Representative Adriano Espaillat Introduces Pedestrian Safety Legislation

Statement

Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), a member of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, has reintroduced the Stopping Threats on Pedestrians (STOP) Act, a bill that would provide funding to cities and localities for the installation of critical safety bollards to protect pedestrians in high traffic areas like New York's Times Square.

"We have witnessed an increase in pedestrian injuries and fatalities as vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons to carry out attacks," said Rep. Espaillat. "We cannot wait for the next attack to decide to take action and implement safety measures. The STOP Act aims to support cities by providing necessary funding to install pedestrian safety bollards along sidewalks in key areas with high pedestrian activity as preventative measures to help guide traffic, protect individuals, and potentially save lives."

"We applaud Congressman Espaillat for his leadership on this critical safety issue. In New York City, our streets and sidewalks are safer because of the changes we have made as part of our Vision Zero program -- but we are constantly improving and still have plenty of work left to do," said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Pedestrian safety and is becoming more of a national priority, and we welcome federal funding to help NYC DOT and NYPD make our high traffic areas secure and safe for all New Yorkers."

"Pedestrian deaths on our nation's roads have returned to the alarming levels of the 1990s. Cities applaud Rep. Espaillat for introducing legislation to provide real tools to protect the most vulnerable road users," said Clarence E. Anthony, CEO and executive director of the National League of Cities (NLC). "Cities, towns and villages hope the STOP Act is one of many actions taken by Congress this year to strengthen transportation safety and offer direct solutions to mitigate risks to pedestrians."

"Counties support the Stopping Threats on Pedestrians Act because it would help us strengthen safety measures along sidewalks and other pedestrian areas," said National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase. "In partnership with the federal government, this bill would enhance safety in our communities, potentially preventing vehicular attacks on residents. We applaud Representative Espaillat for his leadership on this issue."

The heightened urgency of protecting pedestrians comes after a series of vehicle attacks, including the 2017 attack by a white supremacist in Charlottesville who killed Heather Heyer; the 2018 attack in Houston, Texas when a driver killed and injured several individuals outside a local bar; and, the 2017 incident in Barcelona where 13 pedestrians were killed in a terrorist attack. This follows months of similar attacks, including one in New York's Times Square during which an individual killed a tourist and injured 20 others before being stopped by a bollard. During the time of the attack, authorities reported that if not for the bollards installed as safety measures, the fatalities could have been worse.

The STOP Act is an authorization bill that requests $5 million per fiscal year from 2020 to 2029 for cities to apply for competitive grants from the Department of Transportation for bollard installation projects. Under this legislation, a bollard installation project is defined as a project to install raised concrete or metal posts on a sidewalk adjacent to a roadway with a design goal of slowing or stopping a motor vehicle.

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