The devastating crash which recently altered the lives of two Xaverian High School students, walking on what should have been a completely safe sidewalk, has deeply shaken all of us in Bay Ridge. My heart is with these girls and the wider community; my office has been in contact with their families.

In the wake of this incident, I called upon the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) to immediately initiate a review of the area to institute traffic calming measures, a step I have sadly had to take many times before. My office conducted a site visit with DOT and other community leaders to advance this work without delay. I am committed to seeing the process through.

Traffic violence and pedestrian and cyclist safety have been top priorities for me since I entered office in 2019. I have authored and passed the most robust street safety bills in the State Senate, including the initiation and expansion of the speed camera program, the expansion of the red light camera program, mandating road sharing education as a part of driver’s education and the SLEEP Act. I have authored new bills to slow down serial speeders and design safer vehicles which I will be working to pass next session.

I fully support this student-led action by the Xaverian Genesis Program’s Voices for Street Safety Initiative to demand increased traffic calming measures and education outreach. I look forward to hearing your additional thoughts at our upcoming meeting and appreciate your commitment to building a safer Bay Ridge.

Sincerely,
Andrew

Andrew S. Gounardes
NYS Senator, District 26
www.senatorgounardes.nyc
Proud to represent the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Sunset Park, Red Hook, Park Slope, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, and DUMBO