Fixed!

Can someone make a “back” button that works for this? Mike Infranco, please help.

I did get around to emailng the DA candidates a personal question about traffic justice, motivated by the “legal” death of Axel Pablo Reyes.

I still haven’t made up my mind on whom to support, and this is not me trying to sway anyone else (I know a lot of people here are for Aborn and with good reasons); but just to share, Vance’s campaign is the only one that’s yet replied to my admittedly not-very-scholarly inquiry:

Can you prosecute drivers for failing to exercise legally required “due care?” (Incidentally, in a crowded city, doesn’t speeding alone obviously constitute a dereliction of due care?)

I believe your question pertains to the “Rule of 2″ by which a single violation is not considered enough to constitute reckless driving. On this, Cy’s plan states: “There is no reason why two traffic violations are necessary in order to support a conviction of criminally negligent homicide. I view the “Rule of Two” as the result of case law which should be modified to reflect the reality that one vehicular crime is fully capable of killing. Although in recent years this notion has been applied by the courts in a less strict manner – it is indisputable that it does not take two violations to kill someone. Many violations — speeding, running a red light, or failing to stop at a stop sign are more than dangerous enough to take a life.”

Can you require every such incident to be examined by accident reconstruction experts?

Cy has discussed the need to appropriately train DA’s and investigators in accident reconstruction, amongst other elements of criminal traffic law in his proposal for a Vehicular Crimes Unit: “In addition, the members of this Unit will receive substantial training in the forensics of automobile investigation and crash-site reconstruction, as well as comprehensive legal instruction and in-depth training in the complex laws of New York vehicular crime.”

Can you direct how aggressively NYPD detectives or other investigators examine such incidents?

The influence of a DA is a little more indirect in this case, as the NYPD and District Attorney’s office are independent bodies, but Cy has emphasized reorienting the office into community zones that will allow ADA’s to have greater familiarity with police, community members, and problem areas within their zones. They will also be accountable for long term crime reduction in these zones, including vehicular crime in problem areas.

You can read Cy’s full plan for Vehicular and Pedestrian Safety here: http://cyvanceforda.com/planforthefuture/vehicularcrime

Apologies if my crude html attempt makes this comment illegible…

J- Transportation Alternatives is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, and thus cannot endorse, or oppose, candidates or parties.

John Liu and David Yassky both go on record saying that they support congestion pricing. Liu reiterates support for BRT and car-sharing programs, and Yassky describes his previous support for biking legislation and telecommuting options.

It would probably be a good idea to go through each race, and list out the candidate positions and specifically call out those who fail to respond to the survey. If their is a candidate with clearly better policies, maybe the streetsblog editorial board or TA could even endorse candidates. Just a thought.