Sunday March 4th–The Citywide Coalition for Traffic Relief and their supporters gathered on the steps of city hall to demand pedestrian safety.Â
One hundred concerned community leaders and activist rallied to demand safety improvements to city intersections and a laundry list of other concerns they want Bloomberg to address.Â
Alongside demonstrators stood families of victims who lost their lives in fatal accidents. Among the families, Audrey Anderson, the mother of Andre Anderson, a four year old boy killed by an SUV in September 2005, who wants justice and harsher punishments to traffic violators. This is the only way we are going to get changes, said Anderson.
Transportation Alternatives proposed a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan that includes….
â— Fixing the most dangerous streets and intersections
â— Adopt a Street Maintenance Policy that prioritizes pedestrian safety measures
â— Eliminate turning conflict
â— Extra protection for the most vulnerable New Yorkers Â
â—Criminalize and prosecute traffic fatalities
While Karla Quintero of Transportation Alternatives gave a bilingual mission statement, her supporters held white paper hands high in the air when asked by Quintero,
“How many of you have been affected by pedestrian injuries and fatalities.”Â
Quintero explains, “The hands represent the simple humanity of each crash victim. Their stories should not be reduced to statistics. Each victim had a life, dreams, a family–they should be honored and respected, not discarded and forgotten.”
 
I agree that something needs to been done to help stop the many pedestrian deaths, due to traffic violations. There needs to be change and it is a wonderful thing, that the mayor is also getting involved with the movement of change.
This story is one I have been following too since it’s organizers are a Chelsea based non-profit transportation group. CB4 has felt the extreme urgency to protect pedestrians especially since the killing of 82-year-old Amelia Chimienti on February 7,2007 at the corner of 9th Avenue and 16th Street. In their March meeting they made suggestions to refashion 9th Avenue, meaning the street and sidewalks and the direction of traffic, in an effort to safe guard pedestrians.
Nice job LSapir! This is an important local subject that affects pedestrians daily, especially with the warm weather setting in and a lot of selfish drivers will be on the road in full blown summer heat.
This is really good to hear. I hope they work on a solution for the dangerous pedestrian crossing in Union Square. The streets which are in conflict is the intersection between Broadway and East 17th St, across from the Petco and the Starbucks.