In the wee hours in Albany this morning, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed a $175 billion budget that lays the groundwork for a congestion-pricing effort for New York City.

While quite a few details need to be worked out over the coming months, beginning in 2021, drivers will pay a toll to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, creating a significant revenue stream to help fix our transit system, and putting a dent in the crippling gridlock that plagues the city's central business district.

We're proud to have worked with so many incredible organizations and advocates to help advance congestion pricing, and we're immensely grateful to the State Senators and Assemblymembers we endorsed, and helped elect, who threw their legislative muscle behind this crucial effort.

As with the recent victory to significantly expand the number of speed cameras in New York City, the passage of congestion pricing is an important reminder that elections matter, as does your support for our work. Congestion pricing would have remained an aspiration if you hadn't helped us, with your contributions and your volunteering, to support the candidacies of several dynamic, progressive young candidates whose electoral victories in 2018 tipped the balance in the State Senate.

So thank you. We have much more work still to do to fix our transit system and make our streets safe for all New Yorkers, but for today, we can take a victory lap and be proud of what we have accomplished together.

StreetsPAC gave the following testimony yesterday at the New York City Council Committee on Transportation's hearing on legislation aimed at curtailing the misuse of placards and illegal parking:

Illegal parking, and the misuse and abuse of parking placards, causes significant problems for New York City, so we’re grateful that the Council has introduced legislation to address these vexing issues, and is holding today’s hearing to discuss them. Coupled with recent initiatives announced by the Mayor, we’re hopeful that these efforts can begin to put a dent in the problem.

Illegal parking and placard abuse have numerous negative consequences. Obstruction of crosswalks, sidewalks and bike lanes puts the safety of our most vulnerable street users at risk, often gravely. Illegal parking in bus lanes disrupts commutes, and inconveniences dozens of passengers at a time. Blocked access to fire hydrants is a potential catastrophe every time it happens.

Furthermore, the prevalence of the misuse of placards, let alone their legal proliferation, incentivizes driving that adds to congestion. And we shouldn’t overlook the effect that placard abuse has in eroding the public’s faith and trust in government.

The “Placard Corruption” Twitter account has put a spotlight on the problem of placard abuse, and misusers of parking permits provide a seemingly never-ending supply of material. We support Intro 1393-2019, which would require the weekly evaluation of sites prone to misuse of permits and illegal parking, though we have reservations about having NYPD take the lead on data collection. Since evaluating the problem wouldn’t require immediate enforcement, we would urge that the work be done by another agency, given the degree to which placard misuse seems to be done by police officers.

We also support the intent behind Intro 1394-2019, which would prohibit the illegal parking of city vehicles except in emergencies. These vehicles, however, don’t park themselves, and we believe that the legislation needs to outline consequences for city employees who might park vehicles in violation of the rules.

The same is true for Intro 1395-2019, which would require 311 to accept complaints and photographic evidence regarding misuse of permits and illegal parking. Without explicit consequences for the city employees responsible for such actions, we’re unsure of how effective such prohibitions might be. Illegal parking has consequences for those who have to avoid or deal with it, and it should have consequences for those who perpetrate it.

We strongly support Intro 1412-2019, which would require the towing of any vehicle blocking a sidewalk, crosswalk, fire hydrant, bike lane or bus lane. Towing is a real consequence that would undoubtedly create a much stronger incentive for people to avoid illegal behavior, than would summonses alone. Given the significant potential for improving the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists, as well as for improving conditions for bus riders, we urge the expeditious passage of this legislation.

Lastly, we also strongly support Intro 1422-2019, which would standardize the process of applying for, and granting, city-issued parking permits, and increase transparency around the issuance of placards. The process outlined by this legislation would make the misuse of permits more difficult, and the civil penalties for misuse would create a real consequence for placard abusers. We urge quick passage and implementation of this legislation.

The ultimate solution to reducing the misuse of placards and their role in illegal parking is for the city to significantly reduce the number of parking permits that it issues. We hope that the Council will take up such an effort, and explore ways to incentivize city personnel to use public transit rather than drive. We’d all be better off as a result.

Yesterday, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed companion bills authorizing New York City to expand its school-zone speed-camera enforcement program to 750 cameras citywide, a roughly fivefold increase in the current program that will, according to city officials, allow them to cover virtually every school in New York City. Governor Cuomo is expected to sign the legislation into law shortly.

We made the trip up to Albany for the press conference prior to the votes yesterday at the invitation of State Senator Andrew Gounardes, who sponsored the Senate version of the bill. Last fall, we endorsed Gounardes in his race to unseat incumbent Senator Marty Golden, who had long been an obstacle to expansion of the speed-camera program. Thanks to your support, we were able to donate generously to Gounardes's campaign, and deploy some six dozen volunteers to help canvass voters in the 22nd State Senate district, who knocked on approximately 5,000 doors in a race that was decided by about 1,000 votes.

