Streetsblog New York City

A pedestrian struck by a motorist on April 1 in Bay Ridge died from her injuries. The crash occurred on a section of Fourth Avenue where DOT plans to install a pedestrian fence, and in a precinct where NYPD writes a speeding ticket once every five days.

At least two pedestrians were killed by drivers in April in the 68th Precinct, which wrote 63 speeding tickets in 2012. State Senator Marty Golden, whose district encompasses the precinct, is opposed to automated speed enforcement.

The victim, a 30-year-old female whose name was not published, was struck by the driver of a Honda sedan as she attempted to cross mid-block on Fourth near 86th Street, according to an April 2 story from the Brooklyn Daily. The impact broke one of her arms and caused severe head trauma.

The FDNY said they took the victim to Lutheran Medical Center where she later died from her injuries.

An NYPD spokeswoman said that the driver was uninjured and remained at the scene. An investigation is ongoing, but there is no evidence of a crime.

“It looks like it was just an accident,” the spokeswoman said.

A different version of the Brooklyn Daily story first appeared in the Brooklyn Paper, which reported that the victim was transported in cardiac arrest.

Coverage of the crash makes no mention of how fast the driver was going before the collision. A pedestrian’s chance of survival when hit by a vehicle decreases dramatically as motorist speed increases. Speeding was the leading cause of NYC traffic deaths in 2012, according to DOT.

DOT is planning a slate of changes to Fourth Avenue aimed at slowing down drivers and reducing traffic injuries and deaths. According to reports, one element of the proposal is a pedestrian fence, similar to those in Midtown Manhattan, to prevent “jaywalking.”

As usual, NYPD is AWOL on traffic calming. The 68th Precinct, where this crash occurred, and where an elderly woman was killed by a driver in a Fourth Avenue crosswalk on April 30, issued just 63 speeding tickets in 2012.

Both fatalities happened in Marty Golden’s state senate district. Golden has blocked the city from implementing a speed camera pilot program, though NYPD supports automated enforcement. Golden can be reached at 718-238-6044 and @SenMartyGolden.

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Update: The Home Reporter reports that the elderly victim of this crash has died.

Residents of Bay Ridge are again calling for measures to rein in reckless motorists after a Tuesday crash that sent at least one pedestrian to the hospital. The crash occurred in the district of State Senator Marty Golden, who has blocked a widely-supported speed camera program from being implemented in NYC.

The 68th Precinct wrote 63 speeding tickets in 2012. State Senator Marty Golden, whose district encompasses the precinct, is opposed to automated speed enforcement.

Published reports say the driver of a Cadillac Escalade struck an elderly woman while making a right turn from 82nd Street onto Fourth Avenue. Brooklyn Daily reports that the victim was declared likely to die.

NYPD and FDNY had few details. The NYPD public information office said the victim was an elderly Asian female, whose identity has not been released. An FDNY spokesperson told Streetsblog responders got the call at 10:39 a.m., and said two victims were transported. FDNY had no information on the condition of either victim. WNBC was the only media outlet we found with a report that two victims were struck.

The NYPD spokesperson said no summonses were issued, and that “no criminality is suspected.”

The Brooklyn Eagle reported that Council Member Vincent Gentile was at the scene:

Gentile said he was told that the victim was in “very bad shape” and that she had been rushed by ambulance to Lutheran Medical Center. “She apparently hit her head hard on the pavement when she was hit by the car,” Gentile said.

“The pedestrian went up in the air and came back down,” said one witness, to the Home Reporter. An NYPD spokesperson told the Brooklyn Daily that police “had no evidence that the motorist was speeding or breaking any other traffic laws,” though “[w]itnesses pointed out that the woman was already in the crosswalk when struck, and state law grants right of way to pedestrians over drivers when both have the light.”

The 68th Precinct, where the crash occurred, issued just 63 speeding citations in 2012 [PDF]. Locals are pushing for improved traffic enforcement, including the use of speed cameras, on Fourth Avenue.

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City Council Member Jumaane Williams has issued a statement calling for speed cameras and other traffic-calming measures following the death of Denim McLean, the 2-year-old killed by a curb-jumping driver in East Flatbush.

City Council Member Jumaane Williams

Williams also says more motorists should be held responsible for crashes that result in death.

