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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Pete Sikora, Climate Campaigns Director of New York Communities for Change, on Daylighting Legislation
2:07:18
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98 sec
Pete Sikora, representing New York Communities for Change, strongly supports the daylighting legislation as a common-sense safety measure to prevent accidents and reduce pollution. He shares a personal anecdote about a near-miss incident involving his wife and son, highlighting the dangers of non-daylighted intersections.
- Criticizes the DOT and Mayor Adams' study on daylighting, calling it "absurd" and "garbage"
- Urges the council to pass the legislation despite opposition from the mayor's office
- Emphasizes the additional benefits of daylighting in reducing air pollution and related health issues
Pete Sikora
2:07:18
Hi.
2:07:18
My name is Pete Zacora, and I'm with New York Communities for Change.
2:07:21
I'm the climate campaigns director.
2:07:23
We're a community organization in New York City with about 20,000 members.
2:07:27
We organize in black and Latino low income communities.
2:07:31
We support the daylighting legislation, which is an obvious and common sense safety measure.
2:07:37
Who amongst us hasn't had the experience of being almost run over by a car that is going too fast through an intersection where they can't see the the crosswalk?
2:07:50
That happened to my wife with our son.
2:07:54
She was entering the intersection.
2:07:58
She had the right of way.
2:07:59
My son went a little bit faster than he should have, and the driver just came right through going way too fast in a nondaylighted intersection.
2:08:09
You know, it's not clear if the driver saw them at all, but it was a real close shave, and that happens commonly in the city and sadly with tragic results.
2:08:18
Daylighting will also reduce pollution, saving lives not just directly by preventing accidents, but by preventing air pollution that causes asthma, emphysema, heart disease, stroke, all of those things.
2:08:31
So please pass this legislation, is what our organization recommends.
2:08:38
I also just wanted to comment on the DOT and Mayor Adams' absurd study.
2:08:43
The mayor is corrupt and incompetent, and the DOT is proposing a study that is nonsense.
2:08:50
We all know that that study's garbage.
2:08:52
You should disregard it.
2:08:53
You should plow right over the mayor's BS.
2:08:55
Thank you.