Mamdani: Daylighting Before Death! - Streetsblog New York City

""Too often, daylighting is something that is delivered after someone is killed," he said in response to a question from Alex Duncan of the Reddit sub r/micromobilityNYC, and referencing the killing of Dolma Naadhun at Newtown Road and 45th Street in Astoria by a driver who couldn't see the tot. "We cannot allow for the story that happened to Dolma to happen again and again in order to see daylighting on an intersection," the mayor continued. And so that is the work that we are going to be doing with my Commissioner ... how can we extend this to the work that we do across the city?"

"Parking within 20 feet of corners is illegal under state law, but the same law allowed New York City to exempt itself, a privilege that previous mayors exercised on behalf of the car-owning minority. But Mamdani suggested that he's open to changing the practice, using the McGuinness road diet announcement and Duncan's question to lay out a broader vision for safety. "We are going to be pursuing every single safety measure that can deliver that for New Yorkers," he said. "Before I took office [in the Assembly], I saw what inaction looked like. We sent a letter to DOT asking for physical infrastructure improvements to be made on the Crescent Street bike lane. I was told we could not expect that to take place. Soon after Alfredo Cabrera Liconia was killed a"

Mayor Mamdani plans to instruct the Department of Transportation to add daylighting at intersections proactively rather than waiting for fatalities or City Council action. The City Council failed to pass a universal daylighting bill in 2025 despite majority support, and state law allows NYC exemptions to a 20-foot no-parking rule near corners. Previous administrations used that exemption to favor drivers. Mamdani signaled openness to reversing that practice and to using McGuinness safety work as a model for citywide measures. The administration intends to pursue every safety measure and expand physical infrastructure improvements to protect pedestrians and cyclists.

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