Viewing NYC Articles Categorized Under Safety

[VIDEO] What is Daylighting? How This NYC Intersection Adjustment Saves So Many Lives

2024-09-15T12:00:00-04:00

I have been making Streetfilms about Daylighting for over 15 years. Around that time period Streefilms put together the first film ever on the topic: 2010's "Daylighting: Make Your Crosswalks Safer" (https://vimeo.com/12796910) featuring a number of prominent New Yorkers on the topic.

I have always tried to work in daylighting into everything I can. It just makes sense to not have cars parked all the way up to crosswalks (or in some cases right up until the intersection!). By eliminating cars being parked from the first 10 to 15 feet (in some places they use 20!) you create a safer environment for drivers to not only see peds & bicyclists but OTHER drivers.

During a meeting after I had assembled together a blog post for Open Plans on some of the work I had done over the years (https://www.openplans.org/blog/street...) we talked about coming up with a new version for 2024. And so the idea was born and we got a dozen folks to talk to us about daylighting and the really cool movement from NYC Community Boards now passing resolutions asking the Mayor & NYC DOT for #universaldaylighting!

Oh, and this video features prominently Emily Chingay who really made this video come alive with her enthusiasm and great script she penned! Enjoy and please circulate and use it wherever you can. Though it is NYC based, it provides a model for other cities & communities to make daylighting happen.

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[VIDEO] New York Fire Department Teaches You How to Escape a Fire in Your Building

2020-07-27T12:00:00-04:00

The type of building you live in affects how you and your loved ones should plan for and escape a fire. Knowing if you live in a fireproof or non-fireproof building can help save your life. Follow these #FDNYSmart tips to help create your escape plan.

Check out FDNYSmart to see more tips to help keep you and your family safe.

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[WATCH] Urgent Messages From Italians in Coronavirus Quarantine

2020-03-17T14:00:00-04:00

Terrified residents of Italian cities record messages to themselves 10 days ago, when the pandemic hadn't yet killed 1,809 people and infected more than 24,000 across the country. The messages serve as a disturbing warning from the future—especially for the United States, which is expected to be just a week behind Italy in the progression of the novel coronavirus.

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[VIDEO] Passersby Lift SUV Off Woman Run Over on Lower East Side

2020-01-28T12:00:00-05:00

A video shows bystanders on the Lower East Side Sunday rocking and tipping an SUV up onto two wheels to free a woman trapped underneath after she was run over by the car. The accident occurred Sunday at the intersection of Delancey and Norfolk streets, where the woman was struck during a traffic incident.

Colby Droscher captured the video and shared a photo afterward showing the woman conscious and being tended to by emergency services. Droscher said there were chaotic scenes at the intersection as people tried to figure out what was happening. "All of a sudden, everyone started running to lift the car," Droscher said, "And that's when a lot of us across the street realized that there was something under the SUV." Drosher said that the people who reacted so quickly showed true acts of heroism.

Police confirmed that the woman was taken to Bellevue Hospital. There were no further details immediately available about the nature of the traffic incident.

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This Interactive Heat Map Shows All 1.4 Million Motor Vehicle Collisions in NYC Since 2012

2019-02-13T12:30:00-05:00

Using collision data provided by the New York Police Department, data scientist, software engineer, and analyst Todd W. Schneider recently created this colorful interactive map showing all of the 1.4 million incidents since 2012. The map allows you to filter by pedestrian injuries, cyclist injuries, driver injuries, and total collisions altogether. The brighter a spot is in an area of the map, the more incidents that occurred there.

The map shows the areas with the most injuries and fatalities, but I’m hesitant to use the phrase “most dangerous”, as the collisions data does not tell us how many motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians traveled through each area without injury. For example, more pedestrians are injured by motor vehicles in Times Square than in any other area, but Times Square probably has the most total pedestrians, so it’s possible that “pedestrian injuries per mile walked” is higher elsewhere. It might make for interesting further analysis to estimate total vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian travel in each area, then attempt to calculate the areas with the highest probability of injury or fatality per unit of distance traveled.

If you enjoy a good data analysis, check out the accompanying article for a ton of takeaways, graphs, and charts stemming from this data.

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Remember 2018 as the Year Cars Were Banned in Both Central Park and Prospect Park

2018-12-14T14:00:00-05:00

2018 saw two huge wins for New Yorkers and safe streets advocates: the permanent ban on private vehicles in Prospect and Central Park. Transportation Alternatives supporters, members, and activists reflect on the journey and what these victories mean for the future of New York City.

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New York City is Creating Safer Intersections Through The Use of Streetside Bike Corrals

2018-10-21T17:00:00-04:00

Bike corrals are rows of CityRacks (NYC bike racks) installed in the curbside lane of the street instead of on the sidewalk. This design is a great solution for places where demand for bicycle parking outstrips the available sidewalk space. Anyone can request a bike corral but every bike corral needs a maintenance partner to keep the bike corral clear of snow and debris.

Check out program page to learn more about NYC Bike Corrals.

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Who Exactly is NYC Emergency Management and What Do They Do For New Yorkers?

2018-06-27T13:30:00-04:00

The New York City Office of Emergency Management (NYCOEM) is an essential City agency that helps New Yorkers prepare for, and recover from, natural and man-made disasters. In this short video from the NYCOEM, watch as they explain exactly how they help us out.

Learn how NYC Emergency Management helps New Yorkers before, during, and after emergencies. Prepare. Respond. Recover.

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[VIDEO] New York City Department of Transportation Really Wants You to Read Their Street Signs

2018-04-24T13:30:00-04:00

Informed by comprehensive market research, "Signs" is New York City's newest Vision Zero public awareness campaign. "Signs" acknowledges the complexities of driving in a busy urban environment, while recognizing that simple behaviors can ultimately save lives. Learn more at nyc.gov/visionzero.

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Over a Thousand People Attended NYC's March for Safe Streets Protest in Park Slope

2018-03-13T16:30:00-04:00

In Park Slope last night, over 1,000 outraged New Yorkers demanded that changes be made to City street design to prioritize safety over cars. Organized by Transportation Alternatives and other local community sponsors, the protest is the neighborhood's necessary reaction to last week's horrific collision where a woman with a deep history of unsafe traffic violations ran a red light and killed two young children, 1 and 4 years old, while in a crosswalk with their mothers.

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