Res. No. 574
Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the New York State Governor to sign, S.3304/A.4637, which would establish a bicycle lane safety program in the city of New York to enforce certain restrictions on the use of bicycle lanes by means of bicycle lane photo devices.
By Council Members Bottcher, Hanif and Restler
Whereas, Over the past two decades, New York City (NYC) has seen a rapid increase in bicycle use; and
Whereas, According to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Community Health Survey, 30 percent of adult New Yorkers, which equates to more than 1.9 million people, ride a bike, with about 800,000 riding a bike regularly; and
Whereas, As of 2022, 1,525 lane miles of bike lanes and 644 lane miles of protected bike lanes were installed in NYC, according to the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT); and
Whereas, Although the number of bike lane and protected bike lane miles have increased in the past decade, NYC recorded the most overall cyclist deaths in the United States during the decade from 2011 to 2020, with 138 deaths, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data; and
Whereas, According to DOT, in 2021, 273 people were killed in traffic fatalities in NYC, of which included 19 cyclists who were killed, and in 2022, 255 people were killed in traffic fatalities, of which included 17 cyclists who were killed; and
Whereas, In addition, for the first six months of 2023, according to Transportation Alternatives, 112 people were killed in traffic fatalities in NYC, with 18 cyclists being killed-a Vision Zero-era record, putting 2023 on pace for one of the deadliest years under Vision Zero for overall traffic fatalities and the second deadliest year for cyclists in recorded history; and
Whereas, As the number of cyclists in NYC has dramatically increased in the past two decades, while traffic fatalities among all road users continues to trend upwards, cyclists have been and remain a vulnerable population utilizing the road and require additional enforcement efforts to ensure their safety; and
Whereas, Installing cameras along bike lanes and penalizing drivers of motor vehicles for violations may provide cyclists with additional protection and would allow for them to ride more safely and confidently in bike lanes throughout NYC; and
Whereas, S.3304, sponsored by New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and A.4637, sponsored by New York State Assemblymember Zohran K. Mamdani, would authorize and empower the NYC to establish a bike lane safety program that protects cyclists and holds encroaching motorists accountable through bike lane cameras and monetary penalties; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the New York State Governor to sign, S.3304/A.4637, which would establish a bicycle lane safety program in the city of New York to enforce certain restrictions on the use of bicycle lanes by means of bicycle lane photo devices.
KK
LS 14308
11/8/23