The New York Post has reported on a story that is all too familiar – a pedestrian was struck by a speeding driver.
The driver, Hector Minaya, was apparently speeding through the Inwood section of Manhattan when he hit Edwin Soriano. Mr. Soriano, whom was rushed to Harlem Hospital, was listed in critical condition.
Police later found the driver in a parking garage – weeping while attempting to avoid detection.
A witness had stated that the car was speeding down the road before the crash.
As we recently reported, there has been a drastic reduction in the amount of summonses and tickets issued by the NYPD over the past couple of weeks. In fact, the NYPD has issued 90% fewer tickets than it had in the same period last year.
This drastic reduction in ticketing, which is likely fueled by the officers’ disagreements with the de Blasio administration in light of the Eric Garner grand jury decision and the shooting of two officers in Brooklyn, will have a significant impact on both the finances of the city as well as the safety of its citizens.
In an attempt to rectify this problem, Police commissioner Bratton has ordered police officers back to work. The mandate to return to ticketing and writing summonses has gone farther then a simple directive. Looking at a few examples of the pressure being placed on officers to increase ticketing, consider this:
Continue reading “NYPD Denied Vacation/Sick Time Until Ticketing Increases”
As reported by The New York Times, traffic tickets in New York City have plunged for the second week in a row.
This drastic drop in ticketing, along with a drop in arrests and summonses, can directly be attributed to the NYPD work slowdown following the murder of two officers in Brooklyn. The murderer justified his actions as a response to alleged police brutality in the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri as well as the Eric Garner case in Staten Island.
Officers partially blame Mayor de Blasio for encouraging anti-police rhetoric and have begun a work slowdown as a sign of protest against the de Blasio administration. Similarly, hundreds of officers turned their backs on de Blasio at the funerals of the two murdered officers.
Continue reading “NYC Traffic Tickets Down 90% with NYPD Work Slowdown”
It appears that at least some jurisdictions are getting the message: speeding and red light cameras are more trouble then they are worth.
Speeding cameras in school zones, as well as red light cameras, which we will collectively refer to as “cameras,” were placed in both New Jersey and New York with the stated goal of increasing pubic safety. In NY, these cameras coincided with the passage of Vision Zero. It is hard to deny that there is a significant problem with injuries due to traffic violations. Whether these cameras were the best method to fight this problem was hotly contested.
Continue reading “Will New York City “Get the Picture” about Traffic Cameras?”
As reported by the NY Post, the NYPD has chosen to crack down on speeders following the city’s lowering its speed limit from 30 mph to 25.
The reduced speed limit took effect on November 7 of this year and drivers have been bombarded with tickets ever since that date. Immediately following the switch officers issued a whopping 3,772 tickets between November 5 and November 12, 2014—more than double the number of tickets from the same period last year!
Continue reading “NYC Speeding Tickets Soar After Limit Lowered to 25 mph”
New York State, famous for everything from Broadway to Buffalo wings, now has another claim to fame: Popular Mechanics has named New York the third worst state in the U.S. to get a speeding ticket in.
A quick look at the fines associated with speeding tickets will help highlight why NY ranks so high on this list.
Continue reading “New York Ranks as Third Worst State for Speeding Tickets”
Long Island’s school zone camera program has had its fair share of controversy but now, as CBS News New York reports, Nassau County residents are taking to the streets in protest.
While government officials argue that these speed cameras are all about child and pedestrian safety, the citizen-organized group “Residents Opposing School Zone Speed Cameras” contends that the $80 tickets are nothing more than a revenue-generating scheme for the cash-strapped County.
Continue reading “Nassau County Group Protesting School Zone Speed Cameras”
According to a recent article, NYPD traffic data shows that there have been 4,756 speeding summonses issued in the borough of Staten Island through September of this year. This is compared with 2,412 summonses issued through the first nine months of 2013, a 97% increase!
As the article mentions, “tickets issued for disobeying street signage in 2014 are also forecast to climb about 50% in Staten Island as well.”
Continue reading “Staten Island Speeding Tickets Nearly Double in 2014”
According to a report by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, more pedestrians and cyclists were injured in New York City last year than in the previous five years. The stats reveal that total traffic injuries increased by about 2% from 2012 to 2013, with pedestrians and cyclists bearing the brunt of it. Pedestrian injuries were up 5% and cyclist injuries rose an alarming 8%!
Sadly, children accounted for many of the injuries as NYC drivers injured 4,278 children aged 13 and under—8 of whom were killed. In fact, motor vehicle crashes have consistently been the leading cause of death due to injury for children within the 5 boroughs.
Continue reading “2013 NYC Pedestrian and Cyclist Injuries Highest in 5 Years”
Effective November 7, New York City is lowering the default speed limit on local streets from 30mph to 25mph.
This new law is seen as the largest and most influential policy change enacted by Mayor Bill de Blasio in his “Vision Zero” initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities within the 5 boroughs. The law’s potential impact on pedestrian safety and, as cynics point out, on the city’s traffic ticket revenue could be huge.
Continue reading “New York City’s New Lower Speed Limit Will Mean More Enforcement, Some Leniency”
