Aftermath of a car accident on W. 79 Street near Broadway in October 

At the November meeting, the Traffic Committee of Community Committee 7 noticed a “significant surge” in the number of traffic deaths in CB7. There have been 9 people so far this year, compared to 2 in 2020 and 4 in 2019. 

"If we had 9 people shot dead, the community would be armed," said Richard Robbins, a member of CB7, who compiled and submitted death data. "In addition to nine deaths, the New York Police Department also reported 389 injuries in our area." 

Screenshot of CB7 2021 death toll data display

The Upper West Side is not the only area that has caused an increase in traffic violence. As the Times pointed out in a recent analysis, the city’s traffic death toll has soared to the highest level in the past decade. Although the city's more than 120,000 newly registered vehicles may have played a role in this rise, street safety experts say that driver's bad behavior (which may be exacerbated by the pandemic) is the main reason.

Julia Kite-Laidlaw from the New York City Department of Transportation told the CB7 conference attendees: “Because of Covid, we are experiencing chaos in all aspects of society. One of the manifestations is reckless driving and poor driving decisions.” “We know, Between 2020 and 2021, all the [street redesign] engineering work we completed with Vision Zero has not disappeared. What we do know is that the driver’s behavior has changed."

Specifically, Kite-Laidlaw said: “When we delved into the results of the investigation into these fatal accidents, we saw a lot of speeding and failure to give in. The number of hit-and-run escapes we saw was staggering, and hit-and-run escapes often conceal many others. Illegal behavior, such as driving without a license or DWI."

When asked how the community can help reverse dangerous trends, Kite-Laidlaw pointed to the importance of passing pending state legislation that requires speed cameras to operate 24/7. Currently, “we can only operate these cameras from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays,” she said, noting that last year, “approximately one-third of non-highway fatalities occurred in school speed zones with cameras. But sometimes the camera is not allowed to operate."  

In addition, DOT would like to see NYPD officials do more. Kite-Laidlaw said: “We are also working with our colleagues in the New York Police Department to propose some face-to-face law enforcement that we can’t ask the camera to carry out.” “Because frankly, if people believe that law enforcement will be consistent and rapid, it will stop them. behavior." 

CB7 member Susan Schwartz called the current street scene "terrible" for pedestrians. "We need to enforce the law on everything. Everything."

"The New York Police Department never talks about traffic enforcement at the city or local level," Robbins added. "For them, this is always an afterthought, at best... the enforcement of our region has dropped significantly this year." Representatives from the 20th and 24th sub-bureaus did not attend the meeting to comment.

Robbins subsequently requested the adoption of a resolution calling on the New York Police Department to "strengthen law enforcement." The committee decided to present this idea for the time being to support the development of a resolution to support the DOT's 24/7 operation of speeding and red light law enforcement cameras. The committee also unanimously called for the complete removal of state restrictions on the number of such cameras, allowing the city to significantly expand its law enforcement program.

According to the latest data from the New York Police Department, Robbins is correct about the decline in local law enforcement.

Compared with 2019 before the pandemic, the Upper West District of the New York Police Department continued to issue far fewer tickets to drivers [including electric bicycles].

Compared with the total number between August and October in 2019 and 2021, the number of moving violation summons issued by the 20th branch decreased by 37%, and the fines issued by the 24th branch decreased by 34%. 

WSR extracted data on the fines issued by NYPD for some key crimes:

WSR asked Neil Zuber, the captain of the 20th branch, and Naoki Yaguchi, the deputy inspector of the 24th branch, to comment on the traffic law enforcement figures. Neither responded; if they did, WSR would update the story.   

According to WSR's analysis, data from the New York Police Department shows that the reduction of fines is also a citywide phenomenon, and the overall mobile violation summons has dropped by 41%. 

WSR asked the New York Police Department to comment on this issue. A spokesperson introduced us to the press release on November 4, which promised "major education and law enforcement efforts aimed at changing driver behavior..." and again called for "state legislation to allow automatic speed cameras in New York City24. /7 Runs 24/7".

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Every day I see drag racing on the highway on the west side. So dangerous

What is the most dangerous thing in New York City? Bad driver. Important story, thank you WSR!

There may be only 4 speed cameras in the entire UWS. And I don’t know how effective it will be to increase the ticket price of $50 at a rate of 36 miles per hour.

You might ignore the two deaths that occurred on Henry Hudson Parkway. One of them is a man on a Citi Bike. In any case, these are not really "local".

It seems that you are much safer in the car.

