Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams "Flips the Switch," Turns on Speed Cameras 24/7

August 1, 2022

Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, Operations: Good morning, everyone. My name is Meera Joshi. I'm deputy mayor for New York City operations. And we're here today because of a very sad reality — speeding kills. But we're also here today to mark the moment where New York City gets one of the sharpest possible tools against this traffic violence, the ability to run our speed cameras 24/7. That means we will no longer leave nights and weekends unprotected.
And this has been a long time coming. Year after year, we have actually, as a nation, made progress in reducing speeding related traffic fatalities. But in 2020, we reversed that progress. And as a nation, the number of deaths that were attributable to speeding went up to the largest number that it's been in a decade. And it's tools like the one behind me that will get us to the point where we can reverse that trend. So this is a huge victory for the city and it comes because of the tireless advocacy of electeds, of advocates, of men and women voicing their opinion that they absolutely want safer streets and a safer city. So I want to turn the mic over to a very important advocate who has personally endured the pain of traffic fatalities and traffic violence, and has turned that pain into advocacy and is here to share her message with us today. Monique Williams, from Family for Safe Streets.

Monique Williams, Families for Safe Streets: Thank you. And good morning. My name is Monique Williams and I am a member from Families for Safe Streets. A little over a year and a half ago, my dad, Jerry Spriggs, was killed by a driver in a hit and run car crash. My father was a kind and very thoughtful — a person who should be here with us today and doing the things that he loved to do. He loved the outdoors. He loved riding his bike. He loved spending time with his family. My dad had two daughters. He has five grandchildren and three great grandchildren. And I cannot describe the pain that our family feels and how much we miss him.

Williams: Nobody else should experience what I've been through. Nobody else should experience the pain of having to lose their loved one, killed in a preventable car crash on our streets. But unfortunately, traffic violence is getting much worse in the Bronx. This year alone, 50% more people have been killed in car crashes as compared to 2021. There are many things in New York City leaders could do to prevent these deaths; redesigning streets, as the DOT is doing right now. 1000 intersections is the key. We need to expand the works and that is why I'm glad to be here today as we celebrate the beginning of 24/7 speed cameras in New York City.

Williams: Study after study shows that speed cameras reduce speeding, prevent crashes, and save lives. 24/7 speed cameras will get vision zero back on track. 24/7 speed cameras will ensure no more families need to experience the pain we've all felt at Families for Safe Streets. Thank you to Mayor Adams, Commissioner Rodriguez, your staff, and all the elected leaders up in Albany who have helped make this happen. Zero traffic deaths must be the goal. Today, we take an important step to make it a reality. Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Joshi: Thank you very much, Monique. And thank you to all the members of Family for Safe Streets who do some of the hardest work of anybody in this city. I'd now like to introduce our mayor who's made it his mission to make this city as safe as possible for all of its residents. And that includes curbing traffic violence.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you, deputy mayor. And thank you, Monique, for really personalizing what traffic violence is doing to families all over the entire city. These are not stats. These are not numbers. These are dads, fathers, children, spouses, aunts, uncles. These are everyday New Yorkers who are experiencing violence and it's the continuation of their advocacy partnered with government and partnered with elected officials. I am so proud of the posture that Senator Gounardes has played on this issue. He has fought hard for it in Albany. When you look at Senator Hoylman as well. The two of them, when people thought this legislation was not going to go forward, they rolled up their sleeves and they made Albany work. And we were able to accomplish a significant part of the promise we made on the campaign trail, 24 hour speed cameras. This is a new chapter in traffic safety in our city. Speed cameras begin operating 24/7 days a week, seven days a week in New York City.

Mayor Adams: And together with the commissioner, Ydanis Rodriguez, we were committed to this. This is something we talked about over and over again throughout the years. And this is a significant moment for us and for the advocates, Families for Safe Streets. They took their pain and turned it into purpose. They stated that they want to do everything possible to prevent other families of experiencing the pains that they experience. And as of 10:00 PM tonight, we will have 24/7 speed cameras will be the reality in New York City. A common sense action is now moving into place. And I want to thank the governor, Governor Hochul, who added her voice those last few days in Albany to get it done. This is a major victory for New Yorkers. Traffic safety is public safety. They go together hand in hand. A city that never sleeps deserves a camera system that won't take a nap. 24/7 we are going to monitor those who are speeding in this city. Speed cameras operating at 24/7 is a major tool. It's a major deterrence that people often ignore and is going to save lives. And so a simple flip of the switch... Come on, Family for Safe Street. Come flip this switch with me.

