Late Night Speeding Deaths Prompt Calls For 24/7 Cameras

Plus: Hochul waffles on congestion pricing [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] Fatal Crashes Keep Happening When Speed Cameras Are Off. Why Aren't They On 24/7? Plus: Soon-to-be-Gov. Kathy Hochul waffles on congestion pricing. The Staten Island Ferry has resumed full service. And The East Bronx now has 3,000 scooters. By James Ramsay --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- [soon-to-be-Governor Kathy Hochul walks through the 59th Street subway station] [Waddie Grant]( At least 164 people have died in traffic crashes this year — the highest total since Mayor Bill de Blasio's launched Vision Zero, his signature street safety initiative, in 2014. But during many of those instances, the city's 2,000 automated speed enforcement cameras were — in accordance with state law — turned off. In 2020, officials said, one third of all fatal crashes occurred in school zones on weekends or between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., when the cameras aren't allowed to be on. The latest example of this came at 4 a.m. last Sunday, when Shaquan Nelson was killed after crashing into a pole and flipping his car inside a school zone on Conduit Boulevard in Queens. Nelson, a 27-year-old Brooklyn resident, was traveling at a high rate of speed, according to police, and may have been drag-racing. In a statement, Department of Transportation Commissioner Hank Gutman said that the nearby cameras were switched off at the time of the crash, "illustrat[ing] the need for an expansion of the city’s authority to operate its lifesaving school-zone speed cameras." Both Gutman and Mayor de Blasio have called on state lawmakers to pass legislation introduced by Brooklyn State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, which would give the city authority to keep the cameras in operation 24/7. While that bill did not make it out of the Senate during the last legislative session, Gounardes said he was hopeful it would pass in the upcoming session, when lawmakers will once again have to reauthorize the speed camera program in its entirety. "We’ve seen an increase in drag racing at night, but the cameras are powerless against it," Gounardes said. "There’s a big vulnerability in terms of what safety and protection these cameras can offer." While next week's change in governor has created some confusion about legislative priorities heading into the next year, Gounardes said that based on his conversations with Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul, he's confident she won't oppose the expansion of speed cameras. "We’ve talked about the importance of street safety," Gounardes said. "I was never left with the impression that she had concerns or qualms with speed camera enforcement." — [Reporting by Jake Offenhartz]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- The Staten Island Ferry Has Returned To Full Service [two Staten Island ferries crossing before the sunset] Diane Greene Lent/Flickr Nearly a year and a half after the pandemic curtailed the Staten Island Ferry's regular round-the-clock service, the big orange boats are once again sailing every half hour, seven days a week. "Staten Island lived up to its responsibility during the economic difficulties brought upon by Covid and we accepted the reduction in service," said Staten Island Borough President James Oddo. "But as the Mayor has made clear, we are in a "Recovery for all," and that means helping all those essential workers and Staten Islanders who work outside of the typical 9-5 schedule." In addition to bringing back 24/7 service, the Staten Island Ferry is also adding three new boats to its fleet, including the SSG Michael H. Ollis, named for a Staten Island native who died while serving in Afghanistan. — [Reporting by Sophia Chang]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Here's What Else Is Happening The scooters are in The Bronx. On Tuesday morning, roughly 3,000 e-scooters materialized on the streets of the East Bronx as part of the city's first pilot program with the popular but controversial transit mode. While there's concern that the area lacks safe infrastructure for scootering, some street safety advocates are hoping that if the scooters prove popular, more East Bronx residents will get on board with protected bike lanes and other changes. ([Gothamist]( Soon-to-be-governor Kathy Hochul has not inspired confidence in the idea that congestion pricing is coming. "Lieutenant Governor Hochul has supported congestion pricing in the past, but the pace and timing is something she will need to evaluate further given the constantly changing impact of Covid-19 on commuters," her spokesperson said. Though New York passed congestion pricing legislation in 2019, it's still not close to being in place — partly because politicians fear pushback from suburban voters. Given her stated plan to run for governor in 2022, will Hochul keep stalling for political reasons? ( [The New York Times]( After being put on hold due to the pandemic, plans to redesign the bus networks in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx are resuming. The redesign process was farthest along in the Bronx, where the MTA expects new routes to go into effect in June of 2022. The network redesign was initially spearheaded by Andy Byford, the former NYC Transit president, as a way to speed up the city's prohibitively slow buses, some of which still run on outdated routes based on 1920s trolley networks. ([AM New York]( The MTA wants to prioritize ramps in the effort to make subway stations accessible for people with disabilities. The Avenue H station on the Q line, which was the first ADA-compliant project to be completed as part of the MTA’s 2020-2024 Capital Program, contains a long ramp up to the outdoor station. While ramps are attractive — they're generally far cheaper to build than elevators — space constraints can cause headaches, and accessibility advocates say many people can still find ramps too prohibitive. ([THE CITY]( Long Island Rail Road passengers want the agency to do more to crack down on people not wearing masks. While the LIRR acknowledged that mask compliance has dropped 10% since April, the agency said it's leaning on its messaging campaign to get mask-wearing back up. Some riders, who say even cops and LIRR employees aren't masked, don't think that's enough. "I think it’s gotten to a point now where they’re almost afraid to [enforce] it," said one 61-year-old commuter. "They let it slide to the point that it's so bad, that I don't know how you start to fix it, unless you bring the police in." ( [Newsday]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- [the logo for the Classical Commute playlist] When it comes to commuter tunes, sometimes you need something calming, and sometimes you need an aural shot of caffeine. This week's Classical Commute playlist features a treat from the later category: "Huapango," a Mexican dance-inspired piece performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. [Stream it for free on Spotify](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [WNYC]( [WQXR]( [NJPR]( [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 All rights reserved. [Terms of Use.]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your [preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( from this list