NYC Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Hearing on Vision Zero and Street Safety Legislation - October 27, 2026

On Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at 9:30 AM in Hearing Room 3 at 250 Broadway, the New York City Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, chaired by Councilmember Shaun Abreu, held an oversight hearing on Vision Zero and six street-safety measures. Members present included Brooks-Powers, Dinowitz, Hanif, Krishnan, Louis, Marte, Justin Sanchez, Pierina Ana Sanchez, Won, and Wong; Councilmembers Restler and Santosuosso and Public Advocate Williams also attended. The committee heard from DOT, NYPD, and the Business Integrity Commission (BIC), followed by public testimony. Under the minutes, the oversight item was filed and all bills were laid over.

Oversight: Vision Zero Reimagined and Enforcement

• Chair Abreu opened by citing progress: 205 traffic fatalities in 2025, a 31% reduction from 2014. He also noted that Vision Zero-related moving summonses fell from nearly 700,000 annually in FY2018-2019 to about 300,000 in FY2021, and rose to just over 413,000 in FY2026 - still about 40% below pre-pandemic levels. NYPD later cited 210 traffic fatalities for 2025, a discrepancy with the Chair's 205 figure.
• DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said the first three quarters of 2026 were the second-safest on record since 1910, with pedestrian fatalities at an all-time low. He described Vision Zero Reimagined as a 10-year strategy released by the Mamdani administration, and said DOT is hiring roughly 200 new staff, with more than 100 already in the pipeline, and will launch a Vision Zero dashboard and an updated Streets Plan.
• NYPD defended lower summons counts as data-driven and said it does not set ticket-number goals. It reported that 81.2% of 2026 year-to-date moving enforcement targeted cars and SUVs; noted large increases in micromobility enforcement, including moped seizures rising from 1,610 in 2019 to 14,421 in 2025; and cited 2,200 speed cameras in 750 school zones and 600 red-light cameras.
• On hit-and-runs, NYPD said its Collision Investigation Squad handles fatalities, likely-fatal and critical injuries. Year-to-date through October 18, 2026, CIS had 212 cases, 167 fatal and 45 non-fatal, with 77 deemed criminal and 40 fatal criminal cases closed with arrest. Last year, 75% of hit-and-run vehicles were identified, with about two-thirds of those cases resulting in arrest.
• NYPD reported 271 documented car meetups and street takeovers citywide from January 1 to October 18, 2026, up 11%, with 170 arrests, up 161%; 1,572 summonses, up 246%; and 291 vehicle seizures, up 104%.

Legislation

• Int 0046-2026, sponsored by Councilmember Ariola, would allow parents and guardians of children with autism to request warning plaques. DOT supported the intent but did not endorse the mandate, citing federal MUTCD guidance, visual clutter, research that such signs do not change driver behavior, and staffing costs. Councilmember Ariola criticized DOT for calling the signs clutter.
• Int 0113-2026, sponsored by Councilmember Brooks-Powers, would require an annual study of dangerous driving behavior. DOT said it supports the study concept and will work with the council on amendments, noting limited access to insurance and conviction data.
• Int 0613-2026, sponsored by Councilmember Joseph, would require 100 miles of protected bike lanes per year for six years. DOT supported the goal but cautioned that rigid mandates can reduce flexibility. Delivery-worker advocates strongly supported the bill.
• Int 1070-2026, sponsored by Chair Abreu, would create a two-year low-traffic neighborhood pilot in five neighborhoods across at least three boroughs. DOT supported the goals but said it wants to define and structure LTNs; Chair Abreu stressed this should be the first true neighborhood-scale LTN in the country.
• Int 1153-2026, sponsored by Councilmember Santosuosso, known as the Stop Super Speeders Act, would create an intelligent speed assistance demonstration program targeting drivers with 16 school-zone speed-camera violations in 12 months. DOT supports the bill and said it will stand up the program as quickly as possible; Public Advocate Williams and advocates urged implementation by spring 2027.
• Res 0687-2026, sponsored by Chair Abreu, calls on the state to pass S.1768/A.2585, the Drag Racing and Speeding Enforcement Act, adding five license points for speed-contest and drag-racing convictions.