Mark-I considered whether to include them in my report. Even at 7 o'clock, the surge in deaths this year is terrible-since 2016, we have had much fewer deaths each year. But the area of ​​CB7 does lead to the Hudson River, so the highway passes through our area. As Pri pointed out in the comment above, there are often people racing on the highway (I have never seen law enforcement, even people who are far above the 50 MPH speed limit). Whether people are "locals" or not, traffic fatalities are tragic. In addition, I would like to know whether combating speeding on highways will help determine the tone of New York City’s actual traffic law enforcement?

The highway is designed to accommodate vehicles much faster than the 50 mph speed limit. The vast majority of NYPD highway patrol personnel will not even pull cars at 61 or 62 mph in an area of ​​50 mph. It is not appropriate for the camera to issue tickets to people in a way that the police will not pull. They are over. .

In the past few months, the number of speed cameras in the 1990s has increased dramatically. I think the long-term camera No. 96 behind the RSD overpass is still working. They added two on the 96th, CPW by two, Amsterdam by at least one, and Broadway by at least two. I don't think the 96th and Amsterdam red light cameras no longer work properly, especially when the arrow is red, it won't catch people turning.

We have no reason not to strengthen law enforcement, including running red lights and speeding cameras everywhere. Increase fines and impose greater penalties for driving that causes serious injury or death.

However, 2 of the 9 fatal accidents caused by electric bicycles occurred on the highway, so the actual difference increased by 1 compared with car driving.

Hope the two dead of electric bikes/scooters are not a preview of the future. But measures to limit this situation are also necessary. First pull all illegal and unregistered vehicles off the street.

I hope that more can be done to prevent tragedies, whether on city streets or on highways. Only one death was caused by electric bicycles. The other is hit-and-run vehicles, which I think are illegal mopeds.

Especially with this in mind, I totally agree that illegal vehicles should be removed from our streets. I know that this is a huge challenge for the New York Police Department, especially because they do not want to enter a high-speed hunt that might endanger more people, but illegal vehicles are disturbing.

Any vehicle that should be registered and listed can be boarded from its parking space as long as it is in a public place-on the street or on the sidewalk. There is no need to chase them.

I want red light cameras at every intersection, speeding cameras on every avenue, cameras covering bicycle lanes, cameras on buses to detect bus stop violations, and cameras for double parking tickets. Give me the panoramic camera.

Although the death toll is an important statistic, 389 injuries are the true story. A car accident may not kill you, but if you are seriously injured, your life will be changed forever—maybe even ruined.

The real question is, when will prosecutors start to accuse “illegal turning” and “unconcession” motorists for reckless harm, manslaughter, or homicide?

I am not the first to point out that if you want to kill people, you should hit them with a car. You will leave due to a mobile violation and a few points on your driver’s license.

Exactly. Have you ever been hit by a car? We are talking about multi-year-if not permanent-liquidity issues. It's all because someone has to text their friends "haha". what!

The threat of electric bicycles and pedal bicycles to pedestrians increases the threat to vehicles. Traffic lights are often overlooked, and some riders jump on the sidewalk and cross the bike lane in danger. It may be time to add rider licenses, education and training to compensate for the thrill of zooming along the public space. Don't ignore scooters, unicycles, scooters. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, and helicopters that are still noisy, polluting, speeding, attacking, and honking should not receive less attention. Thank you for peace and tranquility.

Yes, I have a video of the bike jumping on the sidewalk. Just by my side. Another guy I asked him to get off the sidewalk: He is walking southward around ABC. Passed by me as I walked north along the sidewalk. When I politely asked him not to ride on the sidewalk. He got off the bike and tried to threaten me by changing direction and walking towards me.

UWS.. People.. You all need to start caring about vehicle failures: electric bikes. The light is running...

Stop making excuses. We pay the police pension and wait...They used to at least sit in their car...Where are they? ? ?

What a dangerous mess and threatening cars, bicycles, Citi Bike delivery bikes, and even people themselves... I have never looked so bad. And pedestrian death... ashamed of my UWS.

Bicycles and related things ruin the city! Too dangerous for pedestrians.

Bicycles, including electric bicycles (and skateboards), should never stop when running a red light-never unless the rider's safety is threatened by the car. Bicycle lanes are a kind of terror, a kind of free and completely unregulated; bicycles are speeding in the wrong lane-pedestrians crossing the road put their lives in danger. This is unacceptable. However, the police did nothing. Can't you do something? ? Whose city is this?

