The city is dragging its feet in identifying the most dangerous intersections, 18 months after a law required them to inspect the high crash sites and make safety improvements, two City Council members said.
“This administration has made street safety a priority. So why won’t they tell us which intersections are dangerous and how they plan to fix them?” said City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin, who reps the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island.
The Department of Transportation is required to publicly report the 20 highest crash locations by borough, then audit those locations and make necessary safety repairs.
Lappin — who wrote the June 2011 bill that mandates the reporting — said that her office has requested the data from the DOT repeatedly but never received it.
“I don’t understand why they are not complying with the law,” she said.
The bill also requires the DOT to inspect within 90 days any intersection that has had a pedestrian fatality or four serious accidents a year.
“If DOT is serious about improving street safety, we absolutely have to know where the most dangerous intersections are,” said Councilman James Vacca, who is chair of the transportation committee.
“Without this information, there is no way to prioritize our resources where they will save the most lives.”
In a statement, the DOT said that they are releasing a report in the coming weeks that will go beyond what the law requires and include community outreach and safety redesign info.
“DOT continues to work overtime on safety,” said DOT spokesman Seth Solomonow.