NEW YORK CITY
TAXI & LIMOUSINE COMMISSION
221 West 41st Street
New York, New York 10036-7208
(212) 840-4520
DIANE
MCGRATH-MCKECHNIE
Commission.Chairperson
March 28, 1997
Mr. Steven Warren
Crowell
4706 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA
70119
Dear Mr. Crowell,
I am in receipt
of your recent e-mail and wish to inform you that I did indeed write back after
your first communique’. Be that as it may, let’s consider this a fresh start. I
think the best way to proceed, given the structure of your information request,
would be to respond to the questions in order.
The partition was first required for non-individually
owned and operated taxicabs approximately two years ago (March 95). Independently-owned taxicabs are not required to have
the partitions and their owners may install and remove them as they see fit.
The time of the partition mandate was prior to my
administration of this agency, but I do not believe we were in receipt of the
letters you mention.
No, the partition mandate was never withdrawn and has remained
consistent
Yes, I believe our Legal Department is knowledgeable in
all areas of legal standards for such devices.
This is a
difficult question to answer.
If you are asking how many crimes-in-progress were specifically thwarted by the
partition, I am afraid I do not have such an answer. However, seeing as though
there has been a single murder of a New York City taxicab driver in the last
three years, I think it is quite safe to say that the partition has been a
successful deterrent to crime. Of course, it is also true to state that this
deterrent was supplemented by the trouble light, and the overall 40%-plus
reduction in crime across the City of New York, thanks to the initiatives of
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.
PAGE
TWO
MR.
STEVEN WARREN CROWELL
MARCH
28, 1997
Yes, we are well aware of the potential dangers
of passengers not wearing their seat belts hitting partitions in short-stop
circumstances. In fact, we are currently in the process of mandating that each
cab's Talking Taxi box include a message reminding passengers to buckle up. We
are confident that this Will raise seat belt awareness and use, and
significantly reduce this potential danger.
On the
matter of utilizing your services as a consultant in the area of partition
safety, while I must say that there are no openings for such additions to my
staff, or even a budget for outside consultants, my mind is open. If you have
any materials you would like me to review, please feel free to forward them. I
will accept them with the City's gratitude.
Thank you for writing. Please feel free to do so
again, if we can be of any assistance, or if there is any information of a
specific nature you may wish to share with us.
Sincerely,
Diane
McGrath-McKechnie
Chairperson
New
York City
Taxi
and Limousine Commission
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