Fwd: Mayor de Blasio Announces Vision Zero Plan to Eliminate Traffic Fatalities

February 19, 2014 To All Interested Parties: Industry Notice #14-07 February 19, 2014 For Immediate Release Vision Zero Action Plan Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the release of the greatly-anticipated Vision Zero Action Plan, which represents a comprehensive roadmap to eliminating traffic-related fatalities in the City of New York.  The TLC is proud to be working alongside the NYPD, DOT and other agencies to implement this groundbreaking initiative. You can read the full report here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/visionzero/pdf/nyc-vision-zero-action-plan.pdf We look forward to working with all stakeholders to help make our streets safer for all users.  If you have any comments or suggestions for the TLC and our regulated industries, please write to: visionzeroinput@tlc.nyc.gov Plan de Acción de Vision Zero El Alcalde Bill de Blasio hoy anuncio el lanzamiento del anticipado informe del Plan de Acción de Vision Zero, que representa una guía extensiva para eliminar muertes relacionadas al tráfico en la Ciudad de Nueva York.  La TLC está orgullosa de trabajar junto al NYPD, DOT y otras agencias para implementar esta iniciativa innovadora.   Puede leer el informe completo acá: http://www.nyc.gov/html/visionzero/pdf/nyc-vision-zero-action-plan.pdf Esperamos con interés trabajar con todos los representantes de las industrias para ayudar a que nuestras calles sean más seguras para todos los usuarios.  Si tiene algún comentario o sugerencia para la TLC y nuestras industrias reguladas, por favor escribanos en: visionzeroinput@tlc.nyc.gov See the Mayor’s Press Release, Below: THE CITY OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF THE MAYOR NEW YORK, NY 10007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 18, 2014 CONTACT: pressoffice@cityhall.nyc.gov, (212) 788-2958 No. 054 MAYOR DE BLASIO RELEASES ‘VISION ZERO’ ACTION PLAN, LAUNCHING CITYWIDE EFFORT TO PREVENT TRAFFIC FATALITIES Plan commits to ramped up enforcement of speeding and failure to yield, borough-by-borough campaigns to redesign dangerous corridors, improving taxi safety City will work with state leaders to reduce citywide speed limit and expand use of speed and red light enforcement cameras NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio today released his administration’s Vision Zero Action Plan, laying out a comprehensive roadmap to drastically reduce traffic-related deaths on New York City streets. An interagency task force has spent the past month developing new strategies to make streets safer, ranging from lowering the citywide speed limit to increasing enforcement against speeding and failure to yield to pedestrians. The unprecedented effort comprises new legislation, changes to city policies, public education, and community outreach. “We refuse to accept the loss of children, parents and neighbors as inevitable. We are focusing the full weight of city government to prevent fatalities on our streets. This will add up to much more than changing intersections or issuing violations. It’s about each of us taking greater responsibility every time we get behind the wheel or step out on the street. Our lives are literally in each other’s hands—and today we begin the work of living up to that responsibility,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. Vision Zero is a proven strategy that combines strong enforcement and better roadway engineering with improved emergency response and high visibility behavior campaigns to discourage dangerous behavior on roadways. Since 1997, traffic fatality rates in jurisdictions that adopted Vision Zero policies have fallen more than 25 percent faster than the national average. New York City’s Vision Zero Action Plan comprises dozens of specific initiatives spread across City Hall, NYPD, Department of Transportation, Taxi and Limousine Commission, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Those initiatives include: Increasing Enforcement Against Speeding: The NYPD will increase precinct-level enforcement of speeding violations by adding additional personnel in its Highway Division and ensuring every precinct has access to state-of-the-art speed detection devices.   Developing Borough-Specific Street Safety Plans: The DOT will initiate borough-by-borough planning, in partnership with elected officials, community boards and stakeholders to address dangerous locations in communities across the city. It will target 50 locations per year for extensive redesign. Redesigning 50 Locations Each Year: The DOT will implement major safety engineering enhancements at 50 intersections and corridors each year, making use of an extensive list of improvements and newly developed options. The designs will make streets easier for everyone to use with improved visibility, safer speeds, and more predictable movements.  Reducing the Citywide Speed Limit from 30 mph to 25 mph: The city will work with the state leaders to reduce New York City’s default citywide speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph. The likelihood of a fatal crash declines significantly for speeds below 30 mph. Expanding the Use of Speed and Red Light Enforcement Cameras: New York City currently has authority to deploy red light cameras at 150 intersections and speed enforcement cameras at 20 locations. But the city must protect more than 6,000 miles of streets. Building on recent success expanding these programs, the city will work with state leaders to authorize wider use of camera enforcement. Since speed enforcement cameras were activated last month, they have issued nearly 4,000 speeding tickets. Expanding Neighborhood ‘Slow Zones’: The DOT will work with communities to identify and implement 25 new arterial slow zones and eight new neighborhood slow zones that use signage and traffic calming measures like speed humps to minimize speeding. Stiffer Penalties on Taxi and Livery Drivers who Drive Dangerously: The Taxi and Limousine Commission will create its own enforcement squad to enforce traffic rules, as well as adopt new rules and work with the City Council on legislation to increase sanctions on drivers engaging in dangerous activity like speeding and failure to yield. Standing Interagency Vision Zero Task Force: City Hall will continue to convene a Task Force to oversee implementation of the Action Plan and coordinate future efforts. “A life lost is a life lost—and it is our job to protect New Yorkers, whether it is from violent crime or from a fatal collision on our streets. We are going to use every tool we have—and push to get the additional tools we need—to prevent the needless loss of life. I have been in law enforcement my entire career, and I can honestly say we have never had this level of cooperation across agencies on this issue. It is going to make all the difference as we work to enforce the law and keep New Yorkers safe,” said Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. “At DOT, we are on the front lines of Vision Zero, working every day to improve streets in ways that prevent crashes and save lives. Our safe street designs will be even more effective when combined with strong enforcement, public education, and a clear message that dangerous or careless behavior is no longer acceptable,” said Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “Make no mistake—traffic fatalities are preventable, and we won’t accept a single death. Being hit by a car is the leading cause of injury-related death for children in this city. We are going to confront this as the health crisis it is,” said Health Commissioner Mary Bassett. “The changes we’re working on for Vision Zero represent some of the most innovative safety thinking in the TLC’s 42-year history,” said TLC Chief Operating Officer Conan Freud. “Our regulated industries were great partners in the collaborative process we undertook for this initiative, and we look forward to continuing this important work with them as we strive together for the goal of zero traffic fatalities.” Read the Vision Zero Action Plan and learn more about the citywide campaign at: www.nyc.gov/VisionZero. Read the Vision Zero Action Plan press release at: http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/054-14/mayor-de-blasio-releases-vision-zero-action-plan-launching-citywide-effort-prevent-traffic#/0 ### Visit Taxi and Limousine Commission Web site at: http://www.nyc.gov/taxi Follow Us On: This is the NYC.gov News you requested for: TLC NEWS To unsubscribe, please go to this link: Comment on this news service PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE!