Courtesy of DOT
By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced the return of the City’s annual “Dusk and Darkness” traffic enforcement and education campaign.
This year, Adams said, the Dusk and Darkness campaign will focus on promoting safe practices for the carting of commercial waste — handled by private companies — to protect workers and other road users, while the City Police Department will expand traffic enforcement of moving violations during the more dangerous evening and overnight hours.
According to Adams, during fall evenings, rush hour occurs at a time when sunlight and visibility are dramatically and suddenly reduced, leading to some of the highest fatal crash rates of the calendar year. In the past, this campaign has improved safety on city streets — reducing the average number of evening and overnight fatalities each year by 13.5 percent over the years it has been in place as compared to the five years prior. In that time frame, the average number of pedestrian fatalities declined 21.7 percent and the average number of motor vehicle occupant fatalities dropped by 25.8 percent.
Dusk and Darkness this year includes the following initiatives:
Increased Evening and Overnight Enforcement: The NYPD is engaging in sustained, increased enforcement that kicked off on Halloween and will continue through the fall and winter. NYPD officers will be deployed on highways and local streets, with an increased focus on driving behavior that endangers vulnerable road users. Officers will be on alert to enforce against hazardous driving violations to keep pedestrians and cyclists, including older adults and children, safe in neighborhoods throughout the city. Enforcement will focus on speeding drivers, drivers that fail to yield, and distracted drivers using their cell phones while behind the wheel. NYPD traffic agents will increase enforcement against vehicles that are double-parked and blocking bike and bus lanes.
For-Hire Vehicle Driver Safety: TLC will visit areas frequented by for-hire vehicle drivers to remind them of the importance of using extra caution during low-visibility periods, including by driving 25 miles per hour unless otherwise posted. TLC will also reiterate this message to drivers and passengers via social media.
Commercial Waste Industry Safety: City Business Integrity Commission (BIC) enforcement activities include evening and overnight operations in partnership with the NYPD and other partner agencies. Safety enforcement includes garage inspections, truck stops, and regulatory action to ensure trade waste companies comply with safety requirements that aim to protect trade waste workers and all road users. For Dusk and Darkness, BIC is sharing additional resources and information with trade waste companies regarding safe operations.
BIC takes a holistic approach to regulating traffic safety in the commercial waste hauling industry, with robust driver training and vehicle inspection programs. Since 2016, BIC has held five safety symposia for the industry and visited more than a dozen trade waste companies to join their safety events and trainings to connect directly with drivers and helpers. BIC is currently engaged in various education, outreach, and compliance tracking efforts to ensure the private sector installs side guards — life-saving tools that protect cyclists and pedestrians — on their vehicles by the legally required mandate of Jan. 1, 2023.
