NYC Lawmakers Push for Intersections Redesign Amid Rising Child Traffic Fatalities
The city's lawmakers have taken to the streets, quite literally, calling on Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to overhaul the city's most hazardous intersections. Dozens of children have lost their lives in traffic crashes since Adams took office, prompting lawmakers to demand change.
On Wednesday, a group of Council members and transportation advocates staged a protest outside City Hall, displaying 50 pairs of shoes – one for each child killed in traffic crashes since 2022. The display was meant to highlight the devastating impact of Adams' administration's failure to prioritize pedestrian safety.
The proposed legislation would require the DOT to "daylight" nearly every intersection across the five boroughs by removing up to 20 feet of parking spaces, a strategy already proven effective in cities like Hoboken, New Jersey. However, the plan has faced intense criticism due to its potential impact on drivers and motorists who rely on those parking spots.
Despite Adams' administration initially backing the idea, it was later shelved amid concerns about increased traffic congestion and safety issues. The DOT released a report last year claiming that "daylighting" made intersections more hazardous, sparking widespread outrage among lawmakers and advocacy groups.
Queens Councilmember Julie Won, who sponsored the bill, described the lives lost as "preventable deaths that can be saved if they would just do the right thing." She called for Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez to acknowledge his department's failure in implementing safety measures. The commissioner's office countered by stating that "there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer" to street safety and that "universal daylighting would not improve safety and could cause up to 15,000 additional traffic injuries per year."
Won remains open to negotiating a watered-down version of the bill, which would only require daylighting at intersections near schools. It is unclear whether such a scaled-back proposal will pass the City Council by 2026.
While advocates point to cities like Hoboken as examples of successful street safety strategies, Adams' administration remains skeptical about implementing widespread changes. The fate of this legislation hangs in the balance, with one thing clear: no more lives should be lost on NYC's streets due to avoidable crashes.
The city's lawmakers have taken to the streets, quite literally, calling on Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to overhaul the city's most hazardous intersections. Dozens of children have lost their lives in traffic crashes since Adams took office, prompting lawmakers to demand change.
On Wednesday, a group of Council members and transportation advocates staged a protest outside City Hall, displaying 50 pairs of shoes – one for each child killed in traffic crashes since 2022. The display was meant to highlight the devastating impact of Adams' administration's failure to prioritize pedestrian safety.
The proposed legislation would require the DOT to "daylight" nearly every intersection across the five boroughs by removing up to 20 feet of parking spaces, a strategy already proven effective in cities like Hoboken, New Jersey. However, the plan has faced intense criticism due to its potential impact on drivers and motorists who rely on those parking spots.
Despite Adams' administration initially backing the idea, it was later shelved amid concerns about increased traffic congestion and safety issues. The DOT released a report last year claiming that "daylighting" made intersections more hazardous, sparking widespread outrage among lawmakers and advocacy groups.
Queens Councilmember Julie Won, who sponsored the bill, described the lives lost as "preventable deaths that can be saved if they would just do the right thing." She called for Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez to acknowledge his department's failure in implementing safety measures. The commissioner's office countered by stating that "there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer" to street safety and that "universal daylighting would not improve safety and could cause up to 15,000 additional traffic injuries per year."
Won remains open to negotiating a watered-down version of the bill, which would only require daylighting at intersections near schools. It is unclear whether such a scaled-back proposal will pass the City Council by 2026.
While advocates point to cities like Hoboken as examples of successful street safety strategies, Adams' administration remains skeptical about implementing widespread changes. The fate of this legislation hangs in the balance, with one thing clear: no more lives should be lost on NYC's streets due to avoidable crashes.
. I remember back in 2018, someone started a thread on Reddit about the dangers of intersections in NYC and how they need to be redesigned for safety reasons. The conversation got pretty heated, with some people saying that drivers have a right to park their cars wherever they want, while others were like, "But what about the kids?" 
. Maybe there's a way to find a balance between safety and convenience? 
.
. I think it's time for our city leaders to step up and make things right. We need to prioritize people over parking spots, you know? It's not like they're the only thing that matters on our streets 
. I mean, what's the point of having a big city if we can't keep our kids safe? 
. If it worked in Hoboken, why not here? It just doesn't make sense to me. I'd love to see some data on both sides of the argument so we can have a clear idea of what's best for our city.
. We need more people like them who care about keeping our community safe.
. And honestly, I don't blame the lawmakers for pushing for change - this stuff needs to be done ASAP.
. So yeah, let's try to get this bill passed and make some real progress on pedestrian safety. Lives depend on it 
and now they're all like "there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer" lol like what's wrong with trying to save lives? 15k more traffic injuries just because of parking spots? no thanks 
we need this bill passed ASAP 
- all those kids dying from traffic accidents is just heartbreaking. I think it's interesting that the DOT released a report saying daylighting made intersections more hazardous, but at what cost? 
. It wasn't that hard. Nowadays, it's like people are just too busy lookin' at their phones to even notice what's goin' on around 'em.
and let me tell you, it's a real mess. Those lawmakers are NOT messing around when it comes to child traffic fatalities. They're pushing for some serious changes at those hazardous intersections, like daylighting intersections (basically removing parking spots) in NYC. It's a hot topic, with both sides going back and forth about safety vs. inconvenience for drivers.
And can we talk about how some folks are being super dramatic about the potential impact? "Universal daylighting would cause 15k more injuries" - like, okay, that's a big number, but not exactly a deal-breaker.
They're just trying to placate the parents who keep losing their kids to these senseless accidents. Like, come on, if they really cared about safety, they'd have done something by now. The whole "daylighting" idea sounds like a bunch of hooey to me. How are they going to make it work? More traffic? I've got my car parked in front of the store and that's one less spot for someone else to park their fancy-pants bike or whatever. And don't even get me started on the whole "there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer" thing... That's just a cop-out, if you ask me. Just do what Hoboken did, I guess. Who needs all that extra space for parking anyway? 
. It's like, shouldn't we be able to walk around our city without worrying about getting hit by a car? 
. These lawmakers are totally right that the DOT needs to do something about it. I mean, 50 pairs of shoes is a pretty powerful display - you can't just ignore that kind of thing. 
And yeah, maybe it'll cause some traffic congestion in the short term, but think about all the lives it could save in the long run. 
. No more kids should have to die on our streets because of poor design. It's time for some real change around here 
.
The city is all about progress, but not when it comes to keeping our little ones safe. I feel bad for the families who have lost loved ones already. Its like, what's the point of having a big city if you can't even take care of your own kids?