This incident took place at the corner of Church and Utica Avenues, which has long been a problem area for accidents with pedestrians, even according to the Department of Transportation. I plan to meet with DOT officials in the coming days to discuss safety at this intersection and the Utica Avenue corridor in general. We must push for more traffic calming measures, measures that save lives and improve transportation in the long term. We need speed cameras at this cross-section and throughout this community, and it is my sincere hope that the State Senate will end their obstruction of this effort. While I do not know fully the details of this accident, I do believe that we must work together toward achieving greater accountability of drivers that cause fatal crashes. Finally, we must all exercise much greater caution on the roads. Getting to our destination safely must always be the priority.

There were six pedestrian fatalities in Williams’s district between 2009 and 2011, according to federal data mapped by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. All of the victims were children and seniors. The 67th Precinct, which encompasses much of the district, wrote 45 speeding tickets in 2012, an average of one every eight days.

Speed cameras have overwhelming support among city officials. A proposed demonstration program was included in the State Assembly budget proposal, but was blocked by Marty Golden and Simcha Felder in the Senate. Bronx Senator Jeff Klein has introduced a bill to bring speed cameras to NYC, but Golden says more 20 mph zones will be sufficient to reduce the number of crashes like the one that killed Denim McLean.

A protest outside State Senator Marty Golden’s district office this afternoon, organized by Bay Ridge Advocates for Keeping Everyone Safe (BRAKES), blasted the Bay Ridge Republican for his continued opposition to speed cameras, which kept a demonstration program out of this year’s state budget.

Marty Golden wants you to think he's a street safety champion, even as he opposes speed cameras. Photo: NY Senate

In response, Golden sent a statement to Capital New York:

Like the parents here today, I share with them the concern for the safety of our children. Other locations across the United States have found speed camera technology unreliable. If we can prove that the technology is sound, and document unequivocally that it will reduce speeding and fatalities, that would provide reason to consider the possibility of speed camera legislation.

We need to reduce speeding around schools, by setting up safety zones as well as increasing traffic lights, speed humps, stop signs and reduce the speed limits around schools 10 miles per hour to 20 mph. In the coming days I will be introducing legislation to create these speed zones throughout New York City school zones to reduce speeding near our educational institutions. It is clear, however, that the most effective way to reduce speeding and speeding related fatalities is increased police and prosecution of reckless driving.

Golden’s proposed legislation, which has not yet been filed in the Senate, would require the posting of 20 mph school zones in New York City, though it would not provide an enforcement mechanism. Golden’s legislation would layer on top of existing rules, which already allow municipalities to establish school zones.

If Golden wants proof that speed cameras work, there are plenty of studies he could look at. An international review of speed cameras found that, in 28 of 28 comprehensive surveys, camera programs were successful at reducing crash rates. In Maryland, speed cameras have been shown to have a “halo effect,” reducing speeds even on streets where they haven’t been installed.

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Pretty much every line of Cy Vance’s op-ed on the value of speed cameras is worthy of an excerpt. But the takeaway should be this: Every relevant sector of city government has endorsed the proposed NYC speed camera demonstration program.

Photo: Getty via Politicker

As Manhattan’s top law enforcer, whose office is separate from the Bloomberg administration, Vance’s support carries extra weight.

Wrote Vance in today’s AMNY:

The pilot program has strong support from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and the police commissioner — the people who know best which safety measures are likely to be effective.

Unfortunately, none of us has a vote in Albany — we can only beg, plead and loudly encourage our colleagues in government to do the right thing for New York City: Give us the ability to save lives by using this important tool to make our streets safer, encourage responsible driving and reduce crashes.

The question is whether lawmakers Marty Golden and Simcha Felder, who represent NYC in Albany, will get out of the way of a measure that will make city streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

To those who have to this point blocked the speed cam program, Vance said: “The argument made by the few remaining opponents of speed cameras — that we are choosing cameras over more police officers — is a red herring. Speed cameras will not reduce the number of police officers in our neighborhoods. They will add to our safety, not detract from it.”

With near-unanimous support at the city level, will Golden and Felder continue to obstruct?

It’s no joke — Jeff Klein is taking up the cause of NYC speed cameras in the State Senate.

Photo: Daily News

The Daily News reports that Klein, the Bronx Democrat who leads the Senate along with Republican Dean Skelos, will make the proposed speed camera demonstration program a priority in the remaining weeks of the current legislative session, which ends in June.