At 6:30 last night, I was at Bway and the 105th middle route from east to west. There are 17 seconds left in the countdown, so I think I have enough time. Four electric bicycles rushed to the red light and headed south. At 10:30 this morning, I crossed Columbus from east to west on No. 104. A young man riding a Citibike was on a bike path heading north (this is a one-way Southbound street), he ran the red light.

Electric bicycles and electric scooters traveling at speeds of 25-30 mph on bicycle lanes and sidewalks will eventually kill someone.

If the police wandered around the stop signs at 103 and Riverside Drive (not the main road), they might find half of the bad drivers. I have seen drivers passing through stop signs at 30 mph, and then other drivers illegally entered the 104 riverfront from the side road. I have seen many Jersey cars with paper plates doing this. I have no doubt that these labels are fakes extracted from laser printers.

In addition, when can we get a residential parking permit? I remember Mark Levine said that he supports this two years ago.

If the police would hang out at 76/riverside, they might find the other half. There are 3-4 or more cars driving south at 60 mph or more in the morning-the same goes for driving north in the afternoon. The police do nothing. Zero enforcement. Crazy millionaire construction project daily double parking to observe the danger. The other day when a car crossed red instead of yellow, my dog ​​was hit by a few inches on a crosswalk on a leash

If we want to get a parking permit on UWS. We must also include the people who work here.

"If nine of us were shot, the community would be armed," said Richard Robbins, a member of CB7.

I agree that traffic deaths are a real problem, but I don't understand this statement at all. Why have we not been wary of many people who were shot, shot or robbed in this neighborhood? Are we really waiting for 9 people to be killed before solving the problem? 🙁

"All we know is that the driver's behavior has changed."-point

It's a bit strange to say, because more than half of these deaths seem to be irrelevant, unless they really expand the definition of "driver". I think the massive influx of two-wheelers—which put them in dangerous contact with cars and trucks at intersections—is a slightly more obvious culprit. Perhaps a larger list of injuries, rather than the number of deaths, is more indicative of DOT's offer?

District 20 absolutely *does nothing* against traffic law enforcement, this is the evidence.

Get rid of the position of commander in your jurisdiction and let someone who is actively dealing with this issue be held accountable.

If you count the homicides in the area in the past 4 years, the number of deaths from traffic accidents this year will be less than 9 people. Based on these figures, I think vehicle traffic is the most pressing public safety issue in the area, right?

1. In New York City, most vehicle-related fatalities involve affected drivers, unlicensed drivers, and drivers with criminal history. Many occur at night.

Changes in laws and streets are unlikely to affect these illegal drivers.

2. Due to the explosion of e-commerce, there are now more inexperienced drivers on the road.

If they start to make bicycles obey traffic rules, such as stopping at traffic lights instead of riding on the sidewalk and obeying one-way directions, things will improve

Yes, because if every cyclist stops at every red light, the driver of the car will not hit people. If there are no cyclists riding on the sidewalk, the driver of the car will never kill the pedestrian. If there are no bicycle lanes, no one would drink and drive. It makes perfect sense to me.

It's not that the bad behavior of cyclists is not a problem. This is definitely a problem. However, when you encounter a direct cause that makes you face the problem-people are being hit by cars and KSI (death or serious injury) at an alarming rate, the answer is not to shift the focus to another problem only with the main problem at hand. The problem is tangent related.

This is a good report, with many colors and statistics that support it.

This is a good rag; without it, we are just a bunch of streets full of small virtual stages and overpriced apartments.

This particularly caught my attention:

"When we dig deeper... we saw a lot... failed to give in. We saw an alarming number of hit-and-runs..."

This reminds me of Congress, which in turn reminds me of why we have done so little at the national level: failing to make concessions.

This is us these days.

No matter how you look at it, it all boils down to the failure of our city and state elected officials to pay attention to all our safety and well-being. What have they been doing? Go to a candlelight vigil to let more homeless people stay near us? Follow the orders of other politicians without considering your own voters? It just shows to the people of UWS, the entire state and the country that you need to keep this issue in mind the next time you vote, and of course do not vote for every candidate of a political party. We all need to start thinking and research so that we can all make the best decision.

Dr. Laura Marrs, when the "other party" is in charge, we have more crimes and more traffic deaths... https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/ cs-en-us -city.pdf Look at the figures for 2001 (Giuliani) compared with recent years. You need to find some "alternative facts".

If the facts and figures do not match your opinion, they will indeed lie. Haven't you learned anything from 2016 to now?

