New York City officials are considering a massive change to intersections in a move that would have huge impacts on drivers and pedestrians.
USA Today reported on efforts by cities across the country to increase "daylighting," or banning parking near crosswalks and intersections. This is oftentimes accomplished by installing planters, bike racks, or other physical objects to make parking impossible.
According to City & State, the New York City Council is considering a ban on parking within 20 feet of an intersection that would also require the city's Department of Transportation to install such physical objects to 1,000 corners every year.
The goal of daylighting is to increase visibility and safety by removing parked cars that can make pedestrians difficult to see.
"If we have cars that are parked right next to crosswalks, a lot of times, it creates a huge blind zone right in front of the crosswalk," Angie Schmitt, founder of a pedestrian-safety planning firm, told USA Today. "And I really think cities should be more proactive about trying to prevent that, because it really is dangerous."
To make the plan a reality, however, could prove difficult. Critics say the city would lose 300,000 parking spaces and billions of dollars spent on new infrastructure.
But New York is also not alone in this. As USA Today noted, several other cities have successfully implemented daylighting regulations or are considering similar proposals.
Drivers in Sacramento, California, can be fined $25 if they park within 25 feet of a crosswalk. And Hoboken, New Jersey, has gone seven years without a traffic-related death after implementing daylighting laws.
The movement has also gained steam online, with popular social media posts showing cities that are unfriendly and unsafe to pedestrians and that could benefit from similar laws.
Along with pedestrian safety, daylighting laws can have considerable environmental impacts. By removing parking spaces and opening up more room for pedestrians, these laws encourage more people to walk and fewer people to spend time in their gas-burning cars, resulting in less air pollution.
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