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A new study conducted in all five boroughs determined that 39% of drivers observed were traveling in excess of the 30 mph speed limit, some with fatal speeds of 60 mph and higher in school zones and other high-traffic pedestrian areas. Transportation Alternatives researchers recorded motorist speeds at 13 locations in 2008; the spots were chosen based on community complaints, as well as crash records compiled on Crashstat.
Using automated speed cameras and radar guns identical to those used by police, the researchers measured the speeds of more than 15,000 motorists. What they found won't surprise you: People drive like psychopaths in this town.
- In Manhattan, 70% of drivers on East Houston Street speed through a school zone.
- In the Bronx, 32% of drivers on Webster Avenue speed past a school as fast as 66 mph.
- In Queens, 32% of drivers on Northern Boulevard speed through a busy commercial area, past a school and police station.
- In Brooklyn, 88% of drivers on Rogers Avenue in Prospect Lefferts Gardens speed, with 25% exceeding 40 mph.
- On Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island’s most dangerous street, 39% of drivers exceed the speed limit, reaching fatal speeds over 60 mph.
At a press conference to announce the findings, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer called for the installation of speeding enforcement cameras, NYPD monitoring of speeding levels and safer street designs to slow cars down. Stringer told reporters, "Pedestrian safety has always been a major concern for me and my office, but the recent traffic death of a former intern in my office has brought the issue home in a very personal way." That would 26-year-old Marilyn Feng, who was fatally run over near Battery Park last week by a drunk driver from New Jersey. And Streetsblog wonders what role speeding played in yesterday's gruesome dragging death.
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39% of the drivers speed, the other 61% are stuck in traffic
They should compile the results and only take into account cars that aren't in traffic.
Also, I never drive in the city, but if I don't really mind if cars do. As long as they stop at lights and yield to pedestrians, speed all you want!
I guess they counted the cars driving by when they measured the speed...
Anyway, drivers should just grow up. What's the rush to get to the next traffic light?
What is the percentage of pedestrians who cross streets illegally in NYC???
I bet its more than 39%.
And how many people do jaywalking pedestrians kill each year?
The death-by-automobile of Marilyn Feng last week was allegedly caused by an off-duty (Jersey City) police officer. So if you are asking the NYPD to enforce rules of the road, you are probably asking the wrong people.
What makes 60 mph 'fatal' when compared to 59 mph? or 50?
"In the Bronx, 32% of drivers on Webster Avenue speed past a school as fast as 66 mph." This is a horribly constructed sentence.
It's the same way around the country.
The reason why most of the drivers are going 40 mph is that no cop will ever stop a car for going 10 mph over the limit. It a smaller fine and it's too easy to get this ticket dismissed.
Besides speeding, I've noticed drivers from Pennsylvania who visit NYC drive recklessly. I often see them blow through red lights and are careless with pedestrians when making turns. Also, trying to be PC, why are the people who tend to speed are the ones with too much time on their hands and have no jobs to rush to ?
They're not visiting from PA. Its likely they are NY residents committing insurance fraud who tend to violate traffic rules at will.
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida are also popular license plates on vehicles doing the insurance fraud thing.
Any ideas what their ethnicity might be, with those plates?
Just won'dring.
Their 39% number is crap.
17% were over 36 mph.
Less than 5% were over 40mph.
Big f'n deal.
This is just a move to install automated speed cameras, yet another boondoggle/tax.
"fatally killed"? Is that as opposed to somehow being killed non-fatally? And how would that work?
What Congress needs to do is mandate data recorders (like airliners have) in all new cars to record speed information for the past 48 hours or whatever of on-road time. If you're pulled over, the cop should be allowed to check the data and it should be admissable as evidence of speeding if you're ticketed. Also include GPS data so drivers can't cheat by modding the speedometer to read slower than actual speed.
Ironic then that your screen name is Spiritof76.
Don't mind him. He's always like that.
Freedom is not without limits. If people are going to act like children and jeopardize the safety and well-being of others, then they need electronic babysitters. Otherwise why bother having any laws at all if you're going to say everybody should be free to do anything they want?
Besides, why should it worry you unless you're breaking the law? The data would only be downloaded if you're stopped by a cop, not on a regular basis. And if you stop to think about it (something Snoopy/Snoopydog is completely incapable of doing), it could help make cops more accountable. No cop would stop a motorist without just cause if he knew that the data on the black box would exonerate the driver and put a black mark on his own record for an unwarranted stop. The sword can cut both ways. Are you against empowering people against dishonest police officers?
Yeah, if you're not a terrorist, warrantless wiretapping shouldn't bother you. The CCTV cameras peppering England are noooo problem.
AFAIK, in some cases the 'black box' data has been subpoenaed in trials where fatalities are involved.
I'm inclined to agree with Spirit.. this is not warrantless wiretapping. You just don't have the same rights when it comes to automobiles. However I don't think I would allow a traffic stop to access the data. That's just too broad and imo would result in police randomly pulling people over and hoping to get a hit on the box (which is very likely, as we all speed or break some law every few minutes). A negative result wouldn't put a hit on the officer's record, the unions would never allow that. It would just be "Sorry to bother you, Have a nice day, sir" or "Sorry, I thought your license plate lamp was out, but it's working". It's trivial for police to come up with a pretense for a stop.
Really?? Tell me something I didn't know - if you ever drove in the hood (aka down Bushwick Ave in Bklyn) you'd see people completely disregarding any traffic laws - running red lights, swerving to avoid the people who think it's okay to walk out into the middle of the street, people changing lanes without blinkers. And as someone else said, it's all from drivers with plates from Maryland or PA, as they ARE committing insurance fraud.
Or, my street has a light every 6 blocks - at the rest of the corners, there are stop signs on the other streets intersecting, but can you really count on a driver to stop, when they may assume that the car approaching also has a stop sign? When I am driving I am scared for my life, and it's even worse when I'm trying to cross the street. Cars are going 50+ and beeping their horn so that everyone gets out of the way. Seriously - what is the rush?