Make Queens Safer, a grassroots street-safety advocacy organization, contends Queens is falling behind the other boroughs in reducing traffic injuries and fatalities over the past year.
The group’s statistical analysis of Queens’ progress in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature traffic safety project Vision Zero finds that the borough is struggling with traffic enforcement and motorist injuries, according to a report released this week.
Queens has faced a 2.3 percent uptick in injuries to motorists and passengers since 2013 and is now the only borough where injuries to drivers and passengers exceed 2013 levels, when Vision Zero began, the report said. Throughout the rest of the city injuries to motor vehicle occupants are down, declining by 7 percent in Brooklyn and in 16 percent in Manhattan. Queens also had a 9% increase in cyclist injuries compared to 2013.
“In five districts (Community Boards 1, 4, 7, 12 and 13), implementation of Vision Zero has been particularly weak and action to jump-start street safety improvements is most urgently needed,” the report said.
Compounding the problem, several Queens neighborhoods are seeing significantly fewer traffic tickets written for these violations by their local police precincts relative to 2013 levels, the advocacy group said. The biggest declines occurred in the 109th and 110th precincts, where ticketing was down by more than 30 percent, with the most significant drops in tickets for cell-phone use.
As part of the Vision Zero effort, NYPD received resources to hire additional traffic safety officers.
“Based on the statistics presented here, there is little evidence that these greater workforce numbers are translating into greater enforcement on the ground. NYPD should provide an accounting of how it is using its Vision Zero budget allocations,” the report said.
32 comments:
So, what they are saying is that the city is not getting enough fine revenue from vision zero as expected.
The city needs lots more money to waste...
I have not seen a DWI checkpoint in Northern Queens for years now.
Wonder why ?
No one can read English in Queens and most don't have a drivers license because Thier protected and scream racism.
But didn't every NYPD precinct in the city recently receive additional staffing? What are they doing? I see no change in illegal motor bikes riding illegally in our streets AND on sidewalks. Jaywalking is still rampant. Illegal street vendors are everywhere. Where's the change?
We need a massive PSA (Public Service Announcement) program for our new neighbors - similar to those of the 1960s. These people need to be informed:
1. Not to litter
2. Not to spit in public
3. Not to SHIT in public
4. To cross at the corner
5. To wait for the green light
It just goes on and on. It's just one big Third World Ghetto to quote Joe Moretti!
People don't behave like this outside of NYC.
It time to bring back the Keep America Beautiful program with the crying Indian.
The question is, does increased number of fines issued translate into safety? If it does, why are Queens neighborhood organizations fighting it? Can't have it both ways.
There is no 'grass roots' group that gets any attention, and must at that level are poorly run.
This is part of the Transportation Alternative effort, which is funded by developers to lower the carbon footprint in NYC to cram in more development.
The purpose is to make cars evil. Demand that they also go after the increasing menace of bike with their erratic dangerous driving that is likely the cause of a lot of auto accidents.
Demand bicyclists wear helmets, get licenses, and respect traffic laws and we will think you are something more than a stooge for developers.
Why is it not surprising that Southeast Queens (Community Board 12, 13) and some other areas, mostly of color, are way behind with Vision Zero and it's implementation and enforcement of laws. Community Board 4, which covers Elmhurst & Corona, is where a mother and her children were seriously injured recently when they were hit by a cement truck on a residential street when school was letting out (http://jacksonheightspost.com/2-children-adult-injured-after-being-struck-by-cement-truck-in-corona/).
Southeast Queens, including Jamaica, has a major problem of illegal parking of overnight tractor trailer trucks and an even bigger problem of large trucks using residential streets as shortcuts, while for the most part, a lack of enforcement has been weak (exception, my street of 170th, which I have been documenting for over a year and have been filing hundreds and hundreds of complaints has seen a major drop-off, but this is just one street of many residential streets that trucks use).
Plenty of blame to go around from the horrible city agency, Department of Transportation, which cannot even fix a fucking pot hole right to our Mayor, Queens Borough President and of course our local community elected officials who are not doing their jobs representing their communities properly.
Notice that such areas as Forest Hills and Long Island City are not part of the "weak" Vision Zero implementation areas, but yet Astoria is, which also has a major truck issue is. Again, much blame goes to elected officials of those areas who are the first line of defense.
So no doubt that Vision Zero has been another failed NYC government program, which sounded good on paper, but as usual is not being properly implemented along with a lack of proper enforcement. Maybe it is time for DOT to bring back their truck enforcement unit in Queens as opposed to allowing this to fall on already overburdened precincts like the 103rd in Jamaica. But wait, that would make sense.
Yes, government has not only gotten so big full of wasteful spending, but as it gets bigger, it becomes less and less effective and NYC is a perfect example with wasted positions such as Borough Presidents and the Public Advocate office, both which have been stripped years ago of power and are mostly just for show, but wastes major amounts of tax payers money and showing ZERO results, pretty much like VISION ZERO.