Born and raised in Manhattan. Never seen such a bad traffic situation. These days, I pay more attention to speeding bicycles and idiots who jump on the sidewalk and deliver goods at 30 miles per hour. Then there are scooters and any other equipment that blocks our sidewalks. I live in No. 61 and Liberty Square. There are no lights. Just stop the sign that everyone ignores. I haven't seen the police for weeks. So there is no enforcement.

People drive violently, people ride bicycles violently, walk violently and talk violently...-as ​​a pedestrian, a driver, a person, we can all feel this kind of violence-in the case of a car, the driver turns around The purpose is to scare pedestrians. How many times has this happened to me! Give you! ! There is an unfettered aggressive energy! If the police have no situation, they will be stopped, if they don’t, they will get into trouble-we will all suffer in this all-or-nothing violent situation. For example, canceling the funding of the police and blaming the police will cause the police to risk losing their jobs or opt-out of their duties...aggression, destruction, destabilization... these stories are intertwined. Have it forever, until common sense becomes common law-it is harmful to everyone. This is a systemic challenge, but it is avoided by saying that it will only become an all-inclusive situation. Let us agree that violent driving is unacceptable and start from there.

*Edit*-Legal public officials were killed because Trump did not like the election results.

Is it a coincidence that the enforcement of the New York Police Department has declined since the protests seeking police reform in 2020?

Since DeBlasio took office, the situation has been declining, and we are not the only ones who noticed this (see Eric Adams for the great support from the outer boroughs, which is incredibly worse). Speed ​​bumps can be installed on every other block and bicycle lane of RSD to slow down traffic, and of course, beating the police can prevent adults from riding bicycles and electric scooters on the sidewalk.

Speed ​​bumps are meaningful on many streets. However, maybe not much on the street. But on the bike lane? You realize that none of these bikes exceed the 25 mph speed limit, right? Even bicycles often reach top speeds at 20 miles per hour. People say that bicycles are speeding, but they are not.

Due to the bus route, DOT will not have an impact on RSD.

They are much faster than me

I have lived in W. 102 and 103 for more than 30 years. I have a car. As a pedestrian and a driver, I have never seen such a bad situation. Last week, I crossed Broadway during the day, and the driver driving north at W. 101 and Broadway red lights decided that he didn't want to wait, so he went straight to the red light-right in front of me. I have seen many drivers turn right at red lights-and not all drivers have not passed the state license. (There is no indication that "it is illegal in red"). E The cyclist goes the wrong way on the sidewalk, on the one-way street. As a driver, I found driving on the Westside Highway very scary: drivers drag racing, overtaking from both sides, almost all exceeding the 50 mph speed limit. The police force on the highway is zero. I respect the CO of the 24th branch, but he has not done enough to enforce local traffic laws. We are more likely to get a parking ticket than to be stopped for running a stop sign or running a red light on Riverside! All reckless driving of motor vehicles must bear the consequences. When I go for a walk or drive home, I shouldn’t feel like I’m in control of my life.

There must be better laws and enforcement, cycling and motorized bicycles, mopeds and motorized skateboards. Most people who ride these "vehicles" don't wear helmets, think that the traffic lights are just a suggestion, ride on the sidewalk, and have the habit of cutting off cars, buses and trucks regardless of their own safety. When I contacted the police, I was told to talk to the mayor.

Do we know where the driver who hit the person came from? Just like they live in the city, do they commute/visit from the suburbs, or are they tourists? I want to figure out why this number is much higher now. Is it true that so many of us bought cars during the pandemic, but never really took to the streets to drive with others, and now they don’t know what to do? Is it because it is not safe for tourists to take a plane to go to the city for vacation, so they drive, and then don’t know how to walk through the city streets? Or these ordinary New Yorkers who used to drive, but the streets were empty during the epidemic, and they had to learn how to drive with others again?

I know many people who have never driven more than once or twice in their lives. They bought a car during the epidemic. It’s not that people should take the driving test over and over again because they live in Manhattan, but maybe we should consider letting someone take the driving test within a week or a month after buying the first car?

I am an elderly person like most of my friends. E bicycles are dangerous. With very few exceptions, they will not stop at a red light. The bike lane directly in front of JCC is where I have never seen bike E stop at a red light. Another very dangerous place is 67th, 68th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. E The bicycle never stops when there is no light. no way! ! ! In addition, many ordinary bicycle riders do not listen to the lights. Electric bike drivers should wear a logo with the name of their employer on the back of their jacket. A license should be required. When we crossed the road, my friends and I were frightened. COVID is a risk, but being hit by a reckless E bike or ordinary cyclist is even more terrifying.

