Letter Calls Out NYC Mayor de Blasio Over 'Vision Zero' Treatment of MTA Drivers

Letter Calls Out NYC Mayor de Blasio Over 'Vision Zero' Treatment of MTA Drivers
http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2015/06/12/letter-calls-out-may...
By NY1 News
Updated Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 11:58 AM EDT
Some of the city's top labor unions are coming to the defense of MTA bus drivers.

They say the drivers are being treated unfairly under Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero plan to reduce traffic deaths.

The heads of the United Federation of Teachers, DC-37 and other unions joined the Transport Workers Union in signing a letter to the City Council.

They're asking lawmakers to reconsider legislation that can put bus drivers in handcuffs after accidents, even if the drivers weren't acting recklessly.

The letter says the mayor wants bus drivers treated just like drivers of personal cars.

But it points out that bus operators work under much different conditions. It says, "They are the only class of worker that is forced into pedestrian rights of way thousands of times every day. No other driver operates under these circumstances, and in such a flawed system."

The letter also makes a number of recommendations to the MTA.

They include altering bus routes to limit left turns, changing traffic signals to keep pedestrians out of crosswalks during turns, and redesigning mirror placement on buses to reduce blind spots.

The mayor's office issued a response which said, in part, "The bottom line is clear: everyone in this city – whether they work for the city, work for the MTA, or are a private individual – must drive safely, yield to pedestrians, and respect that there are new laws now that clearly penalize those who do not yield to pedestrians."