Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about City Council

Motorist Who Killed Phyllis Pitt “Most Likely” Not Cited for Careless Driving

By Brad Aaron | Jun 5, 2012 | 13 Comments

A Brooklyn motorist who jumped a curb, fatally injured a pedestrian and crashed into a restaurant while attempting to park her minivan last week will likely not receive as much as a traffic ticket, according to NYPD. Phyllis Pitt, 64, was walking on Flatbush Avenue near her Marine Park home at approximately 1 p.m. on […]

The Real Menace on Our Sidewalks

By Ben Fried | May 31, 2012 | 33 Comments

So it looks like the City Council is pondering legislation that would raise the fine for biking on the sidewalk (currently $100) and possibly establish a new squad of enforcement agents dedicated entirely to ticketing commercial cyclists. At a hearing earlier this week, transportation committee chair James Vacca framed the riding habits of commercial cyclists […]

City Council Can’t Force NYPD to Adhere to State Law on Crash Investigations

By Brad Aaron | May 15, 2012 | 11 Comments

The City Council has concluded it cannot require NYPD to fully investigate traffic crashes, despite indications that current department protocols may violate state law. In March, Council Member Steve Levin sent a letter to NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly questioning the practice of assigning the Accident Investigation Squad only in instances where someone is killed or […]

Quinn Deal Reduces Parking — and Housing — at St. Vincent’s Site

By Noah Kazis | Mar 16, 2012 | 4 Comments

Responding to requests from the community board and advocacy groups, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn did what neither the City Planning Commission nor Borough President Scott Stringer would: reduce the excessive number of parking spaces planned for the Rudin family’s redevelopment of the St. Vincent’s Hospital site. Originally, Rudin proposed building 152 spaces for 450 luxury […]

Steve Levin to Ray Kelly: Time to Fully Investigate Serious Traffic Injuries

By Brad Aaron | Mar 15, 2012 | 12 Comments

Brooklyn City Council Member Steve Levin wants NYPD to explain the way it investigates traffic crashes, and is preparing legislation that would bring department procedures in line with state law and significantly increase the number of officers trained to deal with cases involving serious injury and death. In a letter to Commissioner Ray Kelly [PDF], […]

NYC Open Data Law Will Sort Out NYPD’s Jumbled Traffic Crash Data

By Noah Kazis | Mar 9, 2012 | 1 Comment

When the City Council passed Jessica Lappin’s Saving Lives Through Better Information bill last year, traffic safety and open government advocates cheered. Under the law, the NYPD is required to provide monthly data on both traffic crashes and traffic summonsing, shedding light on the hazards of city streets and what steps police take to protect […]

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