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QUEENS WEEKLY, AUGUST 2, 2020
Data shows speed camera violations have
soared in New York City during lockdown
BY MARK HALLUM
Not that New Yorkers did not
generally notice an increase in
speeding at the height of the pandemic,
but new data illustrates
that speed camera violations were
nearly off the charts when the few
motorists left in the five boroughs
ripped through deserted streets.
The Independent Budget Office
says that although parking
violations were issued despite
restrictions being lifted during
the March 23 to May 31 period in
question, 77 percent of all summonses
were for speed. The
IBO report compares March 1
through March 22 with just under
15,000 speed camera violations
to the over two month period on
lockdown which saw over 22,000
issued.
Not only was speeding up, revenue
from fines was also down
across the board for the city which
had collected over $70 million
from parking and speed camera
violations in March until it came
crashing down to $30 million in
May. The IBO analysis based its
findings on data from the city Department
of Finance.
“The data is new, but we’ve
known since March and April
that there’s been a big uptick in
speeding,” Jon Orcutt, Director
of Communications for Bike New
York said. “It seems like there’s
more of a joyriding thing going
on, just around my neighborhood
in Brooklyn I’m seeing more people
doing stupid stuff in cars. A
couple times I’ve rented cars I’ve
seen people doing crazy things on
the highways too.”
June would become the deadliest
month for traffic deaths in
nearly two years with 29 fatalities
on New York City roadways, four
of these were cyclists. Orcutt says
the city is tracking ahead of 2018
for overall traffic deaths, something
Orcutt said demands action
from Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“Four bike deaths in June is a
lot for the city without that much
activity and certainly with Manhattan
still being pretty dead,
every time I’ve gone in,” Orcutt
added. “New York has actually
led the country for most of the
mayor’s term in terms of bucking
the trend… Traffic deaths are
going up all over the country and
the mayor’s driven them down
until last year. And now, looks
like there’s another dynamic that
may cause another uptick this
year. We need a policy response.”
De Blasio’s effort to grab
street space for social distancing
and cycling so that New Yorkers
could stretch their legs safely
during quarantine has not been
aggressive enough for critics who
believe too much space is handed
over to cars at the risk of people’s
lives.
Transportation Alternatives
released a progress report on
Wednesday that said the open
streets plan, meant to aid the
city’s recovery has “lacks ambition”
with only about $37 New
Yorkers being within walking distance
of the nearest thoroughfare
off-limits to cars. Most average
less than .22 miles in length and
only 44 percent of the promised 18
miles of dedicated bike lanes have
been implemented.
“We do see more activity in
terms of car traffic, but not as
much, by any stretch, as what
we’re seeing with mass transit –
an increase of 23 percent of the
East River Bridges; 17 percent
on the Harlem River bridges. So,
we definitely recognize that real
activity, real progress is happening,
and all of these pieces have to
come together for it to work.”
As the mayor addressed the
transportation situation in the
city on July 23, he made no elaboration
on how said progress would
take place.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum
by e-mail at mhallum@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–
4564.
QNS file photo
Aronov announces bid to become fi rst Bukharian elected to City Council
BY MARK HALLUM
David Aronov has policy
plans that he believes will
relieve some of the most immediate
issues that face the
Bukharian Jewish community
and the larger population
of central Queens in
City Council District 29.
When Councilwoman
Karen Koslowitz is term
limited with the majority
of the 51 members in 2021,
Aronov plans to take this
seat and despite being 24
years old, he’s not without
experience or name recognition.
“The Bukharian immigrant
community has been
here for the most part for
over 30 years, came in 1991
after the collapse of the Soviet
Union, and we’ve never
had an elected official,”
Aronov said. “People tried
in 2009 and 2010, but they
weren’t successful.”
Aronov spent seven
years working in the office
of Karen Koslowitz, but for
the last few months he has
been organizing the effort
to get an accurate count
for the 2020 Census. On the
subject of numbers, there
60,000 or so Bukharian
Jews in the district, spanning
Forest Hills, Rego
Park and Briarwood. But
there is also a massive senior
population at risk.
According to Aronov,
the cost of housing keeps
going up while incomes remain
stagnant and transit
is a perennial issue for the
disabled. “Stress-a-ride,”
officially known as Accessa
Ride, could be better managed
by the city rather than
at the state level by the Metropolitan
Transportation
Authority, Aronov said.
“We need to completely
revamp the system. Maybe
that means municipal control
of Access-a-Ride … I
know there’s a proposal to
take municipal control of
New York City Transit, but
Access-a-Ride is something
that we could do pretty
quick because we have the
NYC Taxi & Limousine
Commission right here in
the city; it won’t take a million
years to do this.”
Some of Aronov’s policy
proposals look to expand
on existing policies such
as building upon Universal
Pre-K and making childcare
under the age of three
available to all New Yorkers.
Under Aronov’s policy,
the cost of childcare would
be capped at 7 percent
of their income. The cap
would only be for parents
making above the 200 percent
federal poverty line
and the rest would be free
Although Universal
Pre-K is a de Blasio administration
hallmark, Aronov
says the policy he hopes to
propose will be modeled
after one by Senator Elizabeth
Warren during her
presidential run. Aronov
was a delegate for her
campaign.
“I like having plans and
ideas and not just throwing
out empty rhetoric and running
just to run,” Aronov
said. “There are real issues
that people face and if
you’re going to be in office
and not try to solve them,
you may as well not run at
all.” Aronov grew up in Briarwood;
his parents migrated
from Uzbekistan in
1991 much like many Bukharians.
At Queens Gateway
To Health Sciences Secondary
School, Aronov pushed
for higher standards in
the school administration
which led to the city Department
of Education stepping
in on matters. Later at
Hunter College he would be
involved in student advocacy
for a tuition freeze.
The citywide elections
are just 11 months away
with 41 out of 59 elected offices
being up for grabs.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com or
by phone at (718) 260–4564.
David Aronov Photo by Kaykov Media
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