State Senate Must Take Action Now to Lower NYC's Speed Limit

 

Families for Safe Streets Calls on Senate Leadership to Sponsor 25 mph 

 

Legislation Families for Safe Streets today joined City Council Transportation Committee Chair Ydanis Rodriguez and other elected officials in calling on the State Senate leadership to act before the end of this session to sponsor legislation allowing New York City to lower its speed limit.

An Assembly bill sponsored by Speaker Sheldon Silver would lower the City's default speed limit from the current 30 mph to 25 mph, as part of Vision Zero - Mayor Bill de Blasio's policy to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2024. But with the session set to end on June 19th, the legislation still has no sponsor in the Senate.

"We can't wait until next year to make this life-saving change" says Amy Cohen, a founding member of Families for Safe Streets, a group of New Yorkers whose loved ones have been killed or maimed in traffic crashes, "If the Senate fails to take action this year, we stand to lose 70 more New Yorkers in traffic crashes, which means more families and communities around the City will be devastated by the same grief we have to live with every day," Cohen says.

 

"We cannot allow Albany to get off the hook for the traffic deaths on our streets; we need their action and we need it now," said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez. "The city has done its part, but this work is not done. With the state legislative term coming to a close shortly, we want to be sure this remains at the top of their to-do list." 

 

What: Families of Victims of Traffic Crashes Call on State Senate to Take Action on 25 MPH Speed Limit Bill

 

Who: Families for Safe Streets, Transportation Committee Chair Ydanis Rodriguez, Elected Officials

 

Where: City Hall Park on Broadway, Lower Manhattan

 

When: Tuesday, June 10th, 2014. 9:00 AM