a fellow Queensland for co sponsoring and putting it on the agenda today.
3:08:59
This policy really should be common sense.
3:09:01
It's already state law, but New York City's bizarre exemption means parking is more important than pedestrian safety, specifically in the place where the fewest people drive.
3:09:11
DOT claims that just painting the corner won't make a difference, which honestly reflects more poorly on New York City Police Department than anything else.
3:09:18
They also conflate bus stops and fire hydrants with soft daylighting, a debatable leap in logic to base their entire judgment on.
3:09:25
Certainly hardening is better than paint alone, but why oppose a policy which would support that effort?
3:09:31
Instead, DOT should support this law while emphasizing the need for more funding and staff to accelerate their intersection hardening measures.
3:09:38
We are tired of peeking around parked cars.
3:09:41
We're tired of cars creeping into the crosswalk because they can't see either.
3:09:45
We just want what other dense cities like Hoboken and San Francisco have.
3:09:49
We want what other towns in our own state have.
3:09:52
We want what the city to stop being reactive and waiting for people to die.
3:09:56
We need it to be universal so that everyone is safe.
3:09:59
San Francisco has recently done what New York City apparently cannot and daylighted all intersections citywide starting with simple red painted curbs because they understand the urgency in acting fast to prevent fatal crashes.
3:10:12
I ask our council members to pass this bill with that same urgency and bring us back into alignment with state law.
3:10:18
How many more children and seniors need to die?
3:10:20
How many families have to live in fear that they'll be next?
3:10:23
What are we waiting for?