Today, Assembly Member O’Donnell mourned the tragic death of Jean Chambers, 61, who was killed by a turning car on West 95th Street and West End Avenue this morning.

Today we all mourn the untimely loss of a valued member of our community. We did not need another reminder that it is past time to improve street safety for pedestrians in New York City, but let us redouble our efforts in memory of Ms. Chambers and the all-too-numerous others who have been killed in traffic accidents this year. We must step up enforcement of current traffic laws and consider necessary legislative solutions to this pervasive and deadly problem. My own efforts include the introduction of a new bill to immediately suspend the license of any driver involved in a fatal pedestrian traffic accident. A previous bill of mine to reduce New York City’s speed limit, A10144, awaits only the Governor’s signature before becoming law.

According to news reports, Ms. Jean Chambers was struck by a vehicle turning north onto West End Avenue at approximately 11:00 this morning. She succumbed to her injuries later this afternoon at St. Luke’s Hospital.

In January two traffic fatalities in one day, just blocks from where Ms. Chambers was struck today, spurred Assembly Member O’Donnell to introduce a bill to reduce New York City’s speed limit. Through months of negotiation and collaboration with fellow city and state officials, O’Donnell continued to champion this cause, and ushered his bill to passage in both the Senate and the Assembly on the last day of session this year, June 19th. The bill would reduce the default speed limit in New York City to 25 mph.