State Legislature

After a fatal crash in her district, a state representative from Queens is again calling on Albany to double fines for speeding, but with NYPD issuing few tickets, lax traffic enforcement continues to be the biggest obstacle to safer streets.

Races for the White House and Congress aren't the only ones on the ballot tomorrow. Though as usual there aren't many competitive contests for State Senate and Assembly, voters who are interested in transportation funding and safer streets should check out a candidate survey released over the weekend by the New York Bicycling Coalition, the Straphangers Campaign, Transportation Alternatives and Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

Legislators in Pennsylvania this year did what Albany lawmakers could not: addressed a loophole in state law that gives hit-and-run drivers an incentive to leave the scene of a serious crash. But the arduous task of getting a bill to the desk of Governor Tom Corbett exemplifies the difficulty in holding reckless motorists accountable, even when they take lives.

Albany lawmakers had several opportunities during the 2012 session to come through for transit riders, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. They came up short on every count.

The state legislature will not allow New York City to enforce its speed limit using automated cameras this session, say street safety advocates. Though the New York Times touted the legislation's forward momentum in an article yesterday, the bill is unlikely to pass the Assembly before the legislative session closes this week.

Legislation targeted at NYPD's self-imposed ban on citing motorists for careless driving has passed the State Senate transportation committee.

One of the more pernicious shortcomings of New York State's slapdash traffic justice system is its failure to keep dangerous drivers off the road. As long as repeat offenders pay their fines and don't get caught driving drunk, they can for the most part count on holding on to a drivers license, no matter how many tickets they receive, even if they cause a fatality.

Albany legislation to let New York City enforce its speed limit using automated cameras got a new lease on life last week. A slate of amendments have made the bill more politically palatable, and Staten Island Republican Andrew Lanza has introduced a version of the bill in the State Senate, the first time this version of the bill has been live in the legislature's upper chamber.

If you get drunk, get behind the wheel of a car and get into a crash in New York State, you should flee the scene. Not morally, of course, but legally the repercussions will be less severe. A drunk driver who stays at the scene of a crash can be charged with a felony; sober up and take the hit-and-run charge and the worst you'll face is a misdemeanor.