Mayor Adams: Ready? 1, 2, 3.

[Applause]

Mayor Adams: That little flash that goes off on top, that is saying to those who are speeding, "You are caught. You will be deterred from doing it again." And this camera here at Fourth Avenue and East 10th Street is an intersection that has had a high volume of pedestrian and cyclists all day, all night, and all weekend. So this camera is going to protect those who come here from visiting schools like NYU to Public Theater, Webster Hall, and all of the interactions that happen in this community.

Mayor Adams: Now here are the numbers. The numbers don't lie. This is why I was so persuasive when Senator Gounardes and others went to Albany. Since the speed cameras were installed in February 2020, we have seen an almost 60% decline in daily speeding. And since the pandemic, 59% of traffic fatalities have happened when the city speeds cameras could not operate. Those numbers are clear. When cameras are operating, we see a 72% reduction when the cameras are operating in speeding and a 14% reduction in injuries from traffic crashes. And even when an intersection does not have a camera, it still becomes a deterrence because people are not aware of where the cameras are located. So we are going to continue to invest in zero tolerance, and this is an important piece and tool. And we look at the combined effort that our traffic enforcement team and others are doing, it is, as I say, all the time, many rivers that lead to the sea of all of these issues of violence, particularly speeding in our city. Speeding plays a major role in injuries and fatalities, and we're going after it. It's about saving lives. It's about saving New Yorkers. It's about combining all of our efforts to reach the zero tolerance that we're looking for. And again, I want to thank the advocates. I want to thank those in government, and I want to thank our lawmakers who were in Albany pounding the pavement, walking the halls, making sure that we can get this legislation done in the late hours of the budgetary process. Thank you very much.

Deputy Mayor Joshi: Thank you very much, Mayor Adams. Next we'll hear from someone who I've had the pleasure of working with in former lives on these very issues of how to ensure that we as a city have all the tools necessary to curb traffic violence. When I was chair of the TLC and he was chair of the Transportation Committee for the City Council, our now commissioner, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. We're going to hear from Ydanis who's done a lot of advocacy and hard advocacy because there are many out there that would argue that getting tickets is a burden, but Ydanis has very clearly stated, it is a life saving burden. So we'd much rather be saving lives than worrying about tickets for speeding, it's absolutely the deterrent that's necessary and that works.

Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, Department of Transportation: Well, I know that the mayor loves all his deputy mayors, but I can tell you that I have the best deputy mayor. So thank you for the great job that... Definitely, working with Meera Joshi in her previous role has seen now how she’s been doing a job and the high level of leadership. So I really mean it, thank you for your support. Without your support that you provide to the DOT and all agencies on the group portfolio, we will not be able to accomplish this great job, so thank you.

Commissioner Rodriguez: Look, we had to get here, we didn't have choices. And Mayor Adams says loud and clear since day one when he introduced me as a commissioner, you have a mandate, we need to make New York City the safest one in the whole nation, and that's what we're doing. And I got to say that so far when we compare even the numbers of pedestrians and cyclists losing their lives in 2014, in these eight months, we have one of the best months since those years. What is killing us are those motorists who are speeding in the highway. And I know that one life is too many, and that's why we are so committed to continue using all the tools that we have, but the speed camera was so important. Last week we stood at Houston Street and First Avenue, the side of the crash that killed a college student. A future doctor, studying at NYU, a couple of blocks from here.

Commissioner Rodriguez: Today, I'm proud to be standing alongside the mayor, NYPD, the city agency, as we make it clear that New York City is taking its time against reckless and speeding drivers. And I also want to be clear, most drivers respect the law, but that percentage of the reckless ones, they are killing New Yorkers and we will see a new day for them also. They have to be now accountable to have the speed camera 24 hours, and all the things that we are doing here. We are making history tonight. Starting today at 10:00 PM, speed cameras will be functioning, as the mayor said, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Today couldn't have been possible without the support from the advocates, like the mayors already recognized, Transportation Alternatives, Families for Safe Streets, Bike New York and many others. But also the elected officials that also the mayor and the deputy mayor also recognize.