According to data collected by the New York City Department of Transportation, the city's speed-camera program, from its inception through the end of 2017, reduced school-zone speeding by 63% when cameras were in operation, and resulted in a 17% decline in injuries. Through 2016, fatalities in school zones with cameras dropped by more than half, from 18 to 8. More than 80% of vehicle owners who receive a school-zone speeding ticket wake up and don't get another. This major expansion of the speed-camera program has the potential to prevent many more unnecessary deaths.

In addition to the critical role Senator Gounardes played in passing this life-saving legislation, we want to recognize Assemblymember Deborah Glick, the primary sponsor of the Assembly version of the bill, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who brought the bills to their respective floors and supported their passage, and the many StreetsPAC-endorsed members of the Senate and Assembly who were co-sponsors and ardent backers of the bills.

We also want to salute the incredible members of Families for Safe Streets and their partners at Transportation Alternatives, who worked tirelessly to make the case for expansion of the speed-camera program. Amy Cohen spoke eloquently at yesterday's press conference about her son Sammy, who was killed by a van driver in 2013, and read the names of the nearly three dozen New Yorkers who've already died from traffic violence this year. Preston Liao, who lost his three-year-old sister Allison just days before Sammy was killed, was recognized by Gounardes at the podium for inspiring him to action with his "change saw" (pictured below).

Finally, the passage of this important, life-saving legislation is a reminder of how much local elections matter. Marty Golden and the then-Republican-controlled State Senate allowed the city's meager speed-camera program to lapse last year, for political reasons that are unfathomable. Helping to elect leaders like Andrew Gounardes and the other Senators and Assemblymembers whom we endorsed in 2018, who prioritize the safety of our streets and the efficacy of our public transit system, is something we can only do with your financial and volunteer support.

Will you please consider donating today to help us continue our critical work in 2019 and beyond? It only takes a minute to give right now by clicking here. Thank you.

Photo: Joseph Spector/Gannett

This morning, we presented the following testimony at the New York City Department of Sanitation's public hearing on the draft environmental impact statement for the city's proposed Commercial Waste Zone plan:

As advocates for safer streets, we strongly urge adoption of the Exclusive Zone Alternative for the city’s Commercial Waste Zone Program.

As the analysis conducted for the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement makes clear, the Exclusive Zone Alternative will significantly reduce vehicle miles traveled as compared to the proposed action, reducing overall private-hauler VMT by 60% versus 50% for a non-exclusive zone program – a difference of nearly three million vehicle miles traveled annually.

Given the fact that drivers of commercial-waste vehicles have killed more than two-dozen people on city streets over the past five years, this is a significant, and potentially life-saving, difference.

The reduction in VMT will be even more pronounced in the densest parts of the city. An exclusive-zone plan would reduce VMT in the Midtown Manhattan central business district by 52% versus the proposed non-exclusive program.

The additional reduction in vehicle miles traveled from the Exclusive Zone Alternative will provide other important benefits besides improved safety. Reduced VMT will mean better air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions, and the more streamlined routing of trucks will lead to reduced noise levels, as well. Importantly, worker safety will also be optimized under an exclusive-zone system.

Finally, exclusive zones will require fewer trucks and less fuel, leading to significant cost savings for the commercial haulers awarded exclusive-zone contracts. Some of these savings can be passed along to customers, offsetting concerns about increased costs due to reduced competition – which the city can also manage through better regulation.

The long-term stability created by an exclusive-zone system will best enable private haulers to amortize investments in newer, cleaner, and safer trucks and technology, thanks to the stable customer base, predictable revenue stream, and long-term, enforceable contract with New York City that such a plan would create.

We urge adoption of an exclusive-zone plan for New York City’s commercial waste.

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If you would like to submit your own comments to the Department of Sanitation regarding the Commercial Waste Zone Draft EIS, they're holding a second public hearing later this week.

You can also submit testimony via email until 5 p.m. on Monday, March 25, to [email protected].

Good morning! Today is New York City's non-partisan special election for the citywide office of Public Advocate.

We urge you to cast your vote for former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who has been a true champion for safer streets and better public transit throughout her career in public life.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can confirm your polling site at voting.nyc. And you can hear about Melissa's candidacy in her own words here.

Our full endorsement statement is below.

Tomorrow – Tuesday, February 26, 2019 – is New York City's non-partisan special election for the citywide office of Public Advocate.

We urge you to cast your vote for former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who has been a true champion for safer streets and better public transit throughout her career in public life.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can confirm your polling site at voting.nyc. And you can hear about Melissa's candidacy in her own words here.

Our full endorsement statement is below.

StreetsPAC today submitted the following testimony to the New York City Council's Committee on Transportation, in regard to its review of several pieces of legislation, including bills that would legalize certain types of electric bicycles and electric scooters:

We are pleased to offer our support for all of the legislation under consideration today.

