Traffic Calming
Streetsblog Basics
Mayor’s Report Card: Traffic Deaths Falling, But Policy a Mixed Bag
Each year, the City Charter requires the mayor to issue a report showing whether city agencies are meeting their goals. This year's report card is a mixed bag for street safety, DOT, and NYPD. While fatalities are down, the direction of the enforcement and street design policies behind Vision Zero is less clear.
September 18, 2015
DOT Axes Midland Beach Slow Zone, and Staten Islanders Seem OK With That
DOT has shelved a Neighborhood Slow Zone planned for Staten Island's Midland Beach neighborhood over local opposition to a 20 mph speed limit on one of the streets within the project area. Borough President Jimmy Oddo, who supported the Slow Zone as a council member, is now applauding DOT for canceling it.
August 25, 2015
Will CB 9 Take Its Cues From a Denny Farrell Rant Against a Safer Broadway?
Council Member Mark Levine and the local precinct commander spoke in support of a traffic safety plan [PDF] for a deadly stretch of Broadway last night at a Manhattan Community Board 9 transportation committee meeting. Then Denny Farrell, chair of the New York State Assembly's powerful ways and means committee, let loose with a nonsensical rant against the plan.
July 10, 2015
Tonight: Community Board 9 Weighs Fix for Dangerous Stretch of Broadway
A street safety plan [PDF] for Broadway in West Harlem is going before the Manhattan Community Board 9 transportation committee tonight. The redesign is a road diet similar to other DOT projects that have reduced deaths and injuries, but CB 9 members also have a track record of opposing attempts to improve safety by removing car lanes.
July 9, 2015
Eyes on the Street: DOT Installs Missing Speed Hump After Driver Flips Car
After a car crash, some press attention, and pressure from the local council member, DOT finally coordinated with the School Construction Authority to install a long-awaited speed hump on Hull Avenue as part of the Norwood Slow Zone in the Bronx.
June 19, 2015
CB 7 Backs Caton Ave Safety Fixes After Lander Urges “Yes” Vote
Safety improvements for Caton Avenue in Brooklyn almost didn't get a thumbs up from Community Board 7 last night when a few people spoke against the loss of five parking spaces. But Council Member Brad Lander stepped in and urged the board to support the redesign, leading to a vote in favor.
June 18, 2015
Will NYPD Charge Driver Who Rammed Woman on Sidewalk and Left Scene?
A motorist who deliberately drove down a Manhattan sidewalk, rammed a pedestrian, left the scene and reportedly hit a second person in Brooklyn might not be charged with a crime, according to one of the victims.
May 14, 2015
DOT Redesign of 165th Street in the Bronx: Road Diet and Painted Bike Lanes
A section of E. 165th Street near the Grand Concourse is set to get a road diet, bike lanes, and concrete pedestrian islands under a DOT plan to cut down on traffic injuries [PDF]. While the redesign would be a big improvement over the status quo, it doesn't take advantage of the widest sections to put in protected bike lanes.
May 12, 2015
DOT Proposes Road Diets for Two Uptown Avenues
Two dangerous uptown avenues could get road diets and bike lanes this summer under a DOT plan presented to the Manhattan Community Board 12 transportation committee on Monday [PDF]. A plan for Sherman Avenue received the committee's support, while a design for St. Nicholas Avenue is headed for at least one more month of review.
May 8, 2015
Bed-Stuy CB Freaks Out Over Adding Pedestrian Space to Fulton and Utica
Creating more space for pedestrians at a dangerous, crowded transfer point between bus lines and the subway -- sounds like a no-brainer, right? Not at Brooklyn Community Board 3, where the default position is to reflexively reject even the smallest street safety change.
April 8, 2015