Where New York Pedestrians Risk Life and Limb Every Day
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At those crossings, the department has attacked many of the problems it has identified, but some solutions, Mr. Lynn said, are beyond the department’s grasp. ”People have to change their ways, and there just has to be more enforcement of the traffic laws,” he said. Mr. Harrison agreed, adding that speeding cars and drivers who do not yield to pedestrians in crosswalks are the leading cause of pedestrian deaths. ”Historically, the police haven’t ticketed for those things on a large scale, though it seems in the last six months or so that they’re starting to,” he said. Last year, the city Taxi and Limousine Commission, under Mr. Lynn, who was then the chairman, stepped up its enforcement against unlicensed livery cabs. The number of cars seized tripled, to about 600 a month. Meanwhile, the city raised the fine from $500 to $1,500, meaning that many of the drivers simply forfeited their cars. In many neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, people point to the outlaw cabs and vans, whose drivers are often untrained, unlicensed and uninsured, as the greatest menace, and officials agree. The city has granted licenses to some operators, but most are still operating their cabs and vans illegally. More : query.nytimes.com |