Other Discussion Items

• DOT committed to daylighting or better at 1,000 intersections per year, expects to meet the target this year, and reported over 6,000 leading pedestrian intervals installed. It also discussed protected intersections for bike lanes, SAMI's law slow zones, including over 200 school zones done this year and about 800 expected by year-end, and a Streets Plan due by December 1, 2026.
• On SAMI's law neighborhood slow zones, 17 community boards representing nearly 2.5 million New Yorkers and 63 elected officials have requested them. DOT said the details are in development and will be included in the Streets Plan.
• Lighting was a recurring concern: the Mayor's Management Report showed street-light repair time increased from 5.3 to 8.5 days; DOT acknowledged contract challenges, including with Highland, and a future council hearing on public realm and street lights was announced.
• BIC defended its side-guard waiver for a hydro-excavation truck involved in the fatal September 18, 2026 East Village crash, saying the vehicle's fuel tank and toolbox eliminated the gap side guards address. BIC said about half of its roughly 7,000 regulated trucks have waivers, mostly dump trucks, and there have been fewer than 80 side-guard violations since the rule took effect. Chair Abreu said he was disappointed BIC did not have data on collision involvement by waiver trucks.
• Other issues raised included ghost-plate enforcement, with 31 joint operations in 2026 resulting in 440 arrests, 18,008 summonses, and 1,937 vehicle seizures; towing capacity; NYPD parking around precincts; the open-data crash portal not being updated since June 2026; and delivery-truck curb management and microhubs.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Transportation Alternatives said New Yorkers are killed in traffic at double the rate of peer cities and supported Int 1070, Int 1153, Int 613, and Res 687, along with SAMI's law, daylighting, side guards, and city-fleet safety upgrades.
• Streets PAC, represented by Eric McClure, said a New Yorker is killed about every 44 hours and urged a bold streets plan, SAMI's law, hardened daylighting, Stop Super Speeders, side guards, and targeted enforcement.
• Open Plans, represented by Sarah Lynn, supported LTNs, citing London evidence that they reduce cut-through traffic without increasing boundary-road traffic or emergency response times and without removing parking.
• Families for Safe Streets, represented by Amber Adler and Julianne Williams, shared personal loss and survivor testimony, named victims, and urged SAMI's law and implementation of the Stop Super Speeders program by spring 2027.
• Workers Justice Project and Los Deliveristas Unidos, along with many delivery workers, strongly supported Int 613 and called for protected bike lanes, secure bike parking, e-bike charging, rest areas, and an end to policing and ticketing of delivery workers. Ligia Guaipa cited a WJP/CUNY report finding that 53% of delivery workers reported work-related injuries, mostly from car crashes or traffic. Several speakers described unsafe working conditions and account deactivations and invited councilmembers to ride with them.
• NYLCV supported Int 1070 and Int 1153 and urged funding for Vision Zero. Former fleet-safety official Eric Richardson said ISA works and should be implemented by May 2027. A wheelchair user testified about unsafe and inaccessible wheelchair-accessible vehicle rides. Several residents described dangerous intersections and the need for accountability, including one crash survivor who urged stronger daylighting.

Key Outcomes

• No final votes were taken. The oversight item, T2026-2614, was filed by the committee; Int 0046, Int 0113, Int 0613, Int 1070, Int 1153, and Res 0687 were each heard and laid over.
• DOT and NYPD committed to follow up on specific data requests, including crash-data portal timing, SAMI's law spending, daylighting decision processes, hit-and-run case information, side-guard waiver collision data, and enforcement and towing data.
• The administration said the updated Streets Plan is due by December 1, 2026, and will include more detail on neighborhood slow zones and other Vision Zero Reimagined commitments.