Commissioner Rodriguez: I also want to acknowledge and give credit to all the leaders, Carl Heastie, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Adams, for all their support too. Our data speak loud and clear, speeding kills, but speed cameras save lives. Drivers who get these tickets learn the lesson, the majority of them. More than 75%, they don't get a third ticket, because after the second one, they learned that they had to change the way of how they're driving. Well what's happening is that they have a free ticket to drive from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, where most crashes are happening. So today's a new day, today we have a mayor that really stands by his action, by his commitment. He's mandating not only the DOT but NYPD to do everything that we have to do to make the city safer. [Speaks in Spanish]. Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Joshi: Thank you. And it's a long road to get here. So I do want to call out a special thanks to lots of people that have helped us get to here. On the elected side, we're going to hear next from Senator Andrew Gounardes, but I also want to thank Assemblymember Glick who was a partner in getting us to this day, as well as Senator Brad Hoylman who's with us today. So thank you very much. Some individual advocates who've been essential to this initiative, Felicia Park-Rogers of Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Jackson Chabot of Open Plans, Sara Lind of Open Plans, Casey Petrashek of New York League of Conservation Voters and Danny Harris, who I believe is here with us today, of Transportation Alternatives. I'd also like to give a thanks to Chief Royster, because there's one thing to have tools, but enforcement is the other key and partner to this initiative, as I'd like to thank Chief Royster and the NYPD for the work that they do every day. And now introduce Senator Andrew Gounardes who's been critical into getting us to this day. Thank you.

New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes: Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Thank you. Mayor Adams, Commissioner Rodriguez, and everyone who's here today. I can't state this more clearly, this is such a big deal. To quote our President, "This is a BFD." Okay? I remember almost 10 years ago standing at a rally in Bay Ridge when we were trying to push for the first pilot program for 20 cameras just during school hours, and we had to push and prod and fight just to get 20 cameras. And here we are 10 years later on the cusp of doing something monumental, keeping the city's speed camera program operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. What a journey that's been. And I'm so proud that I played a part in that, because this is deeply personal for me too.

Senator Gounardes: My grandmother lost her 12 year old daughter to a car crash some 60-odd-5 years ago. I wasn't even a thought, but the pain of that loss, as any of the families here will tell you, lingers forever. It's impacted my family. I have to take my son to daycare in the morning and we have to cross busy streets, streets where cars are taking turns recklessly, speeding right through lights and stop signs. This issue affects every single New Yorker regardless of who you are and where you live. That's why this is such a big deal, and that is why for all the progress we've made on street safety, we all know we have so much more work left to do. But I echo the deputy mayor, some folks might think this is a burden. There's a loophole actually in this law that I want to share with everyone. If you don't want to get a ticket, here's the easiest loophole, don't f'ing speed.

Senator Gounardes: Because it's going to kill people. It's going to maim people. It's going to injure people. Your ability to get somewhere from point A to point B 35 seconds faster does not supersede my ability to walk my son to school or to daycare or to church or a bus driver to go to their early morning shift or to an essential worker who has to go to a hospital at 3:00 in the morning or a family trying to walk to a park or a senior trying to get to a senior center. Your right to speed does not supersede anyone's rights to live on these streets safely, and that's why we have more work to do. I'm so proud of this team to be a part of it, to make sure we're going to deliver, to make Vision Zero a reality. I want to thank our mayor for making this such a top priority. Thank you very much.

[...]

Question: For the drivers that don't learn their lesson after one or two tickets, what are the consequences for repeat offenders? And is the Reckless Driver Accountability Act in full implementation at this point?

Mayor Adams: Yeah, and as the commissioner stated that over 70% after the second ticket don't repeat. And even as a substantial number after receiving a first ticket, many people slow down. And so we have to continue to look at those who are just not getting the message. And everything from the Driver Accountability Act to even being stronger to suspending licenses, keeping them off our roadways, we're open to look under every stone to get those reckless drivers off the roads.

Question: [Inaudible] I know, senator, you had a bill somewhat to that effect that did not pass. What needs to happen to get the message across that repeat offenders need to face some amount of consequences?

Senator Gounardes: We're going to keep pushing the envelope as far as we can go. Sometimes the legislative process isn't always the most cut and dry neatest thing. We're going to continue to push on this issue, continue to fight to make sure that we get reckless drivers off the road. The city is now implementing the Reckless Driver Accountability Act. We're going to take further steps in Albany. I'm not giving up the fight up in Albany to make sure that we have every tool at our disposal to get the worst drivers off our roads and to keep streets safe. But the fact that we got these on 24 hours a day, seven days a week is a huge win. And so I think we should be celebrating that because that's going to make a huge difference to saving lives.

Question: Yes, this is for the senator. What about bicyclists and motorized bikes and scooters that are often passing you by [inaudible]. They're going beyond the 25 mile per hour speed limit and they're not being held accountable because there's no license and registration. Are you thinking about that?

