Ben Furness, Transportation Alternatives, testifies on Vision Zero progress
Ben Furness, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, says over 150 New Yorkers have been killed in traffic this year and nine in hit-and-runs in August alone. He urges expanded daylighting, district-wide Sammy's Law speed limits, Stop Super Speeders by spring 2027, and safer city fleet vehicles.
Good afternoon, Council Member.
Thank you for holding this hearing today.
My name is Ben Furness.
I'm the Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives.
When Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the launch of Vision Zero back in 2014, it seemed like a lofty, impossible goal.
Since then, traffic fatalities have dropped, but cities around the world show how much further we have to go.
Just so far this year, over 150 New Yorkers have been killed in traffic.
In August alone, nine New Yorkers were killed in hit and runs.
Hundreds held a die-in outside this very building in outrage.
All of these deaths were preventable.
We know this because peer cities have a
eliminated or dramatically cut traffic deaths.
Per capita, New Yorkers are killed in traffic at double the rates of our global peers.
Coming in line with cities like London, Berlin, and Tokyo would cut our traffic deaths in half.
To get there, we must focus on the most common causes of death and injury.
Control vehicle speeds, fix the still deadly arterial streets, reduce cut-through traffic in residential neighborhoods, and make intersections safe.
City Hall already promised to implement daylighting or better at 1,000 intersections a year, a good start, but this must be dramatically expanded.
Broadly implementing Sammy's Law speed limits at district-wide levels could ensure safer streets throughout entire neighborhoods, saving lives, and creating more consistent rules for drivers.
And the city must slow down super speeders, ensuring the most reckless drivers are traveling at the speed limit.
Vehicles with 16 speeding tickets are twice as likely to be involved in a crash that leads to fatality or serious injuries, which is why we strongly support Councilmember Kyla Santosuoso's bill quickly launching the program by spring 2027.
New York City can also start at home by updating our fleets so that our city vehicles are safer.
Every year, New Yorkers are killed by city vehicles, seven and counting so far this year.
We must ensure that city vehicles save lives, not take them, by shrinking the fleet in total number and in vehicle size and implementing intelligent speed assist wherever possible and expanding the use of side guards.
We're closer to Vision Zero than we ever have, but there's still so much work to be done.
This is really a moment for global leadership.
The greatest city in the world should have the safest streets in the world.
We thank the council for holding this hearing.
Thank you, Ben.
Next.