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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Sabina Sethi Unni, Planner at Open Plans
2:37:06
·
105 sec
Sabina Sethi Unni, a planner at Open Plans, testified in strong support of Intro 1138, which would require universal daylighting across New York City. She emphasized the importance of daylighting for improving safety around schools, particularly during arrival and dismissal times.
- Unni works with 28 schools and community organizations facing traffic congestion and accidents.
- She highlighted that streets outside schools during pickup and drop-off times are among the deadliest for pedestrians, especially in low-income neighborhoods of color.
- Daylighting is presented as a crucial short-term, permanent infrastructure solution to improve student safety, making them more visible to drivers at crosswalks.
Sabina Sethi Unni
2:37:06
Thank you.
2:37:07
My name is Sabina Sitiuni, and I work as a planner at Open Plans, providing technical assistance and outreach support to 28 schools and community organizations across the city who all struggle with traffic congestion and accidents at arrival and dismissal.
2:37:23
Due to this work, I am testifying in enthusiastic support of Intro eleven thirty eight.
2:37:29
If you're a parent or a caretaker or just live near a school, you know all too well what 8AM and 2PM looks like outside of school buildings.
2:37:38
It's hectic with cars honking, school buses, swarms of kids, cut through traffic, trucks backing up without loading zones, construction, and more.
2:37:47
It's not just hectic.
2:37:49
Research on New York City's most deadliest streets has found that the streets outside of schools during pickup and drop off are deadliest for pedestrians.
2:37:58
This is even worse at public schools and in schools in low income neighborhoods of color.
2:38:03
Much of my job is helping schools find solutions to their traffic crashes in service of making children safe.
2:38:09
The Department of Transportation offers many options including an open street program, but these solutions often rely on schools having adequate staffing support and funding to keep the program going.
2:38:20
When I talk to countless parents, caretakers, and administrators in neighborhoods across the city, everywhere from College Point, Queens to Tremont in the Bronx, 1 of the biggest needs that I hear is short term permanent infrastructure solutions to keep students safe.
2:38:35
Daylighting does just that and makes students at crosswalks more visible to drivers, reducing the chance of collisions at intersections.
2:38:43
I'm testifying in proud support of Intro eleven thirty eight because we need daylighting in front of all of our schools, not just the ones who know how to ask for it.
2:38:51
Thank you.