Welcome to the Little Neck Pedestrian Safety Group
We are dedicated to making our community a safer place for pedestrians.
Advocate | Educate | Participate
Who We Are
The Little Neck Pedestrian Safety Group is a voluntary association of concerned citizens committed to improving pedestrian safety in our neighborhood and a network of extended communities through education, advocacy, and participation.
We believe that everyone should be able to walk freely without fear of being hit or struck by cars, trucks, buses, or motorcycles.
We also believe that individuals and communities need to take more responsibility for improving pedestrian safety.
We operate with an assumption that government agencies can not be fully successful in reducing traffic violence and improving pedestrian safety without the participation and commitment of those walking or driving at the street level in any given moment.
Our Mission
It is the mission of the Little Neck Pedestrian Safety Group to improve pedestrian safety in our local community through education, advocacy, and engagement.
Within this overarching goal, the Little Neck Pedestrian Safety Group aspires to:
1) Educate and train residents, including the young and old from diverse cultural backgrounds with a range of personal histories, orientations, and diverse home languages, to become more aware and skillful in implementing caring, personal practices that foster Pedestrian Safety.
2) Create learning opportunities for local residents to develop their skills and knowledge so that they may speak up effectively and find their own voice to
address concerns regarding Pedestrian Safety in the community which includes: Education, Engineering (Traffic and Infrastructure Design), Enforcement, and Public Policy (Legislation) at the local and state level. As part of this work, support individuals for whom translation and interpretation between home languages and standard business English presents a challenge.
3) Foster Community whereby local residents and neighbors work cooperatively and collaboratively to engage local government in conversations around Pedestrian Safety which includes, but is not limited to, elected officials and various departments, divisions, and task forces of New York City. The aim is to establish communication and collaboration with the NYC Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), NYC Vision Zero, NYC Open Data, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, NYC Department of Education, and the NYC Department of Aging around pedestrian safety.
4) Partner and communicate with other local community organizations in Douglaston and Little Neck, New York to support individual pedestrian safety practices and address related items of concern such as language and cultural barriers to pedestrian safety.
5) To monitor and advocate for NYCDOT Safety Improvement requests pertaining to street or sidewalk design, and engineering safety improvements that contribute to pedestrian safety.
6) To serve as a model for other communities in New York City and other areas where there is interest in forming their own local Pedestrian Safety Group.
Vision:
We envision our neighborhood as a place where:
All children and parents will to be able to walk to and from school safely;
Grandparents, elders, and the differently-abled will be able to cross the street without the danger of being struck by a vehicle.
Going for a walk for health and fitness, or local shopping will not pose a threat to personal safety.
Pedestrians practice pedestrian safety through situational awareness.
Pedestrians respect and abide by traffic signs and signals that regulate “right of way.”
Drivers will stop rushing, slow down, and make safety their top priority while driving.
Drivers will pay close attention for pedestrians while crossing or turning at intersections.
Drivers will consistently yield to pedestrians as per New York State Law.
Families and other groups will hold conversations about what pedestrian safety means; and think about how they can develop habits in their own lives to improve their own safety as pedestrians.
Concerned community members will collaborate with Local, State, and Federal agencies and non-profit organizations to make this vision a reality.
Smart Goal:
Our target goal is to achieve and maintain zero (0) fatalities and serious injuries (KSI) within the Douglaston – Little Neck area for the next 3 years [2024-2026] that are attributable to traffic violence against pedestrians.
Needs Statement:
The number of pedestrians Killed or Seriously Injured (a “KSI” data point) in New York State and New York City continues to rise after the conclusion of the initial COVID Pandemic. While the NYC Vision Zero Task Force and the NYCDOT are engaged in numerous fronts to reduce incidents of pedestrians Killed or Seriously Injured by drivers, we believe it is highly unlikely that they will succeed in their mission, which relies heavily on engineering and design, without greater participation and engagement of individuals and local communities.
We operate with an assumption that a shift in awareness and cultivating personal practices of individuals (drivers and pedestrians) – who are immediately and directly involved in pedestrian safety – is possible; and that such change can be impactful.
Non-profit organizations such as Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets work on public policy and advocacy issues pertaining to Pedestrian Safety at a city wide and state level. Other organizations such as the National Safety Council, the National Center for Safe Routes to School, and America Walks provide guidance for engagement around Pedestrian Safety around the entire United States.
Given that the community of Little Neck in Queens, NY does not have its own active Civic Association, the Little Neck Pedestrian Safety Group was formed as a voluntary member association to fill this gap in local community advocacy.
We believe that promoting personal awareness of site-specific pedestrian safety practices and fostering civic engagement to increase protection and lower risk factors distinguishes us from other organizations who share our passion and commitment to improving pedestrian safety at local, state, and national levels.
