New York City's Pedestrian Safety Crisis: "Daylighting" Bill Seeks to Reduce Childhood Traffic Fatalities
As dozens more young lives were lost to car crashes since Mayor Eric Adams took office, a group of lawmakers and transportation advocates gathered at City Hall to demand action. The protesters displayed 50 pairs of shoes - one for each child killed in traffic since 2022 - an emotional reminder of the devastating consequences of inaction.
At the heart of the controversy is the "daylighting" bill, which aims to redesign streets across the five boroughs by removing 20 feet of parking spaces near 1,000 intersections annually. The proposal has sparked fierce debate, however, with critics arguing that it would strip away much-needed parking and compromise public safety.
The bill's sponsor, Queens Councilmember Julie Won, was scathing in her criticism of the Adams administration's handling of pedestrian safety. "Lives were lost while the transportation department failed to act," she said, condemning the agency for not doing enough to prevent crashes.
Transportation officials had previously supported daylighting without legislative mandate, but last year changed course, releasing a report claiming that the strategy made intersections more dangerous. However, Won and other advocates point to cities like Hoboken, New Jersey, which has implemented similar measures and achieved an astonishing eight-year streak of no traffic fatalities.
Won is willing to negotiate a watered-down version of the bill, but so far, it remains unclear whether the scaled-back proposal will be enough to pass by 2026. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams' spokesperson noted that pedestrian safety remained a top priority for the administration, but it seems the fight against childhood traffic fatalities will continue.
As advocates and lawmakers grapple with this pressing issue, one thing is clear: something must change. The status quo is no longer acceptable, and the stakes are higher than ever.
As dozens more young lives were lost to car crashes since Mayor Eric Adams took office, a group of lawmakers and transportation advocates gathered at City Hall to demand action. The protesters displayed 50 pairs of shoes - one for each child killed in traffic since 2022 - an emotional reminder of the devastating consequences of inaction.
At the heart of the controversy is the "daylighting" bill, which aims to redesign streets across the five boroughs by removing 20 feet of parking spaces near 1,000 intersections annually. The proposal has sparked fierce debate, however, with critics arguing that it would strip away much-needed parking and compromise public safety.
The bill's sponsor, Queens Councilmember Julie Won, was scathing in her criticism of the Adams administration's handling of pedestrian safety. "Lives were lost while the transportation department failed to act," she said, condemning the agency for not doing enough to prevent crashes.
Transportation officials had previously supported daylighting without legislative mandate, but last year changed course, releasing a report claiming that the strategy made intersections more dangerous. However, Won and other advocates point to cities like Hoboken, New Jersey, which has implemented similar measures and achieved an astonishing eight-year streak of no traffic fatalities.
Won is willing to negotiate a watered-down version of the bill, but so far, it remains unclear whether the scaled-back proposal will be enough to pass by 2026. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams' spokesperson noted that pedestrian safety remained a top priority for the administration, but it seems the fight against childhood traffic fatalities will continue.
As advocates and lawmakers grapple with this pressing issue, one thing is clear: something must change. The status quo is no longer acceptable, and the stakes are higher than ever.
That's like, a whole shoe graveyard! I mean, who doesn't love a good sole-crusher (get it?) pun. Seriously though, can you blame them for wanting to do something about all these kiddo fatalities? It's like, a car crash every 10 seconds or so... that's just not right 
. And yeah, I get the parking space debate, but let's be real, who really needs that much space to park their ride? 
The idea of daylighting streets is actually pretty cool - it's like a big ol' urban renewal project! 
So, fingers crossed they can make this happen and we can start seeing some real change by 2026.
- can't we just prioritize people's lives over cars? 
I mean, 50 pairs of shoes hanging from City Hall is a harsh reminder that we need to do better. The daylighting bill might be a stretch for some, but think about all those kids who get mowed down every year... it's not worth the parking drama 
And honestly, Hoboken's success is proof that it can work - why can't NYC just follow suit? 
Let's make safety our top priority, period 
but i'm not sure about the impact on parking spaces ... we need to strike a balance between keeping our streets safe for pedestrians and ensuring people have places to park their cars, ya know? 
50 pairs of shoes, representing all those innocent lives lost to traffic accidents in NYC since 2022? It's just too much 
And can we talk about the fact that the Adams administration was already aware of the issue and didn't do enough to prevent these tragedies? Like, Hoboken is doing it right over here with their daylighting bill 
️ and still saw zero traffic fatalities in an 8-year span. It's time for NYC to step up its game 
Councilmember Julie Won needs to keep pushing for change, even if that means watering down the bill a bit. We can't just sit around and let our kids continue to get hurt on our streets 
You know what's going on here? It's classic case of "let them eat cake"... I mean, let them park their cars! 
Just kidding, but seriously, this daylighting bill is a symptom of a bigger problem - the lack of vision from our city leaders. When you have a mayor who says "no new taxes" and yet expects us to fund infrastructure projects through other means, it's like trying to solve a puzzle with one hand tied behind your back.
I mean, if Julie Won and her crew are willing to negotiate a watered-down version of the bill, it just goes to show that the system is already stacked against progress.
. I think daylighting could be a game-changer here 
, though - at least we can all agree that something has gotta change 
. We can't just keep saying "safety first" without actually doing anything about it 
. Cities like Hoboken are proof that it's possible to make streets safer and more livable 
. Fingers crossed the bill gets passed by 2026 
!
is so sad, like, i feel for those kids' families 
and i dont understand why ppl cant agree on making streets safer? like, it makes total sense to remove parking spaces near busy intersections... idk how many lives have to be lost before we do something about this 
and what's with the transport dept suddenly changing its mind about daylighting? did they forget that it worked in other cities already? 
I just can't believe how many kids have died in car crashes already! It's like, we're talking about a bill to make streets safer for them, but people are still arguing about parking spots... 
It's time for some real change, you know? 
If we can reduce child fatalities by 30%, we'd have prevented 50+ lives lost since 2022 
And let's not forget, cities like Hoboken (NJ) have successfully implemented daylighting without compromising public safety 
, removing just 20 feet from each intersection could make a BIG difference in reducing congestion and traffic fatalities 
Let's get behind the "daylighting" bill and make our streets safer for everyone! 
Like, how can taking away some parking make streets more safe for kids? And I get that there's been a lot of traffic fatalities, but shouldn't we be doing something to help prevent those deaths instead of, like, removing parking? 
And what about the transportation department's report saying daylighting makes intersections more dangerous? Is that just making excuses or is it true? 
Queens Councilmember Julie Won is speaking truth to power and I love that about her 
it's amazing how cities like Hoboken are showing us that with a little creativity, we can make our streets safer for everyone 
i've lost count of how many friends have been in accidents near their schools or on the way home from extracurriculars it's like they're just waiting for a car to speed by without checking its blind spots 
and hoboken is proof that this can work so let's not make excuses we need better infrastructure and less excuses from our leaders 
. Time for NYC to step up and take control of pedestrian safety 
. Can we make streets safer? Please say yes 
.
. Now let's see if the rest of the city council will follow suit...