“I think this is a very smart approach to alleviate speeding,” Klein said of speed enforcement cameras.

“Our police do an incredible job fighting crime in the city, but they can’t be everywhere at once,” he added. “Let’s get these speed cameras in place so our city’s Finest can continue fighting crime and not writing traffic tickets.”

Authorization for a small number of speed cameras was included in the Assembly budget, but the program was opposed by Senator Marty Golden and the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association. Golden has since indicated that he is open to automated enforcement if “the technology is proven.”

Dozens of studies by corporate and public interest groups have shown that speed cameras reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities. Motorist speed was the leading single factor in city traffic deaths in 2012, contributing to 81 fatal crashes, according to NYC DOT.

Given Klein’s stature in Albany, his support should provide a significant boost to what would be NYC’s first-ever speed camera program.

“New Yorkers will applaud Senator Klein for working to bring New York City the speed cameras we need,” said Michael Murphy, spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives. “It’s time for the last few holdouts in Albany to stop standing in the way of these life-saving enforcement tools and join Senator Klein to allow speed cameras in New York City.”

Image: Office of State Senator Marty Golden

After blocking the authorization of NYC’s first speed enforcement cameras, State Senator Marty Golden (R – Bay Ridge) has introduced a bill that he says will lead to safer streets while placating the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, the police union that opposes speed cams.

The bill, S 5639, enables cities with a million or more residents to establish a “clone-enhanced speed enforcement pilot program” in which DNA from PBA members will be harvested, fused with human eggs, and genetically modified to create a special cadre of police clones tasked with enforcing the speed limit. The bill would require clones to join the PBA before they are authorized to issue speeding citations.

State Senator Marty Golden

While the city’s red light camera program has already proven effective at curbing dangerous driving, the PBA has insisted that only flesh-and-blood police officers should issue speeding tickets. NYPD, however, has shown little inclination to prioritize speed enforcement under commissioner Ray Kelly, who has shifted an enormous share of department resources to counterterror initiatives.

“It was never quite clear to me why the PBA opposed speed cams, because it’s not like cops enjoy traffic stops or going to traffic court,” said Golden. “Nevertheless, they call the shots. Speeding on the streets of New York is unacceptable and puts all of us at risk, and this bill will allow us to save lives while ensuring that only dues-paying members of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association can enforce the speed limit, which is what really matters.”

The speed enforcement clone program would entail a significant upfront investment in the PBA’s Human Cloning Lab. Golden assured the press that this would not come at any additional cost to the taxpayer. A consortium of investors, including JPMorgan and Canadian pension funds, has agreed to supply the union with the necessary financing for research, development, and maintenance of 10,000 clones. The loan — estimated at upwards of $50 billion — would be provided in return for a guaranteed revenue stream to be generated by speeding tickets after the clones reach maturity.

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State Senator Marty Golden, a former police officer and prominent Brooklyn Republican, has joined forces with the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and AAA New York to oppose speed cameras. Now that Golden has succeeded in keeping them out of the state budget, he says he might be open to the idea, after all.

Sen. Marty Golden says speed cams must be "proven" to reduce speeds and injuries for the bill to pass. Luckily for him, there's some research on that. Photo: NY Senate

“If the technology is proven, if speeding is reduced and fatalities are reduced, that would be a strong reason this bill should get done,” he told the Post.

It’s unclear what Golden means by “proven,” notes Dana Rubinstein in Capital New York. Maybe a 2012 peer-reviewed meta-analysis conducted by a non-profit health research organization would be enough to convince the senator from Bay Ridge. Rubinstein explains:

After reviewing 35 studies “to assess whether the use of speed cameras reduces the incidence of speeding, road traffic crashes, injuries and deaths,” the researchers concluded that “speed cameras are a worthwhile intervention for reducing the number of road traffic injuries and deaths.”

More precisely, of the 28 studies that investigated speed cameras’ effect on crashes, “all 28 studies found a lower number of crashes in the speed camera areas after implementation of the program.”

