East Harlem

Eyes on the Street: Curb Extensions on Park Avenue in East Harlem

People crossing Park Avenue in East Harlem often have a tough time seeing cars coming down the street. A stone viaduct that carries Metro-North trains overhead reduces visibility for walkers, cyclists and drivers alike. This week, DOT poured concrete for neckdowns at East 111th Street as part of a larger street safety project.

By Stephen Miller

4:00 PM EDT on April 2, 2015

Crews install a concrete neckdown at Park Avenue and 111th Street. Photo: NYC DOT/Facebook

The neckdowns at 111th Street expand the short sidewalk in the median below the train viaduct, allowing pedestrians to safely stand in a visible location before crossing the street.

Some intersections on Park Avenue in East Harlem already have the concrete curb extensions, while others wait for them. Photos: Stephen Miller

Neckdowns were installed at 104th and 105th Streets in 2009 as part of a school safety project. More are coming to the rest of the Park Avenue stone viaduct, between East 96th and East 111th Streets, as part of a project proposed last year and supported by Community Board 11.

Park Avenue is a notable danger zone for cyclists. Despite a high number of bicycle crashes on Park, including three fatalities at East 108th Street since 2012, DOT has not revealed any plans to add bicycle infrastructure to the street.

Stephen Miller

In spring 2017, Stephen wrote for Streetsblog USA, covering the livable streets movement and transportation policy developments around the nation. From August 2012 to October 2015, he was a reporter for Streetsblog NYC, covering livable streets and transportation issues in the city and the region. After joining Streetsblog, he covered the tail end of the Bloomberg administration and the launch of Citi Bike. Since then, he covered mayoral elections, the de Blasio administration's ongoing Vision Zero campaign, and New York City's ever-evolving street safety and livable streets movements.

East Harlem | Eyes on the Street | Pedestrian Infrastructure

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