Senator Gounardes: I hesitate to say ever, but the overwhelming majority of people who are injured or killed on a street are killed by a car and a speeding car. A car that's running a stop sign, running a red light, taking a turn too fast. We just had a fatality in Bay Ridge on Seventh Avenue two weeks ago because someone wanted to take a quick turn and kill a 67 year old woman. Cars kill. When you're behind the wheel of a vehicle that weighs four tons, you have the ability to take someone's life away. You have a special responsibility when you're operating those vehicles to do so with care and diligence and with safety in mind, and that's where our effort should be focused on because that's how it's killing people.

Senator Gounardes: That's what's hurting people. Every family here has lost someone from a car. Every family here has lost someone from a vehicle that was speeding or driving recklessly, not from a bike. Everyone has to obey traffic laws. No one's saying we're giving people a pass. But we have to see where the data is showing. The data is showing that cars are killing people. So let's save lives and let's make sure that we get cars to drive the way they should be.

Question: So bicycles are injuring people. It was that cyclist who hit the cab because it was going against the light and triggered all kinds of mayhem after that. That was a bicyclist.

Senator Gounardes: So that's one case compared to hundreds of cases we have here. So my point is we have to make sure everyone is adhering to the traffic laws, everyone is doing their part. No one here is defending pedestrians walking without paying attention or cyclists not following the traffic laws, but we know the overwhelmingly vast majority of people that are injured and killed on these streets happened because of these vehicles that are just violating the law flagrantly and with impunity, and that's why it's so important that we're doing this today. Like I said earlier, our work to keep the street safe is not done. We are always going to look for ways to improve street safety, whether it's road redesigns, automated enforcement, increased personnel enforcement. Every tool should be on the table to keep the street safe. This is a big tool for that.

Question: Mr. Mayor, this is a question for you, and also the senator. I wonder if you're satisfied with the number of cameras [inaudible] and why do they always have to be [inaudible] Why can't there be in other places [inaudible 00:23:15].

Mayor Adams: I know you said satisfied with the number of cameras. I'm never satisfied until we get to zero fatalities and accidents. And so we're going to continue to push to go beyond school zones, beyond whatever the limitations are. Technology works. And I don't know why we're fearful of the technology. Particularly as the senator states, there's a real loophole in the tickets. Don't speed.

Question: [Inaudible].

Mayor Adams: I'm sorry, I can't-

Question: [Inaudible].

Mayor Adams: I think that the determination of the numbers should be driven by the places where we see there are problems. If we identify locations where there are problems, that's where we should place the cameras. And then we should use some of the mobile technology that allows us, if we have a particular hotspot at a particular location, let's move it there. We should not be afraid of the technology that could be used to save lives. And so this is not a punitive attempt on our part. We see the success that when you use cameras, you decrease fatalities. And so we are taking that information and applying it to the technology. And so based on where we see the hotspots are, we should be free to place the cameras there.

Question: What about improving or fixing about 1,000 different intersections? What's the progress on that, and have you started on any intersections yet?

Mayor Adams: Yes. Ydanis, did you get the question?

Commissioner Rodriguez: Yeah. The mayor committed that we will be redesigning 1,000 intersections. We are above 500 right now and we are ready to get 1,000 done by the end of this year.

Mayor Adams: I'm sorry. Above 500, 1,000 by the end of the year. We keep notching up these victories. I never see them in the stories. We are doing our thing. We're getting stuff done. See that, Michael? You never write about this stuff. We got so many victories in this administration.

Question: Mr. Mayor, as you know, the speed cameras, you don't have very direct control over that's the state. One of the things you do have control over to make the streets safer and better for communities are bus lanes. And the two main bus ways that you have made permanent under your administration, Flushing at Queens, and 181st Street, Washington Heights, were scaled back once they became permanent. How does that mesh with your 24 hour city where bus improvements switch off after 10:00 PM?

Mayor Adams: There's one thing that's my trademark. I am going to always listen to communities. That's what I'm going to do. The Commissioner heard from the community and we modified what we did with the bus lanes in that area. We're going to continue to expand our bus lanes. We made a commitment of the number of miles we're going to do. We're going to live up to our commitment, but we are never going to create an administration where we're not willing to modify, pivot, shift, and listen to community leaders. Community leaders communicated with us. We heard them. We're not going to be deaf to the voices of the people who actually live in the community and they use those buses. And so we can find the win-wins that we all want us to find, but we're going to continue to expand our bus lanes.

