Vision Zero Persuasive Speech

Queens-dwellers have mixed feelings upon hearing the road running from Jamaica, Queens to Midtown Manhattan, known notoriously as the Boulevard of Death, is ultimately undergoing much needed reform. On July 23, Mayor De Blasio announced the implementation of a $100 million dollar project, called Vision Zero, which will completely reconstruct the boulevard, making it a safer place primarily for pedestrians and bikers. Queens Boulevard is the widest street in New York City (175-225ft) on which more than 60,000 cars navigate tedious traffic jams everyday. Since 1990 to date, an outstanding 185 people, predominantly elderly pedestrians, have lost their lives on Queens Boulevard. Hence, Vision Zero’s blueprint involves inputting safer crossings, more crosswalks, protected bike lanes and pedestrian refuges. …show more content…
Despite the ear-splitting racket of construction and roads being closed off causing traffic to worsen, pedestrians are anxious and ecstatic for the upcoming transformations.

“It’s a change we’ve needed for a very long time, I see accidents from my balcony at least once a week, I heard of old people dying while crossing the street every now and then and it’s heart-wrenching. We need bike lanes, greater awareness of driver safety, longer times between lights and more cameras to catch the speeders” local resident, Aziza Alkadash said. Alkadash lived on a building overlooking the boulevard for almost seventeen years and is overcome with relief at the changes being made, starting with the speed limit which was just lowered from 30 mph to