Steel Rules, Children Die—Albany Stalls

Feb 28 - Council moves to create a parking permit enforcement unit. The bill targets city-issued permit misuse. Streets clogged by illegal parking put walkers and riders at risk. Action now sits with the transportation committee.

Int 0173-2024, now in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, was introduced on February 28, 2024. The bill, titled "A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the establishment of a parking permit enforcement unit within the department of transportation," would require DOT to form a unit dedicated to enforcing laws against misuse of city-issued parking permits. Council Member Lincoln Restler leads as primary sponsor, joined by Amanda Farías, Erik D. Bottcher, Julie Won, Rita C. Joseph, Crystal Hudson, and Farah N. Louis. The bill aims to curb illegal parking that endangers pedestrians and cyclists. It awaits further action in committee.

• File Int 0173-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-02-28

Feb 28 - Council bill orders DOT to probe crashes. Expands what counts as serious. Sets tight deadlines. Demands detailed reports. Pushes city to face the wreckage, not hide it.

Int 0263-2024 sits in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Introduced February 28, 2024, by Council Members Lincoln Restler (primary), Joseph, Feliz, Louis, Won, Salaam, Riley, and Banks. The bill, titled 'A Local Law to amend the administrative code...requiring the department of transportation to investigate vehicle collisions,' expands the definition of serious crashes, forces DOT to start investigations within a week, finish in a month, and publish detailed findings. The bill was referred to committee on the day of introduction. It aims to expose the facts behind every deadly impact, demanding the city account for the toll on streets.

• File Int 0263-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-02-28

Feb 28 - Council bill orders speed humps on roads beside parks over one acre. DOT can skip spots if safety or rules demand. Law aims to slow cars where families walk, run, and play.

Int 0262-2024 sits with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure after introduction on February 28, 2024. The bill reads: “requiring the installation of speed humps on roadways adjacent to any park equal or greater than one acre.” Lincoln Restler leads as primary sponsor, joined by eighteen co-sponsors. The Department of Transportation must install speed humps unless the commissioner finds a risk to safety or a conflict with DOT guidelines. The law would take effect 180 days after passage. The measure targets streets where parks meet traffic, aiming to slow cars and shield people outside vehicles.

• File Int 0262-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-02-28

Feb 28 - Council wants 500 solar-lit crosswalks in five years. Bright signals cut through the dark. The bill demands action and a study. Safety for walkers, not drivers. No more hiding in the shadows.

Int 0301-2024, now laid over in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, was introduced on February 28, 2024. The bill orders the Department of Transportation to install at least 100 illuminated, solar-powered traffic control devices at crosswalks each year for five years. The matter title reads: 'A Local Law...in relation to the installation of solar-powered crosswalks.' Council Member Lincoln Restler leads, joined by Menin, Brooks-Powers, Rivera, and others. The bill also requires a study comparing these devices to standard signs. The city must report findings within two years. The goal: more visible crossings, fewer deadly impacts.

• File Int 0301-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-02-28

Feb 28 - Council passed a law forcing taxis and for-hire cars to post bold warnings on doors. The signs tell passengers: look for cyclists before you open up. A small step. The city hands out the decals. No cost to drivers.

Int 0193-2024 became law on May 31, 2025, after action by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The bill, titled 'A Local Law to amend the administrative code...requiring taxis and for-hire vehicles to display a decal warning passengers to look for cyclists when opening the door,' was sponsored by Lincoln Restler and co-sponsored by over twenty council members, including Gutiérrez, Hudson, and Rivera. The law mandates clear warning decals on all rear passenger doors of taxis and for-hire vehicles. The Taxi and Limousine Commission will provide the signs at no cost. The measure aims to cut down on 'dooring'—a threat to cyclists citywide. The mayor returned the bill unsigned, but it became law.

• File Int 0193-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-02-28

Feb 28 - Brooklyn officials push to evict judges’ cars from Columbus Park. Four designs scrap the parking lot, add green space, playgrounds, and a skatepark. Streets may get bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and bus lanes. No timeline yet. The park could finally belong to people.

