The year 2007 may prove to be one of the most important years in the storied history of New York City's development. In a future timeline of urban advances, it might be printed in as big a font and as bold a type as 1811--when the grid system was adopted--or 1904--when the I.R.T. subway opened. The text adjacent to 2007 could say something like "the start of livable streets," or "the bike boom begins," or "congestion pricing kicks off." It may turn out that all of those descriptions may suit 2007. The real question is, in hindsight, will they?

Queens Boulevard is one of the most hazardous streets for walking in NYC, with more than 50 pedestrian deaths since 1993. Cars tear down the ten-to-twelve lane boulevard and create a great divide that area residents cross at their own peril. To change this, the City must make a fundamental choice about Queens Boulevard: Continue putting traffic flow first and sacrificing pedestrians, or make the boulevard safe to cross by integrating it into the neighborhoods it divides.

Good afternoon, my name is Brooke DuBose and I am a staff planner at Transportation Alternatives, New York City's advocates for safer walking and bicycling.

Mayor Giuliani announced today the latest round of measures to improve safety along Queens Boulevard. While some of the measures are a start towards improved safety, on the whole the plan continues the City's policy of blaming pedestrians on Queens Boulevard, and ignores fundamental safety problems. Among these problems are grossly inadequate crossing times, limited roadway crossings that can be a mile apart, narrow medians, and signal progressions that encourage speeding. Until the City fixes these fundamental problems, New Yorkers will continue to die on Queens

Transportation Alternatives, New York City’s advocates for pedestrian safety, has long urged Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to immediately pass A04111, a bill enabling the use of speed enforcement cameras in New York City. Speed cameras in Washington D.C. reduced speeding and traffic fatalities by 75% and 30% respectively, over a two year period.