(subject line: One Issue Explainer)
The next mayor will take over a Department of Transportation that’s been racing against the clock to complete Mayor Bill de Blasio’s pledge to eliminate all pedestrian and cyclist deaths from vehicles by 2024. It’s up to the next mayor to either recommit to that goal or move the goalposts.
While no democratic candidate has suggested rolling back any of de Blasio’s Vision Zero efforts, there is some daylight between candidates on how far they’re willing to go to reduce traffic deaths, an issue that’s recently gained more urgency.
Last year saw an uptick in overall traffic deaths in the five boroughs, with 24 more deaths than in 2019, a year in which many New Yorkers stayed indoors due to the pandemic. But, with emptier streets, the number of speeding cars and trucks increased. This year is on track to be just as deadly, if not more, as pedestrian deaths are up 65%, according to the safe-streets advocacy group Transportation Alternatives.