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Red-light running is on the rise and last month marked the deadliest February for traffic deaths in New York City since at least 2008, according to a new report.
A total of 23 pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicle users died on NYC streets last month, advocacy group Transportation Alternatives said — more than double the number of people killed in crashes in February of 2021.
Red-light violations, meanwhile, were up 50 percent in the second half of 2021 compared to two years earlier, the last full year of data before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the report.
The alarming stats show a need to bolster the city’s red-light and speed camera programs, which have been effective at reducing crashes at camera locations but are controlled — and restricted — by the State Legislature in Albany.
State law currently caps the number of red-light cameras at 150, while speed cameras can only be installed near schools and turn off at night — when a disproportionate number of deadly crashes occur, according to city stats.
“There are 13,250 signalized intersections in New York City. A red-light camera program limited to only 150 locations is woefully inadequate,” said Sandra Voss, a member of Families for Safe Streets, a group of people who have lost loved ones in crashes. “We have proven tools to save lives, we just need Albany to let New York City use them to their fullest potential.”
City Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, whose boss Mayor Eric Adams has doubled down cameras and other strategies from his predecessor’s “Vision Zero” program, co-signed the group’s call for camera “home rule.”
“Our automated enforcement programs save lives: data shows traffic injuries drop where we install these cameras,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
“The DOT has proven for years that it can run the largest, most effective automated enforcement program in the nation and we deserve to determine how we keep New Yorkers safe on our streets.”
Traffic crashes initially dropped under ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio’s leadership but reversed course starting in 2018. His final year in office saw more traffic fatalities than any other year in his two-term tenure, according to city stats.
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