We’re in the midst of a revolution in personal mobility, and we believe e-bikes and e-scooters have a significant role to play in helping New Yorkers to get around efficiently and safely, replacing automobile trips with more space-efficient and environmentally friendly travel modes.

Pedal-assist bikes make it easier for people of varying abilities, notably the elderly, to choose cycling as a means of getting about, and such vehicles extend the range for all people commuting by bicycle. Electric scooters can play a similar role, especially for shorter trips and last-mile connections to transit.

Earlier today, we presented the following testimony at the New York City Department of Sanitation's public forum on the draft scope of work for the draft environmental impact statement on the city's proposed Commercial Waste Zone plan:

StreetsPAC strongly supports New York City’s proposed Commercial Waste Zone plan. As advocates for safer streets, we’re deeply concerned by the frequency with which commercial waste haulers injure and kill pedestrians and cyclists – private carters have killed nearly three-dozen people since 2010. The current system leads commercial drivers to make dangerous choices behind the wheel; running red lights, reversing through intersections, driving in the wrong direction and speeding are endemic, and epidemic. The current free for all also leads to dangerous fatigue, with many drivers and crewmembers working long overnight shifts of up to 18 hours.

While we support the proposed plan, however, we think it can go further. We urge the city to study an exclusive single-hauler zone option in the Environmental Impact Study. While the proposed non-exclusive plan is estimated to reduce nightly vehicle miles traveled from 79,000 to 29,000, an exclusive-zone option might be able to reduce that number even more, which could further improve pedestrian and worker safety, and would likely yield additional benefits in reduced emissions, improved routing efficiency and shorter distances between collection points. Given the potential reduction in crashes that an exclusive-zone system could deliver, it should be included in the EIS.

In addition, we believe any new zoned plan should also require private haulers to make safety upgrades to all commercial-fleet vehicles. The requirement for installation of life-saving side guards should be accelerated, and it should be mandatory for all vehicles to be equipped with state-of-the-art safety technology, including road-safety analytic systems such as those offered by ZenDrive, 360-degree cameras, and GPS tracking. Drivers should undergo extensive Vision Zero safety training, and rear-riding steps should be removed to increase crew safety.

The long-term stability created by an exclusive-zone system will best enable private haulers to amortize these investments in newer, cleaner, and safer trucks and technology thanks to the stable customer base, predictable revenue stream, and long-term, enforceable contract with New York City that such a plan would create. Again, we support the proposed semi-exclusive system, but strongly urge consideration of an exclusive, single-hauler option as the best possible alternative.

StreetsPAC submitted the following testimony today to the New York City Council's Committee on Transportation, in regard to its oversight hearing on fixing New York City's transit system:

We add our voice today to the chorus of calls for immediate and far-reaching action to fix New York City’s buses and subways.

As Monday morning’s subway meltdown demonstrated all too clearly, we have far too little to show for the almost year and a half since Governor Cuomo declared the subways in a “state of emergency” and the MTA announced the Subway Action Plan. New Yorkers continue to be saddled with miserable commutes. The drop in ridership as people seek alternatives to stalled trains and crawling buses means less fare-box revenue, and in turn, worsening congestion. Catch-up work leaves numerous lines out of commission every weekend.

The proposed Fast Forward plan holds promise, but until funding sources are laid out in detail, it’s hard to feel that there’s anything other than train traffic ahead. Despite lots of talk, we’ve yet to see any truly meaningful steps toward congestion pricing, which could begin to put a real dent in the MTA’s funding gap. We’re in a full-blown crisis, and it is existential.

Fixing this critical threat to New York City’s economic health demands decisive action. Governor Cuomo and the legislature must pass, and begin implementation of, a full-blown congestion-pricing plan first thing in 2019. The billion-dollars plus in annual revenue that such a plan would yield can be bonded in order to service some $20 billion in capital investment, which will go a long way to modernizing the subway system’s ancient signaling. It will also help speed up buses by reducing driving, especially into Manhattan’s core.

Making sure that a portion of the revenue generated by congestion pricing is invested immediately in projects that extend new service to transit deserts will help accommodate people who will choose to leave their cars at home. In turn, City Hall can take significant steps to help improve bus service, by ratcheting up the roll out of Select Bus Service, dedicating more exclusive street space to buses, making sure bus-only lanes are kept clear, and giving buses signal priority.

Most of all, fixing the MTA will require resolute political will. Some elected officials have said they oppose congestion pricing because it won’t completely solve the MTA’s funding problem on its own, which is a bit like declining chemotherapy because your cancer treatment also requires radiation therapy. No, congestion pricing alone won’t fix everything, but it’s a critical piece of a comprehensive solution to funding transit.

Governor Cuomo and the leaders of the Assembly and State Senate must act now to outline a plan that includes all the details of how the MTA’s budget needs will be met. We must be willing to do what it takes to fix our subways and buses – the future of New York City depends on it.