Today, December 10th, uptown Council Member Ydanis Rodríguez will introduce a bill.
The bill is requiring “all vehicles with a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or greater in the City fleet and those operated pursuant to a contract with the City, entered into on or after June 1, 2021, to be equipped with parking sensors by no later than June 1, 2022.”
Earlier this year we saw the tragic crash involving 10-year-old boy Shreejan Pantheein Queens who was killed after a City truck failed to see him and his mother while backing up onto a street.
Children are especially vulnerable to larger vehicles because they are harder to spot from where the driver sits, especially when large vehicles are reversing.
On the same day, a woman crossing a street in Borough Park was also killed by a large concrete truck after the driver failed to see her.
“We have an opportunity to lead the country in vehicle safety by ensuring that certain city fleets and city contracted vehicles are equipped with life-saving sensors. Large vehicles pose a serious threat to pedestrians and cyclists, especially when they are reversing,” said Council Member Rodriguez, Chairman of the Transportation Committee. “The larger the vehicle, the harder it is for the driver to spot pedestrians and cyclists. There is a national effort to raise awareness of the importance of having vehicle sensors on larger vehicles to avoid fatal collisions. I will be working alongside my colleagues and advocates to ensure we continue increasing road safety for all pedestrians and cyclists.”
“Large trucks are especially lethal for pedestrians and cyclists in New York City. We must apply every technological tool available to prevent injury and death on our streets, especially as more package deliveries are made on residential streets using large trucks,” said Danny Harris, Executive Director, Transportation Alternatives. “This bill by Council Member Rodriguez puts people first and would set a new industry standard for safety under Vision Zero.”
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