In the meantime local leaders like Ruben Wills are wasting time on gang violent bills which include long term studies on a problem we already know the answer to and of course the prerequisite street naming ceremony photo ops and other useless bullshit. Real problems, forget about it, that would take actual work and commitment by these fools.
I live in the 114th pct and have regularly complained via 311 and directly to traffic officers about unsafe conditions. The traffic "cops" say it's not their job (and then go back to blindly staring at their cell phones) and the 114th officers are too busy casually driving around the area looking for ways to avoid getting out of their cars and actually walking the streets writing tickets for double-parking and other passive things that create larger unsafe conditions.
Also, and I know this means some readers of this website immediately hate me: I'm a cyclist-commuter and every single day have to swerve around idiots who have double-parked in a painted bicycle lanes (not just "sharrows") and have had to get out of the way of drivers who purposefully try to push me off the road. Vision Zero in this borough is a joke through-and-through. I generally feel safer cycling in Manhattan than I do in Queens.
With all the new bars in Flusing opening why aren't DWI check points being used ? Answer = Bad for business fuck the people's safety!
Bike injuries being up 9% when hipsters and bike lane usage are up 93052% should be something to celebrate.
-somethingstructural
I have complained before about the unbelievable amount of potholes, sinkholes and pavement waves around Forest Hills and Kew Gardens Hills. If you use the online complaint form, some dimwitted lazy piece of excrement simply punches a boilerplate button and replies to you that "the site has been inspected and nothing was found wrong". The dangerous situation persists and you KNOW no one from the city came to inspect it.
I see many cars double parked on major thoroughfares, forcing lots of cars to have to change lanes to get around them, creating a dangerous situation. No cops to be seen, no tickets issued. But my neighbor got a $120 ticket for double parking for 3 minutes while he waited for his 5 year old son to come out of his house and get into the car to go to school.
Someone sideswiped my car last year in the northbound lane of Francis Lewis Blvd. They clean tore off my drivers side mirror. I chased them and got them to stop. I called 911 and explained the situation, so they could hook me up with the correct local precinct. After more than an hour, a pair of young cops showed up. The smart aleck male cop ridiculed me for "bothering them with such a minor damage" (which turned out to be $1200 with the other damage done). He told me I was "stupid" for calling my insurance company, too. Did I ask him? He then told me that one precinct handled the northbound lane and another precinct handled the southbound lane. Even though I was very precise in my description to 911, they sent the wrong precinct. These 2 rude cops refused to take down any information and then drove away. As soon as they were gone, the guy who sideswiped me took off. I had taken a cell phone photo of his license plate which I gave to my insurance company. The cops from the "correct" precinct never showed up. So there I was, unable to drive my car without the mirror, stranded on Francis Lewis Blvd. In the end, it was my wonderful collision guy who came all the way from his shop when I called, with his wife. He drove my car back to his shop while his wife drove me home. If left to the tender mercies (ha!) of the disgusting local police precincts, I'd still be there on Francis Lewis Blvd. I see that the "new" generation of cops are simply disgusting and rude. If that's their idea of how to win over the public, I'd say they need to do a 180 degree change of rude behavior.
With all the new bars in Flusing opening why aren't DWI check points being used ?
Now that's a good one! For God's sake they protect the bars, inform them of impending busts and you want them to do what? DWI/DUI checkpoints? Now how does that make sense?
Is called Vision Zero because is true. They have ZERO VISION, ZERO ideas for the present and the future.
Pack them in like sardines, bike lanes galore, never ending gridlocks - that will teach them of the progressive agenda!
Worry about names and sexual preferences, now that's important!
Ever wondered why the cost of public transportation keeps going up?
Here is a real gem! Read it, see it and weep:
http://www.newsforage.com/2016/01/a-look-at-gorgeous-antiquated.html
Where does all the money go?
That's the BIG QUESTION every taxpayer and voter should ask from the candidates.
Forget politics. Accountability is the key here, not party lines.
This was a 'Manhattan-Centric' iniative to begin with. It was never meant to be as effective in the outer boro's. As usual,there are two sides to this city and Manhattan always wins...
They have to do something about the new bike lanes on Queens Blvd in Sunnyside.
Very dangerous for a car (and a potential biker) changing from the express lane to service lane. Too many blind spots for cars with the sharp curve instead of the gradual merge.
Perhaps they need to widen the medians to include raised bike lanes? It's hard to imagine that Queens Blvd will be safe for bikers. More signage is definitely needed.
It funny how you hear about drivers trying to push cyclists off the road and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the the clueless entitled insouciance as they weave through traffic serene in the belief that THEY are exempt from the bounds of responsibility the rest of us follow out of old fashioned common curtesy.
So if safety is so important, why don't the push for mandatory helmets, wear lights, stop weaving in traffic, carry insurance, and following traffic laws.
Just bag it about car drivers already.
I do see the 25 Mph signs all over Queens.
Matched with cameras, Franny Lew has cameras, Utopia Parkway same and many other streets. They do send the tickets to your home (no points on the license).
I know people who got them.
Still seeing lots of speeding going on, so not sure how the Vision Zero will stop anything.