On February 28, 2024, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Council Member Lincoln Restler, with business leaders, unveiled proposals to remove the judicial parking lot at Columbus Park. The plan, discussed at a community meeting, would replace the lot with public amenities—open greenery, playgrounds, a skatepark, and restrooms. Architects from WXY presented four designs, all eliminating the judges’ parking. The proposal also calls for safer streets: protected bike lanes on Adams Street, expanded sidewalks, narrowed roads, bus lanes, and possible pedestrianization of Johnson Street. Council Member Restler declared, 'Parks should be for people, not for parking.' Residents voiced support, calling the lot a 'vestige of another era.' The officials will gather more public feedback before submitting a formal proposal. No timeline has been set.

• Parking or Parkland? Brooklyn Judges Could Lose their Perk, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2024-02-28

Feb 28 - Council calls for five mile per hour speed limit on Open Streets. The move aims to slow cars where people walk, bike, and gather. Resolution adopted. Streets may breathe easier. Danger may shrink.

Resolution 0079-2024, adopted June 6, 2024 by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, urges Albany to let New York City set a five mile per hour speed limit on Open Streets. The matter title reads: 'authorize New York City to set a five mile per hour speed limit on streets participating in the Open Streets program.' Council Member Shahana K. Hanif led as primary sponsor, joined by Amanda Farías, Crystal Hudson, Julie Won, and Carlina Rivera. The Council's action follows rising traffic deaths and growing use of Open Streets. The bill targets streets where people walk, bike, and gather, aiming to cut speed and risk for all vulnerable users.

• File Res 0079-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-02-28

Feb 28 - Council calls for five mile per hour speed limit on Open Streets. Streets slow. Danger drops. Pedestrians and cyclists get space. Resolution adopted. Albany must act.

Res 0079-2024, adopted by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on June 6, 2024, urges Albany to let New York City set a five mile per hour speed limit on Open Streets. The resolution states: "authorize New York City to set a five mile per hour speed limit on streets participating in the Open Streets program." Council Member Shahana K. Hanif led as primary sponsor, joined by Amanda Farías, Crystal Hudson, Julie Won, and Carlina Rivera. The measure passed committee and full council on June 6. The bill aims to cut speed and risk where people walk, bike, and gather. The council's push now waits for state lawmakers and the governor.

• File Res 0079-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-02-28

Feb 28 - Council calls for five mile per hour speed limit on Open Streets. Streets slow. Danger drops. Pedestrians and cyclists get space. Resolution adopted. Albany must act.

Res 0079-2024, adopted by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on June 6, 2024, urges Albany to let New York City set a five mile per hour speed limit on Open Streets. The resolution states: "authorize New York City to set a five mile per hour speed limit on streets participating in the Open Streets program." Council Member Shahana K. Hanif led as primary sponsor, joined by Amanda Farías, Crystal Hudson, Julie Won, and Carlina Rivera. The measure passed committee and full council on June 6. The bill aims to cut speed and risk where people walk, bike, and gather. The council's push now waits for state lawmakers and the governor.

• File Res 0079-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-02-28

Feb 27 - SUV turned left, struck woman crossing with signal. Her face broke. Driver failed to yield. Brooklyn street, midday. System failed to protect her.

According to the police report, a 2019 Jeep SUV made a left turn at Union Avenue and Wallabout Street in Brooklyn at 12:45 p.m. The driver failed to yield right-of-way and struck a 45-year-old woman who was crossing with the signal. She suffered a distorted facial fracture and dislocation but remained conscious at the scene. The report lists 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' as the driver’s contributing factor. No other contributing factors were noted for the pedestrian. The SUV showed no damage. This crash shows the severe harm caused when drivers do not yield to people crossing at intersections.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4706111 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-19

Feb 27 - A 64-year-old man on an e-bike was crushed between two sedans on Broadway near Lorimer. One driver distracted. Morning light, then silence. His helmet could not save him. His body broken. Brooklyn’s streets claimed another life.

According to the police report, a 64-year-old man riding an e-bike was killed when he was crushed between two sedans on Broadway near Lorimer Street in Brooklyn. The crash occurred in the morning, with the report noting, 'Morning light spilled over the street.' The bicyclist, who was wearing a helmet, was ejected and suffered injuries to his entire body, resulting in death. The police report explicitly cites 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as a contributing factor. One sedan was parked, while the other was traveling straight ahead. The report describes the aftermath: 'His whole body broken. The silence afterward was complete.' The victim’s helmet use is noted only after the driver error. This fatal collision underscores the lethal consequences of driver distraction on city streets.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4705579 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-19

Feb 27 - A truck killed Danielle Aber in a Greenpoint crosswalk. The driver had a record of speeding. Kristen Gonzalez demanded tougher laws for repeat offenders and urgent safety fixes on Nassau Avenue. Officials say policy failure and missing infrastructure left Aber exposed.

