Pedestrian Safety Bill Introduced in the House

Source: Adrianno Espaillat (D-NY, 13th)

Washington, D.C. - October 14, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13) and Rep. Daniel Donovan (R-NY-11) introduced a bipartisan bill that would provide funding to cities for the installation of critical safety bollards to protect pedestrians in high traffic areas like New York’s Times Square and prevent possible terrorist attacks as witnessed in Charlottesville, Virginia and Barcelona, Spain earlier this year.

“We have witnessed an increase in pedestrian injuries and fatalities as vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons to carry out attacks,” said Congressman Espaillat. “Our bill aims to support cities by providing necessary funding to install safety bollards as preventative measures to guide traffic, protect individuals, and potentially save lives.”

Congressman Donovan said, “Safety bollards save lives. That’s clear from the Times Square car crash earlier this year that would have been far more destructive but for the barriers. We should have more of them, which this commonsense bill will allow. I spoke to NYPD Commissioner O'Neill about this issue and he expressed the importance of these barriers to protecting our city. Congress can’t afford to wait for the next tragedy to pass this critical legislation.”

“We applaud Congressman Espaillat and Congressman Donovan for their leadership on this critical safety issue. In New York City, our streets and sidewalks are safer because of the changes we have made as part of our Vision Zero program – but we are constantly improving and still have plenty of work left to do,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Pedestrian safety and is becoming more of a national priority, and we welcome federal funding to help NYC DOT and NYPD make our high traffic areas secure and safe for all New Yorkers.”

"Counties support the Stopping Threats on Pedestrians Act because it would help us strengthen safety measures along sidewalks and other pedestrian areas," said National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase. "In partnership with the federal government, this bill would enhance safety in our communities, potentially preventing vehicular attacks on residents. We applaud Representatives Espaillat and Donovan for their leadership on this issue."