Gothamist: Tomorrow: Emergency Pedestrian Safety Rally

bob

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 22:48:58 -0500

interlard - really? pedestrians have killed drivers? Wow, that's a new one for me. MR has nothing to apologize for. Peds on meds needs to do some research first.

interlard

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 13:29:43 -0500

Amazing how many people like to post their hate-filled comments trying to blame a "side". You can't walk in New York without a bunch of oblivious pricks trying to mow you down. You can't drive in Manhattan without a stack of idiot pedestrians trying to jump in front of you. Some intersections seem designed to trick these two groups into killing each other. The purpose of the campaign is to get them fixed. Now calm down you two and say sorry.

peds on meds

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 13:11:42 -0500

look at the press. Many of the recent 2007 fatals occurred when drivers mowed down peds in crosswalks when peds had the right of way. Yes... the press is the perfect source of information. Moron

MR

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 13:03:32 -0500

Peds on meds. Read my post. I'm talking about when the motorist is at fault. "Anytime a driver enters an intersection and doesn't yield to a ped who has the light, they can be ticketed for 'Failure to Yield' and 'Failure to exercise due care' at a minimum." If you don't have time to read long reports about fatals, look at the press. Many of the recent 2007 fatals occurred when drivers mowed down peds in crosswalks when peds had the right of way. Hint: because you can't turn right on red in NYC, anytime a driver is turning right, unless they are running a red light, they are turning on a green. When the light is green, the ped also has a walk symbol (except for very rare intersections with right-turn priorities), and thus the ped has the right of way. NYC laws are very straightforward with regard to ped right of way, but they are rarely enforced.

peds on meds

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 12:43:32 -0500

MR Are you saying every incident is the driver's fault? When will pedestrians admit fault for their stupidity when they get killed jaywalking or when that red light reads "Do Not Walk"? Oh I forgot... they are dead already!

MR

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 09:00:14 -0500

Not amused, You're falling for the same "blame-the-victime" illogic that Senator Kruger does when he proposes stupid legislation like iPod and cell phone bans. Peds are killed counless times while the light is theirs, the right of way is theirs, and they are in the crosswalk. There is absolutely no excuse for turning vehicles killing peds when they have the right of way. NONE. ZERO. This is supposed to be a safe zone, where you can listen to your iPod, talk on the cell, push your stroller, use your wheelchair, hold hands with you babysitter, sachey, strut, do the worm, whatever (as long as you're still crossing). There are very measurable things that the city can do to eliminate these issues. 10% of all intersections in the city account for over 50% of all traffic injuries and fatals. Those 10% of the intersections (comes to about 5,000 of them) can be made safer. And the NYPD enforce the damn laws on the books. Anytime a driver enters an intersection and doesn't yield to a ped who has the light, they can be ticketed for "Failure to Yield" and "Failure to excercise due care" at a minimum. Those are rarely ever enforced. The city has blame because the city can make very simple improvements that they are not making. They've got countless studies that demonstrate as much. They've got very palpable examples, such as Queens Blvd, former "Blvd of Death" where, despite 10 years of advocacy by victims' families, the DOT refused to do anything. Then, when the press got too intense for them, they finally rolled out changes. Fatals and injuuries went down by 50% over the next couple years and now they tout it as a huge success. It didn't cost them much money, it could be replicated everywhere. They have to step up and do it. Period.

Not Amused

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 07:30:12 -0500

Bullshit ! Don't go blaming the city for the stupidity of people who don't pay attention where there going ! I mean don't get it twisted, People aren't to blame for all the accidents here . Design is also to blame ie.(Crossing signals that change to fast, Disproportionatly long cross walks), Their are other problems . I think that if the dummies with the Cellphone stuck to there ear, Or the person with the Ipod glued on wouldn't use those gadgets while walking this wouldn't be an issue ! You have no idea of how many people I see per day walking out in front of Trucks, Buses, Tractor trailers oblvious to it all because they weren't paying attention ! By the way, I do listen to my music, and talk on my cell while out in the street . The difference with me is I pay attention to that big-ass Truck barrelling towards me . I look both way before crossing the street (Yeah I remember the days when I was a kid and my parents taught me that lesson). It's time for people to stop blaming the city for mistakes they make !

Barry Popik

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 00:28:34 -0500

As some of you may know, one of those fatalities last year was my wife's uncle. The driver was never caught. The Department of Transportation never answered a simple letter. My wife and I left New York City.

Barry Popik

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 00:25:08 -0500

rusty

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 23:00:04 -0500

It doesn't take a fatality to break a life or a family. But it takes a moron to post the same comment 6 times!

steely

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 19:10:56 -0500