On February 27, 2024, State Senator Kristen Gonzalez responded to the death of Danielle Aber, who was struck and killed by a truck in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The driver, Stanley Manel, was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care. Gonzalez, representing District 59, called for the state to pass stricter traffic laws targeting drivers with multiple school zone speed camera violations, noting Manel's history of speeding. Assembly Member Emily Gallagher joined Gonzalez, highlighting the lack of traffic calming on Nassau Avenue, where Aber was killed. Gallagher stated, 'Nothing to slow traffic on Nassau: no signal, stop sign, even a painted crosswalk.' The officials urged immediate installation of pedestrian safety measures and renewed calls for policy changes to protect vulnerable road users. The incident marks the first traffic fatality in Northern Brooklyn in 2024, underscoring systemic failures in street design and enforcement.

• Greenpoint woman dies of injuries after being hit by truck in crosswalk, brooklynpaper.com, Published 2024-02-27

Feb 27 - Senate bill S 8658 orders $90 million for faster, more reliable buses and fare-free rides. Sponsors push MTA to act. Riders wait for relief. Streets choke on traffic. The city holds its breath.

Senate bill S 8658, introduced on February 27, 2024, sits in the sponsorship stage. The bill, titled 'get congestion pricing right act,' directs the MTA to spend $45 million to boost bus frequency and reliability, and another $45 million to expand fare-free bus pilots in New York City. Senators Michael Gianaris (primary sponsor), Jabari Brisport, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and Julia Salazar back the measure. The bill demands reporting on these investments. No safety analyst has yet assessed its impact on vulnerable road users.

• File S 8658, Open States, Published 2024-02-27

Feb 26 - A bus slammed into a sedan’s side on Harrison Avenue. A man in the back seat was hurled onto the street. He died there, under the city’s harsh lights. The bus driver disregarded traffic control, according to police.

A deadly collision unfolded at the corner of Harrison Avenue and Lorimer Street in Brooklyn. According to the police report, a bus traveling east struck the right side of a southbound sedan. The impact was severe: a 32-year-old man riding unbelted in the sedan’s right rear seat was ejected from the vehicle and landed in the street, where he died. The police report explicitly lists 'Traffic Control Disregarded' as a contributing factor, indicating the bus driver failed to obey a traffic signal or sign. The report does not cite any contributing actions by the victim. The crash occurred at 21:46, with the bus’s left front bumper colliding with the sedan’s right side doors. The focus remains on the bus driver's disregard for traffic control, a systemic danger that led to the loss of life.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4705810 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-19

Feb 25 - Danielle Aber died on Nassau Avenue. The driver, Stanley Manel, had 26 speed camera tickets. He faced minor charges. Officials demand action: lower speed limits, force repeat offenders to install speed controls, and redesign deadly streets. The city’s inaction kills.

On February 25, 2024, after Danielle Aber was killed by a repeat speeding driver in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a coalition of elected officials demanded sweeping changes. The group—Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Council Member Lincoln Restler, and U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez—called for passage of two state bills: one mandating intelligent speed assistance devices for drivers with six or more speeding tickets in a year, and 'Sammy’s Law,' which would let the City Council lower speed limits. Their statement read, 'We’re calling on the New York State legislature to pass two critical bills that would lead to fewer incidents of traffic violence.' They also urged the Department of Transportation to install raised crosswalks and daylighting at intersections, and to convert Nassau and Norman avenues to one-way streets. The officials’ push highlights the deadly gap in accountability and infrastructure that leaves vulnerable road users at risk.

• Greenpoint Woman Dies from Injuries Sustained in Crash, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2024-02-25

Feb 23 - A truck hit a woman crossing Sutton Street in Greenpoint. She lies in critical condition. The driver, with a long record of violations, faces charges. Council Member Restler and others demand safer streets, calling out reckless driving and deadly intersections.

