Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday called for the creation of “pedestrian-only” districts and a crackdown on reckless and impaired drivers as part of his administration’s first citywide plan to reduce traffic deaths.
The plan laid out priorities for the next decade to advance the city’s Vision Zero initiative, established in 2014 to improve street safety and eliminate traffic deaths.
Mamdani’s update was light on specifics and many of his most aggressive proposals would require approval by state lawmakers in Albany
After a series of hit-and-run crashes over the summer, street safety advocates held a “die-in” outside City Hall and called for Mamdani to release his first Vision Zero plan.
Many of the commitments include initiatives the city has already begun, such as reducing the speed limit to 15 mph on more streets, which is permitted under a state measure called “Sammy’s Law” that passed in 2024. It also restores a commitment to “daylight”— or to removing parking spaces near corners — at 1,000 intersections a year.
Under former Mayor Eric Adams, DOT officials initially championed that type of redesign but later reversed course, saying it could make streets more dangerous. Mamdani administration officials said their plan is different from Adams' initial promise because they now aims to add physical obstructions like planters to corners where parking spaces get removed in order to keep drivers from cutting corners.
City Transportation Commissioner Michael Flynn said the plan “ acknowledges that we all make mistakes, it's human nature, and that our road systems should be designed so that those mistakes don't cost us our lives as we simply try to get around our city.”
The plan also calls for state lawmakers to pass a proposed “Drugged Driving Bill,” which would allow prosecutors to charge drivers using drugs that impair driving. It further called for lawmakers to pass legislation allowing the seizure of license plates from reckless drivers and to establish higher penalties for repeat offenders.
“We should not have to wait for another family to lose a loved one before we make a street safer,” Mamdani wrote in a statement. “We are committed to building safe streets before tragedy – not because of it.”
Mamdani’s plan also calls for the creation of a mobile wallet that allows low-income New Yorkers to access discounted rides on subways, ferries, Citi Bike and e-scooters, each with its own payment system.
“Vision Zero can be both a critical tool for street safety and the means through which we create a more pleasant, safe, and livable New York,” Sara Lind, co-executive director at Open Plans, wrote in a statement. “Reclaiming space from cars, better managing our curbs and public spaces, reducing speeding and creating a safer pedestrian experience are the ingredients for a better New York for everyone.”
This story was updated with additional details from the city transportation department.
