Latest news with #Sammy'sLaw
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
As Manhattan BP Mark Levine rails against speeding, his drivers put pedal to metal
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine's city-issued car has racked up dozens of violations — including a handful that might run afoul of a measure he's pushing for in Albany to deter speeding. In a one year period from 2023 to 2024, the beep's car racked up six speeding in school zone violations, per data from How's My Driving — a stat that means his vehicle could be required to have intelligent speed assistance technology installed under a bill he's advocated for that would crack down on 'super speeders.' 'Reckless drivers are killing New Yorkers,' Levine wrote on social media in April. '… This legislation would mandate speed limiter technology for the most dangerous drivers on our streets. Albany must act now!' A spokesperson for Levine blamed the beep's drivers, saying that the speeding violations were done on their commutes, when Levine wasn't in the car. A side-by-side comparison revealed many of the after-hours violations occurred, for example in Brooklyn at times when where Levine is marked down as being in Manhattan or at the office. After the Daily News asked about the violations, a spokesperson said that 'disciplinary actions' were taken with the relevant staffers. 'The Borough President is committed to traffic safety, which is why he supports laws like the Stop Super Speeder bill and efforts to crack down on ghost plates, and advocated for the passage of Sammy's Law, among other priorities,' a spokesperson for Levine said. 'In fact, he has already requested a speed limiter for the MBPO vehicle, so that staff cannot continue this pattern of behavior.' The law to crack down on drivers with the most violations would require a speed-limiting device to be installed in the cars of motorists with six or more camera-issued speeding tickets in 12 months. The beep's city-issued car has racked up a total of 28 violations since he started in the post in 2022, including 10 for speeding in school zones. Manhattan accounted for just 16 of those total violations, with Brooklyn seeing 10 violations and Queens and the Bronx recording one each. In an interview with the New York Editorial Board last week, Levine, said he prefers to take the subway and said he has 'rarely left the island for the most part' during his tenure. 'It's more fun and usually faster,' he said of the subway. 'But there's times where there's just no way to make the schedule work and in those cases it's helpful to have that option.' Levine is running for City Comptroller against current Councilmember Justin Brannan. Sitting Comptroller Brad Lander is running for mayor. The 'Super Speeder' bill advanced in a state Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
MTA will reduce speed limit in four more NYC neighborhoods
Editor's note: The video above originally aired on Oct. 9, 2024 NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – The MTA has chosen four areas that will see speed limit reductions by the end of the year. Speed limits will be reduced to 20 mph in DUMBO, Broad Channel, St. George and City Island, the MTA announced Wednesday. More Local News It's part of the rollout of Sammy's Law, legislation passed in the last state budget in honor of 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein, who was fatally hit by a car in 2013. The law gives the city authority to reduce speed limits from 25 mph to 20 mph. The limit will be lowered on individual streets and in 'Regional Slow Zones,' which are areas in each borough that will have a broader speed limit reduction. By the end of 2025, the speed limit will be reduced at 250 locations citywide, according to DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. The zones announced Wednesday are optimal because they have well-defined boundaries and high pedestrian volumes, according to the DOT. The city already created the first 'Regional Slow Zone' in Manhattan last year. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State City Island, Bronx: The full, 0.42 square mile island. DUMBO, Brooklyn: A 0.18 square mile stretch with the following boundaries: Furman Street to the west; Water Street, Plymouth Street and John Street to the north; Navy Street and Hudson Avenue to the east; Sands Street and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway to the south. Broad Channel: A 0.16 square mile area from East Sixth Road to West 22nd Road. St. George: A 0.25 square mile area with the following boundaries: Tysen Street and Clinton Avenue to the west; Prospect Avenue to the south; Jersey Street to the east; Richmond Terrace to the north. Richmond Terrace will remain 30 mph. Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
