City Hall – Today the City Council passed three Home Rule messages authorizing and urging Albany to pass state legislation that would allow local action on important city issues.

Preconsidered M. S7892/A.10144 (Klein and O’Donnell/Silver) would allow New York City to establish a citywide speed limit of 25 miles per hour. Under this law, the Department of Transportation would be required to give Community Boards a 60 day notice prior to any street’s speed limit being lowered by more than 5 miles per hour.

“High speeds contribute to an alarming number of traffic-related fatalities and injuries,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Establishing a citywide speed limit of 25 miles per hour is another step in our comprehensive plan to save lives by reforming our city’s traffic laws. I thank Speaker Silver, Senator Klein, and Assembly Member O’Donnell for their work on this important legislation.”

“I am thrilled that at long last, we finally have a bill to lower New York City’s speed limit to 25 mph,” said Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez. “Senator Jeff Klein’s initiative to ensure our city is a safer place for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike cannot be understated. This bill, which I expect to pass by Thursday, will improve street safety and decrease traffic crashes; and I am sure that with the necessary enforcement and culture changes that will follow, we will soon see significant drops in the number of fatalities on our streets. This is a culmination of the tireless efforts of our Mayor, our Speaker, members of our state legislature, the City Council and the invaluable contributions from advocates and families from across the city, whose pain has inspired us all to action. I thank everyone who contributed to this effort.”

“Lowering the City’s speed limit to 25 mph will save the lives of countless innocent New Yorkers and dramatically lower the amount of serious injuries we see on our streets,” said New York City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer. “We cannot wait until another life is lost. I urge the State Legislature to allow New York City the ability to lower its own speed limit and help our City make Vision Zero a reality.”
“Slowing down speeding cars is a major part of achieving our Vision Zero objectives, and I urge Albany to give New York City the authority to lower our speed limit. The traffic safety agenda laid out by Mayor de Blasio and supported by the City Council must be acted on without haste, and I hope the State will partner with us on this effort,” said Council Member James Vacca.

“New Yorkers want safe streets, the simplest way to do that and save lives is to slow cars down to a reasonable speed limit. Today the Council is sending a clear message that we want Albany to act. Saving the lives of New York City’s residents is now in Albany’s hands. I thank Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez for supporting Vision Zero and my four year quest to reduce the speed limit in New York City,” said Council Member David G. Greenfield.

“The evidence is clear – reducing our City’s speed limit is one of the best ways to protect the public safety of all New Yorkers because it will save lives and significantly reduce the number of traffic-related injuries,” Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson (D-Bronx, 16th CD), chair of the Council’s Public Safety Committee said. “I am proud to join with Mayor de Blasio, Council Speaker Mark-Viverito and so many of my colleagues in urging that the State Legislature make passage of this life-saving legislation a priority in the closing days of session.”

“The tragic traffic statistics from my borough illustrate the need for this important legislation to lower the city-wide speed limit,” said Council Member Deborah Rose. “In 2013, we had 14 traffic deaths on Staten Island. Now, it’s only June, and we’ve seen a total of five traffic deaths on Staten Island in 2014. There are many things in life we do not have control over, but reducing the number of deaths in the city from traffic fatalities is something we can control, and must reduce. That is why I am proud to vote in favor of lowering our city-wide speed limit.”

“Lower speed limits save lives. To realize Vision Zero and bring deadly collisions to an end, we in city government need every traffic safety tool at our disposal,” said Council Member Rory Lancman. “Home rule authority to set speed limits will help us do the vital work necessary to keep all New Yorkers safe on city streets.”

Preconsidered M S.7849A/A.10021B (Lanza, Rules) would permit the City to use joint bidding—including utility interference work within its contracts for public work projects—in order to facilitate the timely, cost effective and efficient completion of public work projects.

Preconsidered State Legislation Resolution S.7664/ A.9059 (Golden and Abbate) would amend the New York City administrative code to reflect a change in union representation for Pilot and Marine Engineers in the FDNY Pension Fund Chapter 2.

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