An analysis of the speed camera program in Montgomery County, Maryland, by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed that speed cams had a “halo effect,” convincing drivers to ease off the gas everywhere, not just where the cameras were installed:

Relative to comparison sites in Virginia, the proportion of drivers traveling more than 10 mph above posted speed limits declined by about 70 percent at Montgomery County locations with both warning signs and speed camera enforcement, 39 percent at locations with warning signs but no speed cameras, and 16 percent on residential streets with neither warning signs nor speed cameras.

Streetsblog has asked Sen. Golden’s office what it would take for this life-saving technology to be sufficiently “proven.” We’ll let you know if we get a reply. Previous requests for comment on speed cameras have not been returned.

Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein told Gotham Gazette that, despite not being included in the budget, speed cams will come back for debate. ”This is an issue that will come up later in the year,” he said.

Electeds and advocates have until June to push speed camera legislation through Albany, as the proposed NYC demonstration program was not part of this year’s state budget deal.

NYC's largest police union must be awfully pleased that Marty Golden has managed to block life-saving speed cameras, for now.

Speed cameras were included in the State Assembly budget. The program has the endorsement of Mayor Bloomberg, the City Council, and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. But despite overwhelming support from city government, State Senator Marty Golden joined the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association in lobbying against the cameras, saying that speed enforcement should be the exclusive province of police officers.

Said Golden to the Daily News: “What we need are the actual police officers on the street. Cops on the street are what slows people down.”

In reality, traffic cameras are highly effective at reducing speeding, red light-running, and crashes. In D.C., speed cameras led to an 82 percent reduction in drivers exceeding the speed limit by 10 mph or more, according to Richard Retting, the director of safety and research at Sam Schwartz Engineering.

Regardless, as one of three Republicans in the Senate who represent the city, Golden has the power to head off whatever NYC-related legislation he doesn’t like, for whatever reason.

“The Senate was not supposed to be a problem, because so many of them aren’t from the city,” says Juan Martinez, general counsel for Transportation Alternatives. “The Assembly was supposed to be the issue.”

Though speed cameras now have the support of the Assembly, as of now there is no bill to move the program along this session. Martinez believes there’s still “a solid shot” that it will happen.

“Marty Golden does not know how to conquer speeding better than Ray Kelly does,” Martinez says. “That’s not a bad position to be in. Between now and the end of June, we just have to hustle harder.”

Speeding was the leading factor in fatal NYC crashes last year, according to NYC DOT. A 2009 TA study found that a NYC motorist could speed every day and get a ticket once every 35 years. Crash data compiled by Streetsblog show that since January 2012 at least five pedestrians have been killed by motorists in the precincts encompassed by Golden’s Senate district.

Multiple queries to Golden’s office have not been returned.

The Wall Street Journal yesterday published the results of a study on how sensitive kids and adults are to the sounds of oncoming vehicles. The findings should be a wake-up call to parents of young children in NYC, where speeding in the vicinity of schools is rampant.

Marty Golden doesn't want speed cameras near NYC schools, where motorists are putting kids' lives at risk.

Using headphones to listen to the sounds of a car approaching at 5, 12, and 25 miles per hour, participants pressed a computer key when they heard the vehicle, when they identified its direction, and when they thought it had arrived at their location. From the Journal:

Adults detected the car significantly earlier than children, though 8- and 9-year-olds heard the car before 6- and 7-year-olds. Adults detected the vehicle traveling at 5 miles per hour at a distance of about 48 feet, compared with 35 feet for younger children and 41 feet for older children. On average, the vehicle was significantly closer to children than adults when it was detected.

Researchers found that the car was detected earlier at 25 mph, when the noises were loudest, but noted that pedestrians have less time to react to faster-moving vehicles, which are more likely to cause serious injury and death. The study said that the detection abilities of kids age 10 and older tend to resemble those of adults. “Older children were better than younger children at determining when a vehicle had arrived at their location,” the Journal said.

The Journal points out that the study did not include environmental sounds that pedestrians usually are exposed to, in addition to car noise.

The study was published by Accident Analysis & Prevention, and was funded in part by Nissan.

More than 13,000 children ages five to nine are struck by motorists while crossing the street in the U.S. every year, according to figures cited by the Journal. According to crash data compiled by Streetsblog, at least six kids under the age of nine have been killed by NYC motorists since March 2012. Speeding was the leading factor in fatal NYC crashes last year.

Streetsblog has an message in with Golden’s office concerning his reported campaign to keep speed cameras out of NYC.

(h/t to krstrois)