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Mayor de Blasio And Commissioner Trottenberg Announce Completion Of More Than 50 ‘Vision Zero’ Street Design Projects Making NYC Safer

January 14, 2015

In first year of Vision Zero, pedestrian fatalities fall to lowest level since 1910

City announces a new wave of safer street redesigns tackling crash-prone roadways, launches comprehensive planning initiatives for Queens Boulevard and Linden Boulevard
                                                                
NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio and Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg today announced the completion of more than 50 major street and intersection redesign projects in the first year of the City’s Vision Zero initiative. The changes include widened sidewalks, pedestrian refuge medians, protected bike lanes, and narrower crossings at dangerous intersections.

The Mayor announced that 2014 was the safest year for New York City’s pedestrians since recordkeeping began in 1910, with overall traffic fatalities down 15 percent from 2013 and pedestrian fatalities down 27 percent.

Building on 2014’s achievements, Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Trottenberg announced several new priority locations for safer street designs in the coming year. The City is launching a comprehensive community planning process for two of the city’s most notoriously dangerous corridors—Queens Boulevard and Linden Boulevard—to develop redesigns that dramatically reduce crashes along their entire length. And the DOT is moving quickly to tackle one of Midtown’s most crash-prone intersections by untangling bus routes and adding improved pedestrian crossings at Third Avenue and East 57th Street. A full slate of priorities will be identified in each Borough Safety Action plan released later this winter.

“These streets are now safer by design. We are putting every tool we have—engineering, enforcement and education—to use in reaching Vision Zero,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This is about more than numbers. Vision Zero means parents can more safely cross the streets with their children, and seniors can walk their neighborhoods more easily. We’re approaching this second year of work with proof these methods work and expanding them to even more neighborhoods.”

“While today we take a moment to recognize the great Vision Zero work completed on New York’s streets in 2014 and look ahead to 2015, our work is far from done, and we will continue to step up our efforts this year to make our streets safer for all,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.

“There is no question that Vision Zero has already had a profound impact on our streets. Through the passage of 12 pieces of legislation, a concerted effort toward increased enforcement from the NYPD, and numerous initiatives by the Department of Transportation, we have come so much closer to achieving the goals of Vision Zero. The steadfast leadership shown by Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito has been instrumental in ensuring that the voices of the advocates, experts, and especially the families of the victims are turned into action. Vision Zero is closer than you think,” said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Chair, Committee on Transportation.

“I commend Mayor de Blasio and Transportation Commissioner Trottenberg’s progress in making our streets safer through the ambitious Vision Zero initiative. Today, we see more street redesigns that heavily incorporate both pedestrian and bike traffic, as well as expand the successful slow zone designation. Last year was one of our city’s safest years for pedestrians, and 2015 will be even safer as we prioritize our most dangerous intersections,” said Public Advocate Letitia James.

“Vision Zero has helped New York City turn the corner toward safer streets for all. I appreciate the de Blasio administration's laser focus on redesigning our major intersections and arterial roadways to make pedestrian safety a top priority,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

“The redesigning of streets is a proven method for improving pedestrian safety, and I am pleased that the City has begun a comprehensive community planning process to redesign Queens Boulevard and Linden Boulevard to reduce the number of accidents along those busy corridors,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. “This redesign process will build upon the important achievements of the Vision Zero initiative, which in its first year has already significantly improved safety on our city’s streets. I commend Mayor de Blasio and the Department of Transportation, led by Commissioner Trottenberg, for their commitment to addressing the important issue of pedestrian safety.”

Highlights from 2014:

  • 27 new Arterial Slow Zones implemented on more than 120 miles of wide roadways like Atlantic Avenue and the Grand Concourse
  • 35 dangerous intersections overhauled—nearly triple the number from 2013
  • 400 new speed humps installed, a 37 percent increase over the previous year
  • Redesigns of crash-prone corridors, including stretches of Richmond Avenue on Staten Island, Park Avenue in Manhattan, and Burke Avenue in the Bronx
  • 45 Leading Pedestrian Intervals that give pedestrians a head start crossing streets, three-times more than in 2013
  • Over 5 miles of new protected bike lanes on streets like Lafayette Avenue and Hudson Street in Manhattan, and Brooklyn’s Kent Avenue
  • Five new neighborhood ‘slow zones’ lowering speeds on residential streets in Norwood, Clinton Hill, Alphabet City, Brownsville, and Jackson Heights

Priorities for 2015:
In 2014, DOT also hosted public workshops in development of borough-specific Pedestrian Safety Action Plans. These plans, which will be released next month, use crash data to provide a roadmap for future safety enhancements, and will lead to state of the art corridor and intersection improvements in at least 50 additional locations each year. The first projects underway in 2015 include:

  • A dramatic intersection redesign at Hillside Ave & Metropolitan Ave in Queens
  • A “road diet” on Amsterdam Avenue and protected bike lanes on Fort George Hill in Upper Manhattan
  • Atlantic Avenue near Washington and Underhill Avenues in Brooklyn
  • A complex intersection redesign at Jackson and Westchester Avenues in the Bronx
  • 50 miles of new bike lanes along routes like Staten Island’s Clove Road, and at least 100 blocks of protected bike lanes as part of that goal

“Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero policy has already shown that it has the ability to greatly reduce pedestrian fatalities within the City of New York,” said Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda. “These improvements in street design and planning have already had a positive effect on the people who walk and bicycle in this city every day. I look forward to seeing the improvements Mayor de Blasio and the Department of Transportation make in the coming year to further ensure pedestrian safety.”