Please enforce the traffic rules for electric bicycles and cyclists who do not follow the traffic rules. The bicycle lane in front of JCC is an example. The roads 67 and 68 in Amsterdam are another road. I have never seen an electric bicycle parked in these places! ! Where is the law enforcement? COVID is a risk, but in my opinion, these reckless drivers are just as bad. Place a police officer in these places and you will see the situation improve.

Security is a two-way street. No one in this group provides "pedestrian education". New Yorkers like to cross the road indiscriminately. New Yorkers are always in a hurry, whether it's walking, biking, skateboarding, scooters or cars. Even public vehicles, buses, UPS and mail cars are always in a hurry. Maybe everyone needs to take some time to slow down, look around, and wait for the light to change. New Yorkers don't like to wait on the side of a crosswalk. They broke into the streets, putting themselves and others in danger. How about buying tickets for people who cross the road indiscriminately? For those who ride the wrong road, speed on the sidewalk and under the lights, how to better enforce bicycle law enforcement? There are many aspects to this problem. It needs to be reviewed as a whole, rather than blaming a part of the problem.

Most traffic accidents are caused by vehicles! ! The police are MIA... but let's continue talking about bicycles

The story of two pandemics

https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2020/12/01/01/42/editors-corner-a-tale-of-two-pandemics

There are currently no two-the COVID 19 pandemic has killed approximately 1.5 million people worldwide in its first 12 months.

In more than 50 years, an average of 1.35 million people die from vehicle violence each year worldwide. However, bicycles are a problem for UWS.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/22675358/us-car-deaths-year-traffic-covid-pandemic

What we do know is that communities with bike lanes are the safest because it calms traffic and slows down drivers. The incoming government needs to figure out micro-liquidity and how it fits in New York City. There is no doubt that 99% of street killings are caused by bad drivers.

I often feel the danger of electric bicycles, especially for delivery men. I know they are under pressure to earn a living, but they often run red lights, drive on the sidewalk and speed. They are still on the phone and smoking, all of which can be fatal disturbances. However, I have not heard of any enforcement pressure.

Yes. We absolutely need better traffic law enforcement... aggressive driving and road rage seem to be getting worse. While we are doing this, we also need to enforce the law on cars with (intentionally) inoperative silencers, which make unbearable noises at all times of the day.

I believe all these discussions about strengthening police enforcement of existing traffic laws are inappropriate. Of course, how did the police know that the muffler of a car was modified or failed and could be heard in ten or twenty blocks? Can you hear something like this? Can I? In addition, how should the police spot cars racing at 90 to 110 miles per hour on the West End highway? Can you see something like this? Can I? If two of us are on a trailer—one of us has a camera in his hand, can we take a picture of their license plate? we can? Finally, how should the police see cars, trucks, bicycles, electric bicycles and various other two-wheelers running red lights? Can you see something like this? Can I? Of course, we demand too much of our best people!

When I got my driver's license in 1958, the police had a transportation department responsible for enforcing the current laws. At this time, people seem to have set their own rules, and there are no enforcement or consequences for violations. As a senior with impaired hearing and reaction skills, I found that bicycle lanes are dangerous. Cyclists do not listen to lights, do not have a license, and do not have insurance. Speeding and impolite pedestrians are also common. Driving a car, electric bike or bicycle is wrong! Drunk driving and drug addicts while driving shall be sentenced to imprisonment.

On Saturday, my 9-year-old son and I walked back from his school playground and crossed Columbus No. 89 from east to west. We parked on the bike lane as usual, and an electric bicycle flew past us at a speed of at least 30-40 miles per hour (the fastest I have ever seen), running through a red light. If I had not taught my son to stop on the bike path, he would have died today. We can't see electric bicycles coming from parked cars and cars passing through the intersection. He divides the intersection into two. This needs to stop. The police need to do their job. Standing around the corner, confiscating electric bicycles and scooters illegally driving on our streets, bicycle lanes, and sidewalks.

Electric bicycle or electric motorcycle? Electric bicycles cannot reach these speeds, but electric motorcycles can. Revel has an upper limit, but many others do not. On bicycle lanes, people often ride electric and gasoline motorcycles, which is definitely very dangerous, even for cyclists.

Cyclists and various electric vehicles do not pay attention to traffic rules.

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