Traffic Calming
Streetsblog Basics
“The Better Block” Celebrates Four Years of Re-imagining Streets
Streetfilms has wanted to profile Jason Roberts and the amazing work of The Better Block for a long time. So it felt like destiny when, a few weeks ago, we were able to sync up and chronicle the fourth anniversary of The Better Block in Oak Cliff, Texas. This temporary pedestrian plaza is right next to the original site where Roberts and the team at The Better Block first showed how you can completely transform a street using temporary materials and your imagination.
May 19, 2014
Morningside Ave. Road Diet Set for July After CB 10 Chair Urges Support
With new, clear marching orders from chair Henrietta Lyle after nine months of stalled deliberations, Community Board 10's transportation committee voted unanimously last night to support a road diet plan [PDF] for a speeding-plagued stretch of Morningside Avenue. Pending expected support from the full board next month, DOT is scheduled to implement the safer street design in July.
May 15, 2014
Manhattan CB 10 Continues to Oppose Safety Overhaul for Morningside Ave
Wednesday night, Manhattan Community Board 10 in Harlem continued to obstruct a street redesign that could save lives. A safety overhaul for speeding-plagued Morningside Avenue, requested by local residents and developed by DOT, has been stalled as the board refuses to back any plan that includes a reduction in the number of car lanes. In a near-repeat of a board meeting in February, CB 10 sent the issue back to committee, where it has languished since last September. Meanwhile, the board has established a Vision Zero task force, even as it opposes street safety measures.
May 9, 2014
Tonight: Big Changes Proposed for Intersection Where Ella Bandes Was Killed
Last year, 23-year-old Ella Bandes was killed by a turning MTA bus driver at a complex intersection on the Queens-Brooklyn border. On the anniversary of her death in January, her parents called on DOT to implement more aggressive street safety measures. Tonight, DOT is scheduled to present a plan to Queens Community Board 5's transportation committee, including new crosswalks, curb extensions and turn bans [PDF].
April 22, 2014
Grand Concourse Will Be the Next Arterial With 25 MPH Limit
Local elected officials and advocates joined NYC DOT and NYPD this morning to unveil the city's second "arterial slow zone" on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, where speed limits will be dropped to 25 mph and traffic signals will be retimed to discourage speeding.
April 17, 2014
East 106th Street Road Diet and Bike Lanes Head to Manhattan CB 11
Running between Fifth Avenue and FDR Drive, 106th Street in East Harlem should provide a key bike connection between Central Park and Randall's Island. NYC DOT is proposing a road diet and painted bike lanes [PDF] to improve safety on the street, and Community Board 11's transportation committee could vote on the plan soon.
April 16, 2014
Why Is America Falling Farther Behind Other Nations on Street Safety?
Vox, the much-anticipated Ezra Klein/Matt Yglesias reporting venture, launched earlier this week to wide fanfare, and one of the first articles explained that "traffic deaths are way, way down" in the United States.
April 9, 2014
Advocates in Neighborhoods Waiting for Slow Zones Call for 20 MPH Limit
Over the weekend, advocates from Right of Way and residents in a dozen Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens neighborhoods installed dozens of "20 Is Plenty" signs, which urge drivers to slow down, and asked Mayor de Blasio to keep his promise to fast-track Slow Zone installations. The neighborhoods represented in yesterday's demonstration are among those that have either had their applications for 20 mph zones rejected by DOT or are waiting up to two years for the city to implement the traffic calming program.
March 17, 2014
Morningside Road Diet Supporters Try to Find Common Ground With CB 10
Wednesday night, Harlem road diet supporters and opponents met in an attempt to find common ground on what can be done to improve safety on Morningside Avenue. The move comes in advance of DOT releasing a second plan for the street, after its first design encountered opposition from Community Board 10.
March 14, 2014
Fixing Jay Street Starts With Cracking Down on Illegal Parking
Jay Street, the north-south route often overshadowed by nearby car-clogged Adams Street and Flatbush Avenue, is a major artery in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn, flush with pedestrians going to and from the subway and cyclists heading to the Manhattan Bridge. It's also overrun with illegally-parked drivers, creating an obstacle course for anyone trying to navigate the street.
March 11, 2014