“The Bronx has dealt with its share of hazardous intersections and road, however, in the past year, we have witnessed a drastic change in the landscape of our city streets concerning how drivers navigate them. Vision Zero has improved the safety of some of our most dangerous roads and intersections, I look forward to continue working with the Department of Transportation, to bring more improvements to our borough, and city,” said Council Member Annabel Palma.

NYCDOT Vision Zero Street Improvement Projects - 2014

Location

Description

Boro

 

 

 

Corridor Projects

 

 

Kent Avenue (Clymer to WSW)

Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Enhancement

B

125th Street/Astoria Boulevard

Select Bus Service

M

Church St, 6th Avenue, Washington Square

Bicycle Network Connections

M

Willis Avenue Bridge Connections

Shared-Use Path Enhancement

M/X

Paerdegat Avenue North

Jamaica Bay Greenway Enhancements

B

South End Avenue

Corridor Safety Improvements

M

Hudson Street

Parking Protected Bike Path

M

E 106th Street and E 102nd Street

Manhattan and Queens Connector

M

Franklin Avenue

Bike Lanes and Shared Lanes

B

Utica Avenue

Transit and Safety Improvements

B

Park Avenue, 96th Street to 111th Street

Pedestrian Corridor Improvements

M

Broadway (Woodside)

Corridor Safety Improvements

Q

Burke Avenue

Corridor Safety Improvements

X

Lafayette Street, 4th Avenue

Parking Protected Bike Path

M

Morningside Avenue

Traffic Calming and Pedestrian Safety Improvements

M

Cathedral Parkway

Traffic Calming and Pedestrian Safety Improvements

M

Brownsville/East New York

Community Bike Network Phase II

B

Park Avenue (BK)

Corridor Safety Improvements

B

West End Avenue

Corridor Safety Improvements

M

White Plains Road

Traffic Calming

X

Foster Avenue

Traffic Calming and Pedestrian Safety Improvements

B

Washington Heights

Bike Lanes and Traffic Calming

M

Broadway (Elmhurst)

Corridor Safety Improvements

Q

Rockaway Freeway

Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Q

Richmond Avenue

Medians and Traffic Calming

S

4th Avenue (Bay Ridge)

Corridor Safety Improvements

B

 

 

 

Intersection Projects

 

 

43rd Street and 9th Avenue

Intersection Safety Improvements

M

3rd Avenue and E 60th Street

Pedestrian Safety Improvements

M

Northern Boulevard and 61st Street

Pedestrian Safety Islands

Q

Queens Boulevard in Rego Park

Intersection Safety Improvements

Q

Ocean Parkway and Church Ave

Pedestrian Safety Improvements

B

BQE and 37th Avenue

Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Q

Albany Crescent and Bailey Ave

Pedestrian Safety Improvements

X

41st Street and 9th Avenue

Intersection Safety Improvements

M

Rockaway Point Boulevard and B 169 Street

Marine Park Bridge Connector

Q

Myrtle Avenue and Flatbush Avenue

Intersection Safety Improvements

B

Douglaston Station

235th Street/41st Avenue Plaza

Q

Douglaston Parkway

Pedestrian Safety Improvement

Q

Eastern Parkway and Saratoga Avenue

Intersection Safety Improvements

B

Bowery and Delancey Street

Pedestrian Safety and Traffic Improvements

M

Morrison Avenue and Harrod Place

Morrison Avenue Plaza

X

Queens Boulevard and Yellowstone Boulevard

Intersection Safety Improvements

Q

Queens Boulevard and 71st Avenue

Intersection Safety Improvements

Q

Delancey St North and Pitt Street

Intersection Safety Improvements

M

Riverside Drive at W 72nd and W 79th Streets

Pedestrian Safety Improvements

M

Ditmas Avenue and Ralph Avenue

Intersection Safety Improvements

B

 

 

 

Multi/Complex Intersection Projects: Complex intersection project including treatments on radiating streets; or neighborhood-wide treatments

Soundview Area

One-Way Conversions

X

Broadway and 96th Street

Pedestrian Safety Improvements

M

Greenpoint Avenue and 48th Avenue

Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Q

Bushwick Avenue

Traffic Calming and Intersection Safety Improvements

B

Myrtle Avenue, Wyckoff Avenue and Palmetto St

Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Q

Broadway and Dyckman Street

Safety and Mobility Improvements

M

Longwood Avenue

Corridor and Complex Intersection Redesign

X

Homelawn Street

Pedestrian Safety and Intersection Improvement

Q

E Tremont Avenue and Silver Street

Intersection Safety Improvements

X

Central Park

Traffic Calming, Pedestrian Safety Improvements

M

Woodhaven Boulevard

Corridor Safety and Mobility Improvements

Q

 

Traffic Fatalities

 

 

 

 

 

Pedestrians

Cyclists

Motorcyclists

Motor Vehicle

Total

2001

194

13

41

146

394

2002

187

21

46

133

387

2003

179

18

35

132

364

2004

155

16

27

99

297

2005

157

22

34

108

321

2006

168

18

31

107

324

2007

140

24

36

75

275

2008

152

22

39

76

289

2009

158

12

29

61

260

2010

152

19

39

61

271

2011

142

22

33

52

249

2012

150

18

36

73

277

2013

180

12

42

59

293

2014*

134

20

37

59

250

*2014 figures are preliminary



Learn more at nyc.gov/visionzero.

 

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