Snapping pictures of speeding cars is after the fact. Will prevent nothing.
Except - generate healthy revenues for the private companies operating the system and the city.
So this was never about saving lives, is about MONEY!
Fleecing the taxpayers even more, license fees, registration fees, insurance premiums and now automated ticketing.
I counted only 7 bikers using the new bike lanes last Tuesday morning.
Vision Tunnel is more apt for this jackass program.
Here is another case where blame is everywhere, from the blueprints in the drawing room to sociological conditions and a lot of people just being insolent jerks.
First off the bike lanes themselves: As the ones in Queens are rarely used and on occasion used improperly, from belle harbor to LIC I have seen people with ample room to ride in the right direction do the opposite, and the all the ones in Manhattan have become extended sidewalks for jaywalkers. I haven't been to goddamn Brooklyn, but from what I read the city stupidly installed 2 way bike lanes.
Another thing about the bike lanes is that they are hazard in itself, Especially since it creates an extra lane of traffic to cross and worry about if you are elderly or a young child.
But this society we are currently existing in is producing an enormous amount of selfish, oblivious, impatient, and entitled jerks driving too fast, running stop signs, riding bikes recklessly as if they are in some derby, and plain ignorant distracting habits like texting and swiping while commuting (there is now a awful name for that - Textdestrian.) The insouciance is widespread, it's like these people don't feel only exemption, but immunity from responsibility, the laws and the size, weight and velocity of the objects around and approaching them.
The biggest failure of this is of course, enforcement. And if that commenter who was mocked by a couple derelict cops is any indication, there seems to be a willful reluctance to curtail any future traffic infractions. A police slowdown still on perhaps
But of course this study won't get the attention of city hall because these towns and precincts this study is based on aren't hot enough yet to warrant interest.
With the exception of the South Jamaica area, with it's chicken dough and human hair stores.
I don't agree with making bikes carry insurance but do believe in them following the rules of the road, have lights,bells,helmets and the such.
But why take away a cheap form of transportation and put the bastard insurance companies into the picture. More government controls = less freedom!
NO ENFORCEMENT = FAILURE
Just how does the city expect to get reimbursed for the $100million+ it will spend on Queens Blvd? Some will come from Washington but most of it will be paid by city taxpayers.
Jaywalking is a huge issue that this administration is turning a complete blind eye to. It gotten really out of control and is why many pedestrians get hit. People just stroll out into the streets and expect the driver to slam on the brakes when he has a green light. That's were we need to have enforcement. Bikes are the same as pedestrians being a big problem, they just do what they want.
Joe Moretti is right about the truck issue in Queens. No one wants to enforce the issue which is rampant. And DOT is just terrible. Every line on just about every road is completely worn out (except the bike lanes). The lines on my street have been completely gone for the past 2 years. I have made multiple 311 complaints which say they will be repainted, but never are. The roadway surfaces in this city are horrendous, and signs are faded and missing all over the place. The only thing DOT seems concerned about is taking away parking, reducing travel lanes, and creating bike lanes. Everything else they treat like its not their problem.
Zero Vison is a complete failure pandering to transportation alternatives and the anti car group. It does nothing to address real problems like the ones stated here. They see victory in giving out tickets for going 36 mph in a 25 mph zone where the roadway design and conditions will allow you to go 40 mph safely, or locking up drivers who hit people jaywalking. Lets get real and address the real problems on our roads.
"We need bike lanes, its not safe, but want to ride in the streets!"
*Bike lanes installed*
"cars never respect the bike lanes, they are too close to the vehicle traffic and it isnt safe, they shouldn't be part of the asphalt, so for safety, we are going to ride in the street!"
*Protected Bike lanes installed*
"The bike lanes collect dirt/sand/rocks/twigs/standing water, they aren't safe so we have to ride in the street!"
Anonymous said...
We need a massive PSA (Public Service Announcement) program for our new neighbors - similar to those of the 1960s. These people need to be informed:
As long as you have them in the 100 or so languages spoken here in the city.
And don't bother with English...
The cops will never help duhblazio after the shit he gave them starting his administration two years ago, and the nation-wide violence and death among cops that he is responsible for. I don't blame them. He's a lame duck and needs to go.
I've noticed even more people rolling through stop signs lately, and also cutting across avenues when there isn't a safe distance from cross traffic. I wonder if they figure that since everyone is (only) driving 25 mph, it's "safer" to do stupid things?
Queens is not like Amsterdam or any other European city. Stop the expansion of bike lanes !!
Let new know 20 years from now when or if Queens Blvd has been renovated and made safer.
Every time they raise the Midtown Tunnel toll, traffic on Queens Blvd increases exponentially! It never used to be like this on Queens Blvd!
Cops don't have time to write tickets. They run from 911 jobs to 311 jobs. The preciincts have one or two scooter cops who write parking tickets and the same that writes moving violations. I'll say it again......not enough manpower..........
Regulations that were designed to increase tickets and collect revenue aren't helping anyone? Big surprise.
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