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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Eric McClure, Executive Director of StreetsPAC, on Universal Daylighting
4:04:45
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151 sec
Eric McClure, Executive Director of StreetsPAC, testified in strong support of Intro 1138, which would require universal daylighting at intersections in New York City. He emphasized the effectiveness of daylighting in improving pedestrian safety and urged the committee to support the legislation.
- McClure cited Hoboken's success with daylighting, noting no pedestrian fatalities in 8 years
- He addressed DOT's concerns, suggesting physical infrastructure as a solution to potential issues
- McClure highlighted that over 50% of pedestrian fatalities and 80% of injuries occur at intersections, underscoring the need for redesign
Eric McClure
4:04:45
Thank you chair Brooks Powers.
4:04:47
I appreciate the opportunity to testify today.
4:04:49
My name is Eric McClure.
4:04:50
I am the executive director of StreetsPAC.
4:04:52
We strongly support intro eleven thirty eight, which would prohibit standing or parking the motor vehicle within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection as well as require the New York City Department of Transportation to implement daylighting barriers at a minimum of 1,000 intersections per year.
4:05:06
Daylighting is a proven and common sense engineering measure that undoubtedly save lives and reduces injuries caused by vehicle and pedestrian crashes.
4:05:13
It usually involves removing parking spaces at the corners nearest where traffic enters an intersection and ideally replaces those parking spaces with physical barriers that prevent parking such as curb extensions, bike racks, planters, or boulders.
4:05:25
Daylighting is in fact the law throughout New York state, but New York City has exempted itself from the statute.
4:05:31
We need only look across the Hudson River to see how effective daylighting can be.
4:05:35
Hoboken, which began an effort to daylight all its intersections in 02/2009, has not had a pedestrian fatality in eight years, a remarkable safety record.
4:05:43
Hoboken started daylighting its intersections with flex post and paint subsequently building out physical curb extensions as budget and time has allowed.
4:05:51
While the Department of Transportation has expressed reservations about universally daylighting city's intersections citing data that show higher rates of injury at some corners where the only measure is signage prohibiting parking.
4:06:01
The remedy to that is physical infrastructure that prevents parking or standing at corners.
4:06:06
Given that data also indicates that more than half of pedestrian fatalities and nearly eighty percent of pedestrian injuries occur intersections, it's clear that we need to change the way our intersections are designed.
4:06:17
While hardened barriers obviously come with added costs, it's incumbent on the city council and the administration to fund those measures.
4:06:22
We know that the universal daylighting requirement would take significant time to phase in, which would allow for funding for hardening measures to be budgeted over multiple fiscal years.
4:06:30
We would support allowing NYC DOT some leeway in using professional judgment and making determinations about intersections that it determines would be made more unsafe with daylighting measures, but we're confident that the number of locations that will not be made safer by daylighting will be a small fraction of the city's 40,000 plus intersections.
4:06:47
We urge the committee on transportation infrastructure to support Intro 11
Michael Kaess
4:06:50
Your time
UNKNOWN
4:06:50
has expired.
Eric McClure
4:06:51
Voted into law as soon as possible.
4:06:53
Let me just conclude by by thanking council member Juan for introducing and and promoting this legislation, and you, chair Brooks Powers, for your long time support for daylighting measures.
4:07:04
Just in closing, I'll I'll add that our community board community board six, which I chair in Brooklyn, was the second board in the city to vote overwhelmingly in favor of universal daylighting position.
4:07:15
Thanks for your time.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
4:07:16
Thank you.