Two Days Left to Register to Vote in the September 13th Primary Election
Here's a quick reminder that the deadline to register to vote in the September 13th state and local primary election is this Friday, August 19th.
Registration forms must be postmarked by Friday and received by the Board of Elections no later than August 24th. Change of address for the September primary must also be received by August 24th. You can also register in person at a Board of Elections office, or, if you have a valid ID issued by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, you can register online at dmv.ny.gov (the deadline for in-person and online registrations is also August 19th).
If you're unsure of your voter registration status, you can check it here.
Find all the information you need, and download a voter registration form, at the New York City Board of Elections' website.
One more reminder – if you happen to be a candidate running for the New York State Senate or Assembly, we invite you to complete our 2016 Candidate Questionnaire. It's a pre-requisite for being considered for our endorsement, but it'll take you just a few minutes to complete.
To get started, please visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/NYS2016. You can return to an unfinished questionnaire before submitting it, and we will confirm your submission with your campaign once you complete the survey. You can also download a PDF copy here if you want to prep.
If you're a New York City resident who's interested on how your State Senator or Assembly Member (or other candidates running for those offices) stands on safe-streets and public transit issues, we urge you to share the link with them and encourage them to complete the questionnaire. You deserve to know where the people running to represent you in the State Legislature come down on these important questions.
The deadline to complete the questionnaire is Monday, August 22nd.
Move NY: Reduced Congestion, Funding for Transit – and Safer Streets
In a piece for Streetsblog this week adapted from his recently completed Columbia University master's thesis, Andrew Lassiter extols the potential of the Move NY Fair Plan to make New York City's streets safer, as well.
Lassiter writes:
Recent research at Lancaster University in the UK suggests that since the introduction of the London congestion charge in 2003, lethal crashes have fallen faster than traffic congestion. The safety gains have even “spilled over,” as planners put it, to uncharged times of day, areas of the city, and modes of travel. While traffic deaths have declined in New York since 2003, the fatality rate has fallen much more sharply in London.Just how have congestion-charging efforts in London and Stockholm made streets safer? Lassiter outlines four key factors: fewer vehicles = fewer crashes; street space gets reclaimed because there's less traffic; a portion of the revenue gets reinvested in transit and street-safety upgrades; and drivers' mindsets change for the better.
It's well worth a read, and it's also an important reminder that we need representatives in Albany who will go to the mat for the MoveNY plan, as well as efforts to grant New York City the right to deploy speed and red-light cameras as it sees fit.
Save the Date: September 7 Fundraiser for City Council Member Carlos Menchaca
Join us on Wednesday, September 7, for a fundraiser for Brooklyn City Council Member Carlos Menchaca. We'll have more info regarding exact time and location soon, but please mark the date on your calendar.
Carlos was one of StreetsPAC's first endorsees in 2013, and he's been championing progressive transportation policies from his first day in the City Council. He has an exemplary safe-streets voting record, and has a bill before the Council that, if passed into law, would allow people on bikes to follow pedestrian signals, which would significantly reduce the likelihood of turning conflicts with drivers.
Hope to see you on September 7th!
