ACTION ITEM: Call on our state legislators to reauthorize NYC’s speed safety camera program with no restrictions on hours of operation.
Tell them you want 24/7 speed safety cameras. Here’s what you can say:
“I want New York City’s streets protected from speeding drivers every hour of every day. Please reauthorize the speed safety camera program without restrictions on times and days of operation.”

Together, we can push this bill over the finish line — and more than double the hours that New Yorkers are protected from speeding drivers.

•  Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou (518.455.3640 or 212.312.1420)
• Senator Brian Kavanagh (518.455.2625 or 212.298.5565)

Questions? Suggestions? Contact Bill Ferns or join the Traffic Working Group Action Volunteers

The Traffic Committee is looking for people who are willing to mobilize on traffic issues: writing letters to our elected officials, CB3 or call 311. There is power in our voices. Sign up here. GSD plan to have members hold a discussion on congestion pricing in the near future. 

Traffic Working Group Message – March 29, 2022

Traffic Working Group (TWG) Colleagues:

ACTION ITEM: Sign Transportation Alternative’s online petition to our legislators to give NYC ‘home rule’ on traffic control cameras:
https://p2a.co/ZCLnKkZ
This will take only a minute…please do it:

BACKGROUND: Traffic cameras (red light cameras, speed cameras, bus lane cameras) have been shown to reduce accidents, reduce personal injury and property damage, and augment NYPD enforcement. NYS Law, however, limits the number of cameras that NYC can use to only 150 active cameras; this has been the case since 1994 (https://www.transalt.org/home-rule-means-safe-streets-nyc).

I discovered recently that one of our incumbent legislators was not aware of the traffic camera law nor of the limitation the state has imposed on NYC regarding traffic control cameras (https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/VAT/1111-A). With this being a state election year, now is the time to press for changes to this law. This petition will go to Governor Hochul and our state representatives (in our case, State Senator Brian Kavanagh, and State Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou) asking them to work to change the law and allow NYC “home rule” in setting up traffic cameras. 

So…ACTION ITEM: Sign https://p2a.co/ZCLnKkZ

 If you willing to volunteer to take some action to fix our traffic mess, sign up at: 
https://forms.gle/mwT2HLB7o7CKwk4F9
If you have questions, contact me at bill.ferns@gmail.com . 

Yours, 
Bill Ferns My pronouns: he / him / his

Resources:

NYS Traffic Camera Law: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/VAT/1111-A
Data on Traffic Camera Efficacy:  https://www.transalt.org/home-rule-means-safe-streets-nyc

1. 44 people have signed on to the TWG, 12 since last GSD meeting. We are building an ‘Action Volunteer’ list – 15 people so far. We need more folks – this is really a non-partisan organizing opportunity
2. The CB3 Transportation, Public Safety, & Environment Committee met a second time on Tuesday, February 8th to hear the DoT’s proposed plan for Grand/Clinton Street;
-DoT claims changes would be ‘self-enforcing’There were no provisions for bus lanes or pedestrian / bicyclist safety;
-DoT said the plan could increase traffic throughput by 13%
-The centerpiece of DoT plan is a ‘no right-hand turn” from w/b Grand onto Clinton, and sends w/b traffic down to Norfolk to get to Delancey.
-The proposal was mostly small tweaks but still keeps Grand Street as an on-ramp to the Williamsburg Bridge.
-We are discussing how to best address this proposal: Ideas range from pushing CB3 to not endorse it to pushing DoT to clarify a lot of the vague details in the plan;
-The Transportation Committee rejected the proposal;
-The full CB3 also rejected the DoT proposal on 2/22;
-Thanks goes to Michelle Kuppersmith and Lee Berman, who are on the CB3 Transportation Committee, and lots of TWG and neighbors who showed up at the CB3 meetings;
-It is entirely possible that the DoT will ignore CB3’s position

The Working Group Proposal:
Based on participants’ feedback, the TWG has developed a clear set of goals (aka ‘wants’) that IPP Jeremy Sherber has put together in a handout

-The basics:Essex Crossing becomes primarily a pedestrian mall;
-A bus lane for the westbound M14A;
-Two-way bike lane on the south side of Grand Street to consolidate the bike lanes and allow more space for the proposed bus lane;
-Consistent but random traffic & parking enforcementAmending current NYS Traffic Light laws;
-Making the Essex / Delancey subway stop fully accessible

There has been some progress:
-DoT has put up more safety barriers along the Clinton Street bike lanes from South Street to Delancey;
-The pedestrian signal at the corner of Delancey and Clinton was askew so that it wasn’t viewable, but a couple of calls to 311 got DoT out to fix it;
-Capt. Barcia of the 7th Precinct has found some funding for part-time traffic enforcement agents (TEAs) on the corner of Grand and Clinton
-Relentless 311 reports have started to have an effect on truck parking in the pedestrian crosswalk and bike lanes on Clinton Street, although there are still offenders;
-Katie Archer from Essex Crossing community affairs is interested in our efforts because of our pedestrian-friendly orientation.