On Thursday August 5th, the NYC Slow Speed and Traffic Calming Bill passed the New York State Assembly, and now needs only Governor Pataki's signature to become law. Transportation Alternatives commends the bill's sponsors State Senator Frank Padavan and Assemblymember Deborah Glick, and thanks Mayor Giuliani, all five borough presidents, and the over 80 leading NYC and New York State civic and environmental groups that supported the bill.

The bill allows the City of New York to establish maximum speed limits below 25 m.p.h. for the purpose of facilitating the use of traffic calming devices such as speed humps, extended sidewalks, elevated crosswalks, and the creation of slow-speed zones in residential neighborhoods. For example, this bill would help promote pedestrian-friendly designs at intersections like 59th Street and 7th Avenue, where two elderly women were killed when a laundry truck struck them in the crosswalk in July 1995. This corner is notorious for its poor design and danger to pedestrians, but currently the Department of Transportation is unable to make substantial modifications because of the mandated design speed of 30 m.p.h.. With the bill in place, the DOT could make dramatic pedestrian improvements such as extended sidewalks or elevated crosswalks at this intersection. The bill could also be applied to other dangerous intersections on busy streets such as Queens Boulevard or the Grand Concourse, as well as to non-arterial, neighborhood streets.

Neel Scott, Campaign Coordinator for Transportation Alternatives, said:

"This bill's passage is an immensely important steps towards making NYC streets safer for pedestrians, and improving neighborhood quality of life. Neighborhoods all over the city now have a precedent to implement traffic calming methods that work, and to reduce pedestrian accidents and deaths. Transportation Alternatives calls on the City Department of Transportation to develop a citywide traffic calming plan and to begin work on pilot programs immediately."