I am letting another TV show be viewed by my 4 year-old so I can type about this, as I just learned about it.
[vimeo 87451748 w=500 h=281]
Families for Safe Streets: Let's End Traffic Violence from Streetfilms on Vimeo.
Here is their mission:
We are families whose loved ones have been killed or maimed by reckless behavior and dangerous conditions on New York City's streets, and we are demanding an end to traffic violence. We are parents, children, partners, and siblings who have been forever changed by crashes, and we represent the full breadth of New York's diversity. As survivors, we bear witness to our pain and suffering in order to press for the elimination of traffic fatalities and serious injuries. We envision a city where pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists can safely co-exist, and children and adults can travel freely, without risk of harm—a city where no loss of life is acceptable.
You can read more about them here. I believe they are just in NYC right now but I want to contact them in regards to my own community.
According to Treehugger:
Their main approaches include 20 is Plenty, the drive to reduce speed limits to 20mph (30 km/hr), install speed cameras, and to change the laws so that reckless drivers are punished.
This is so exciting.
These are people who have lost loved ones and know things must change. We have to build our communities around human beings and our fragile bodies. Not cars.
I just commented on FB about The Atlantic saying that we are overprotecting our kids. I commented that as much as I would love for my kid to walk to school and walk around, I will not let him do it. Even adults don't walk in my neighborhood.
The speed limits are too high.
The humans too distracted.
Instead, we stay home, watch screens or overschedule.
I'm excited to learn more about both of these organizations.
It's very exciting that Assembly Member Joe Lentol of Brooklyn, who used to be skeptical of "a bill to lower the city's default speed limit to 20 mph, surprised the families by showing up ...and giving a moving speech about why he now supports the measure." (Streetsblog)
He is quoted as saying:
I understand why this is a difficult bill for some of my members, and for a lot of people. They believe that they can safely speed. Even I do. All of us do. We think that we have things under control, and that we are able to stop...We're wrong. We can't always put our foot on the brake and stop the car....Speed kills."(Streetsblog)
Backflip, cartwheel.