On February 23, 2024, Council Member Lincoln Restler (District 33) joined other officials in a public statement after a truck struck a pedestrian at Sutton Street and Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint. The incident left a 49-year-old woman in critical condition. The driver, Stanley Manel, was arrested and charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care. The officials' statement read: 'We’re deeply saddened and outraged at the news of yet another pedestrian being struck by an unsafe driver in Greenpoint.' Restler and colleagues highlighted the intersection's dangers and the driver's history—35 tickets since 2019, including 26 speed camera violations. They urged support for bills requiring speed control devices for repeat offenders and for Sammy’s Law, which would let NYC set its own speed limits. The group called on the Department of Transportation to install raised crosswalks and daylighting to protect pedestrians.

• Driver arrested after crash that left Greenpoint pedestrian in critical condition, brooklynpaper.com, Published 2024-02-23

Feb 22 - A reckless driver with a long record struck a woman in a Greenpoint crosswalk. She clings to life. Officials demand action: lower speed limits, mandate speed devices, redesign streets. The city’s system failed to stop a repeat offender. Streets remain deadly.

On February 22, 2024, a woman was struck and critically injured by Stanley Manel, a driver with 26 prior speed camera violations, at Sutton Street and Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint. Manel was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care. Nassau Avenue, a two-way street used by cyclists, lacks protective infrastructure. Following the crash, Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Council Member Lincoln Restler, and U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez called for passage of two state bills: one requiring repeat speeding offenders to install intelligent speed assistance devices, and Sammy's Law, which would let the City Council lower speed limits. They also urged the Department of Transportation to install raised crosswalks and daylighting at intersections. Their statement reads: “Lowering the speed limit and enforcing real accountability for dangerous drivers are urgent steps we must take to protect New Yorkers.”

• Serious Crash in Greenpoint Again Reveals Flaws in City Design, Enforcement Against Reckless Drivers, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2024-02-22

Feb 13 - An SUV struck a moped on Marcy Avenue in Brooklyn at 7:41 pm. The moped driver suffered abrasions and injuries to his elbow and lower arm. Police cite unsafe speed as a contributing factor in the collision’s impact and damage.

According to the police report, the crash occurred on Marcy Avenue in Brooklyn at 19:41. A 2022 Honda SUV traveling east was slowing or stopping when it collided with a moped also traveling east. The point of impact was the SUV’s right side doors and the moped’s center front end. The moped driver, an 18-year-old male, was injured with abrasions and injuries to his elbow, lower arm, and hand. He was conscious and not ejected from the vehicle. The report identifies unsafe speed as a contributing factor to the crash. The SUV driver was licensed and male. No other contributing factors or victim behaviors were noted. The collision caused damage to the right side doors of the SUV and the front end of the moped.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4702444 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-19

Feb 8 - Council bill targets cars blocking bike lanes, bus lanes, sidewalks, and hydrants near schools. Civilian complaints trigger fines. Streets clear, danger cut. Council moves to protect the vulnerable.

Int 0080-2024 sits in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Introduced February 8, 2024, the bill creates a $175 penalty for vehicles blocking bike lanes, bus lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, or hydrants within 2,640 feet of schools. The Department of Transportation must set up a civilian reporting program. If a civilian complaint leads to a fine, the complainant gets 25 percent of proceeds. The bill’s matter title: 'A Local Law to amend the administrative code... in relation to hazardous obstruction by vehicles and civilian complaints.' Council Member Carlina Rivera leads, joined by Restler, Ayala, Joseph, Menin, and others. The bill aims to keep paths clear for those most at risk.

• File Int 0080-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-02-08

Feb 8 - Council moves to force brighter sidewalks. Bill orders 500 corridors lit each year. Shadows shrink. Pedestrians gain ground. Committee holds the bill. Streets wait.

Int 0079-2024, now laid over in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, was introduced on February 8, 2024. The bill demands the city install pedestrian lighting in at least 500 commercial corridors per year, aiming for a minimum of 1 footcandle (11 lux) on every sidewalk. The matter title reads: 'A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to installation of pedestrian lighting fixtures.' Council Member Selvena N. Brooks-Powers leads as primary sponsor, joined by Restler, Krishnan, Bottcher, and others. The committee has not yet voted. The bill’s text sets clear targets for coverage and contiguity, but action is stalled. Vulnerable road users remain in the dark until the city acts.

• File Int 0079-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-02-08