[Crosstalk]

Question: I got a question about the bishop again. Last week, calling for, encouraging to be issued gun permits. He suggested criminal records should be ignored in those cases. Do you think that's a good idea or he should get a special [inaudible]?

Mayor Adams: No.

Question: I want to talk to you about the [inaudible] prevent people from [inaudible] are a hazard and [inaudible] want to get rid of the outdoor dining. Your reaction to that.

Mayor Adams: The question was about outdoor dining and the lawsuit. I'm a big supporter of outdoor dining. As it has been reported previously over and over again, the nightlife is a multi-billion dollar industry. And our restaurant owners have gone through a very difficult period. Some of them are still back in their payments. And whatever I can do to help our restaurant industry that employs dishwashers, waiters, bus boys and girls, this is an important industry and it is an indicator of our city. And so the lawsuit is going to play itself out. But I'm a supporter of the outdoor dining. I think we need to modify it because some of the outdoor dining locations have become a hazard. They have become places that's not suitable. And I think there's a way to modify to standardize what the structure should look like, and they have to be used. It can't be used for storage. It can't be used for all other things. But I'm a supporter of the outdoor dining. And I believe it was a lifeline for the restaurant industry.

[Crosstalk]

Question: I wanted to ask you about NYCHA playgrounds that are closed. There's nearly 100 playgrounds that are closed. When you ran for mayor, you said you would prioritize repairing them. But there's actually more closed this year than last year. Some are closed for repairs, but some are closed indefinitely. One is closed because there had been drug dealing there. Some are still closed for Hurricane Sandy repairs. I just wanted to ask you if you think you can prioritize those repairs. I know with the NYCHA funding, there's different things with that, but there's thousands of kids who can't play in a playground in their complex because that they're closed. I just want to get your take and see if you have any plans to fix that.

Mayor Adams: We're going to look at that today. I didn't know there was an increase and I do not subscribe to the theory that because someone is committing a crime on the playground that we are going to penalize the children. That's not acceptable. And those that are closed because of illegal activity that took place, we are opening them immediately. It's the job of the police to keep people safe. It's not the job of the people to be punished because of illegal activity. I'm going to look at that today. I was not aware of an increase. And those that are doing repairs to beautify them, it takes a while to do that. That's a real win that if we have to close for a few months because of beautification, that's a win. I want them to have first rate playgrounds. So we are going to do an analysis of every playground that's closed. I'm going to find out why, and we're going to get a timetable on when they're going to be open. But I'll tell you this, there won't be a playground closed because there's illegal activity. We're going to fix the illegal activity.

[Crosstalk]

Question: Given the strong infrastructure you got when it came to prevention messaging and also vaccination, do you think that your administration dropped the ball when it came to monkeypox?

Mayor Adams: Oh, no. Dropped the ball? We were receiving less than we deserved in vaccines. We advocated, we utilized our direct communication with the White House to get more, we navigated the challenges of the public groups who put up our website and we say, "Listen, we got to take over this and get it right." Because I'm a big believer in technology, of every vaccine that we receive. We got the appointments, we got the vaccines out the door. No, we did our thing and we're doing our thing while we're still dealing with COVID. So we are moving together of still getting people vaccinated for COVID and still dealing with the monkeypox that's coming in. No, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Dr. Vasan, his team over there. We are pivoting and shifting based on the crises that are coming to our city and country. And others look at what we're doing and they commend what we're doing. So no, we're not dropping the ball. We have the ball and we want the ball and we have it in our hands.

[...]

Question: When can we expect crime to drop? You've been in office seven months. You ran on a platform of lowering crime. When can we expect to see those decreases in crime?

Mayor Adams: When we get all our partners on board. We're doing our job. And we also need the public on board. The public must really, as they have indicated in polling, that public safety is a major issue of… We're doing our job. NYPD is taking thousands of guns off the streets. We are making arrests, the high level of arrests for violent crimes. You are seeing with that, which is in our span of control, we're doing it to the maximum. Every area of public safety is. From the disorderly motorcycles that were on our streets to those who are carrying guns to those who are creating predatory crimes. This Police Department has done an amazing job. Now, what we need to do. Judges, lawmakers, prosecutors. Criminal justice system has several pieces to it. Every piece must work for us to ensure that this city is safe. We're going to continue to push forward and do our job, but we do need help from every level of government including our federal government. I met with the ATF head that we just recently appointed and we're going to continue to forge ahead. Thanks a lot.

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