By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams on Friday launched an aggressive, three-pronged effort to rapidly accelerate the city’s ongoing efforts to make streets safer for all New Yorkers and road users, as traffic fatalities continues to rise nationally, beginning by doubling down on the administration’s focus on improving safety at intersections. Under this initiative, the Adams administration will make safety improvements to intersections at double its current rate — delivering upgrades to at least 2,000 intersections per year, with lifesaving visibility improvements through a tool known as daylighting to at least 1,000 of those intersections each year. To build on that work, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) will add traffic violence to its regular CompStat reporting — treating traffic safety as a critical public safety issue — and the administration will make significant safety upgrades to city vehicles and vehicles of city contractors and licensees to make more vehicles safer across the city.
“Protecting New Yorkers is my most sacred responsibility as mayor, and that holds true for traffic violence just as much as any other form of violence. Our streets must be safe places for all New Yorkers — pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike,” said Adams. “Today, I’m excited to announce that we are doubling our current pace of intersection safety improvements, because that’s where more than half of all traffic injuries and deaths take place. We’re going to include traffic violence in CompStat, to treat traffic violence like the serious crime that it is. And we’re ensuring that the city leads the way towards a safer future, starting with our own fleet.”
Accelerating Intersection Improvements & Slowing Turns
Intersections pose a special safety challenge in New York City. Crashes at intersections typically comprise 50 percent of all fatalities and 70 percent of all injuries in a year. For pedestrians, the dangers are more pronounced: 55 percent of pedestrian fatalities and 79 percent of pedestrian traffic injuries occur at intersections.
The Adams administration has made intersections a priority for street safety improvements. In January 2022, Adams announced a plan to make 1,000 intersections safer in one year with design improvements like improved traffic signals, raised crosswalks, and other expanded pedestrian space and visibility measures. The administration exceeded that goal two months ahead of schedule, ultimately completing improvements at 1,400 intersections in 2022.
In 2024, the administration will double that initial goal and make safety improvements at 2,000 intersections with design improvements like raised crosswalks, extended sidewalks, and leading pedestrian signals. Of those intersections, 1,000 will receive daylighting treatments to enhance visibility along with design upgrades to slow down turning vehicles.
This new target represents a dramatic expansion of daylighting — 10 times the requirement under local law and more than three times the current rate. Daylighting is a recommended tool in the National Association of City Transportation Officials’ Urban Design Guide and has contributed to decreases in pedestrian injuries and overall crashes in cities like San Francisco and Hoboken, NJ.
Adding Traffic Violence to CompStat
Through the CompStat 2.0 online dashboard, the NYPD provides New Yorkers with weekly data on the administration’s progress on fighting crime and promoting public safety. Starting Jan. 1, that resource will also include statistics on traffic fatalities, putting traffic violence on par with other violent crime and further elevating efforts to combat traffic violence as a top administration priority.
Additionally, DOT will expand its standard traffic fatality data updated daily and provided regularly to members of the press. Beginning in January 2024, the data will better account for the diverse ways that New Yorkers get around now — delineating traffic fatalities by 11 subcategories, up from the current five. The new table will break down data into the following subcategories: pedestrian, traditional bike, motorcycle, e-bike, moped, stand-up e-scooter, dirt bike/ATV, other motorized two-wheeled device, car, SUV, and other motor vehicle.
Making the City’s Fleet afer
In August 2022, Adams and DCAS Commissioner Pinnock launched a pilot program to add active intelligent speed assistance (ISA) technology in 50 city vehicles, restricting maximum speeds and ensuring almost universal compliance with speed limits across 750,000 miles traveled. Paired with additional technological improvements, the implementation of this tool has led to a 20 percent decrease in crashes involving city vehicles.
The administration is now expanding that pilot program fivefold and including 50 school buses for the first time — helping keep young New Yorkers safe as they travel to and from school. The city is also applying for a federal grant to add ISA technology to thousands of additional city fleet vehicles.
DCAS will test additional safety improvements to the school bus fleet, including audible turn alerts, safety surround cameras, pedestrian collision warning systems, and back-up sensors. The agency will require that school bus operators participate in urban safety and defensive driver training, with the goal of having all drivers complete that training by the start of the 2025-2026 school year. In the coming weeks, DCAS will release a holistic Safe Fleet Transition Plan, encompassing these and other initiatives to make the city’s school buses safer.
In the coming weeks, Adams will issue an executive order setting forth a framework for contractor heavy duty vehicles to include vehicle safety training and technology, ranging from truck surround cameras to telematics. Separately, the mayor’s office will work with the Business Integrity Commission to further strengthen rules related to heavy-duty trade waste vehicles.
“As a staunch advocate for public safety and urban wellbeing, I wholeheartedly support Mayor Eric Adams’ comprehensive street safety initiative,” said Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven). “This bold move to enhance 2,000 intersections annually, particularly with the integration of lifesaving daylighting technology, represents a significant step forward in our collective endeavor to safeguard New Yorkers. Incorporating traffic violence data into NYPD’s CompStat reporting is a groundbreaking approach that redefines traffic violence as a fundamental public safety issue. Moreover, expanding safety technology in city vehicles further amplifies our commitment to a safer, more resilient New York. Together, these efforts set a commendable standard for cities worldwide.”
“Reckless behavior on New York City roadways puts everyone in serious and immediate peril, and eradicating it remains at the core of the NYPD’s intelligence-driven traffic safety policies,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “Day in and day out, the men and women of the NYPD strive to keep New Yorkers safe in a variety of ways. By including traffic-specific data in CompStat reporting, our ability to fulfill that mission is greatly enhanced.”
“Intersections are one of the most dangerous areas on our streets, and the plan announced today will make them safer by improving visibility,” said New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “One life lost to traffic violence is one too many, and DOT will use every tool in its toolbox to implement safer street designs, advance critical public education efforts, and collaborate with NYPD on robust traffic enforcement.”
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phillip Banks III, said, “Our city’s heartbeat is in the rhythm of its streets, and prioritizing roadway safety is not just a duty but a shared responsibility. Together, we are driving change by accelerating safety improvements to city streets, enhancing data collection and reporting, and investing in state-of-the-art technology that will ensure compliance with local speed laws.”
