In light of the horrendous death Thursday of a seven-year-old boy crushed by a Police Department tow truck, the Park Slope Civic Council today called on Mayor Adams and the City Council to restore funding for 483 crossing guard positions that was cut in the City’s executive budget this year and to prioritize street and sidewalk safety in neighborhoods throughout the City.
The Council noted that on the same day the little boy, Kamari Hughes, was killed on his way to school in Fort Greene, the City’s Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program was allowed to expire, due to inaction by the City Council. Moreover, the State Legislature has failed to act on numerous excellent pieces of legislation proposed by State Senator Andrew Gounardes, Assembly Members Jo Anne Simon and Robert C. Carroll, and others that would strengthen enforcement of and increase penalties for reckless and dangerous drivers.
“Elected officials and agencies at the City and State level are failing New Yorkers,” the Civic Council said in a statement.
For decades, the Civic Council has been an advocate for safer streets and sidewalks. Most recently, the Council conducted a survey of e-bike compliance with traffic safety laws and found an extremely high percentage of violations, including running red lights, riding on sidewalks, riding the wrong way on one-way streets, and riding too fast. The Council concluded that these violations “pose unacceptable risks to pedestrians, including children and infants in strollers, as well as riders of regular bicycles and e-bike riders themselves.”
The Civic Council has also supported protected bike lanes, congestion pricing and improved mass transit as policies that promote safer streets and sidewalks for all New Yorkers.
Founded in 1896, the Park Slope Civic Council is the oldest and most prominent civic association in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The Council promotes the Park Slope neighborhood and advocates for the interests of residents, businesses and others with a stake in the community.