FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR- 356-10 August 16, 2010 MAYOR BLOOMBERG, SPEAKER QUINN AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER SADIK-KHAN RELEASE CITY’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY STUDY TO DATE AND ANNOUNCE INSTALLATION OF 1,500 PEDESTRIAN COUNTDOWN SIGNALS ACROSS THE CITY Speeding, Driver Inattention, Failure to Yield are Prime Causes in Most Serious Pedestrian Accidents Reduced 20 M.P.H. Speed Limits and Street Redesigns for Pedestrian Safety Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan today released the City’s most comprehensive pedestrian safety report to date, which found that pedestrian fatalities occur disproportionately along multi-lane streets and avenues, and that speeding, driver inattention and failure to yield are the underlying factors behind the vast majority of pedestrian fatalities or serious injury accidents. The report – the Pedestrian Safety Study and Action Plan – recommends a series of actions to continue to reduce pedestrian accidents, including pilot programs to reduce speed limits to 20 m.p.h. and street redesigns to increase pedestrian safety. In addition to releasing the report, the Mayor, Speaker and Commissioner announced the conclusion of the City’s pedestrian countdown signal pilot program. Based on the data collected, which clearly demonstrates the types of intersections where countdown signals have a positive safety impact, pedestrian countdown signals will be installed at 1,500 initial intersections across the city, with installation beginning this month. The Pedestrian Safety Study and Action Plan is the most comprehensive report of its kind in the nation, reviewing more than 7,000 crash records. The Mayor also was joined by NYPD Chief of Transportation James Tuller, State Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry, State Senator Jose Peralta, City Council Transportation Committee Chair James Vacca and Council Member Jessica S. Lapin at the announcement at 108th Street and Northern Boulevard in Queens where a new pedestrian countdown signal was installed this weekend. “We’ve made historic gains in reducing traffic fatalities, and this year we are seeing pedestrians fatalities decline again,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “But we still see too many families devastated by traffic accidents. The report and actions detailed today, including the installation of pedestrian countdown signals across the city, will make our streets even safer, especially for the pedestrians who, year in and year out, account for the majority of New York’s traffic fatalities.” “Our local government must be the national leader in protecting the millions of pedestrians and cyclists who travel our streets every day,” said Council Speaker Quinn. “Created through the City Council’s legislative action in 2008, the pedestrian safety report is a critical tool that keeps pedestrians as safe as possible, keeps our neighborhoods senior friendly, and keeps us on track to meeting our goal to significantly cut carbon emissions and congestion rates by the year 2030.” “New York’s streets are the safest of any big city, and this study provides a roadmap for safety strategies throughout the five boroughs to make our streets even safer,” said Commissioner Sadik-Khan. “Pedestrian countdown signals can help cut out any guesswork in crossing busy intersections to keep pedestrians from being caught in the middle of a dangerous situation.” “One of the biggest complaints I get as a Councilman is cars speeding down side streets, ignoring traffic controls, and creating a dangerous environment for pedestrians in general,” said Transportation Committee Chair Vacca. “People are often in a rush to go nowhere, and they put other people’s lives in danger in the process. As Transportation Chair, I firmly believe we need new and innovative approaches to traffic calming. I welcome the findings in today’s report, and look forward to working with Speaker Quinn and the Department of Transportation to take action in the months ahead to make New York a safer city for pedestrians and motorists alike.” “Whether it’s walking to the subway, taking a trip to the store, or just going for a stroll in the park, we are a city of pedestrians,” said Council Member Lappin, chair of the City Council Committee on Aging. “However, our roads can be dangerous places, especially for our senior citizens. We’re here today to announce an unwavering commitment to further reducing road fatalities and making our streets safer for everyone. We all use these streets and we need them to be safe.” “In 2008, the City Council made pedestrians and bicyclists a priority with the passage of the Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Act, mandating annual reports on the dangers pedestrians and bicyclists face and related accident data,” said Council Member Vincent J. Gentile. “Today, we’re continuing to deliver on our promise to make the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists paramount. Today, we have a comprehensive report on the dangers that threaten pedestrians and bicyclists and a set of solutions to safeguard the public. Thanks to Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn and the Department of Transportation’s commitment to protecting those who choose to walk or bike, a safer city will come out of this report.” Pedestrian Countdown Signals Pedestrian countdown signals, which display LED numbers that count down the number of seconds remaining before the “flashing hand” phase turns solid red, can help pedestrians decide whether there is enough time to cross the street safely and reduce the number of pedestrians still in crosswalks during the “do not walk” phase of the light. A comprehensive pilot program was started last year, which installed countdown signals at 24 intersections in five corridors and used video to analyze the impacts. The pilot showed that the signals at wider crosswalks helped reduce the number of pedestrians still in the crosswalk when the countdown signals turned to solid red. The countdown signals had no effect on streets with shorter pedestrian crossing distances. A smaller pilot program, started in 2006, proved inconclusive and the program was expanded and video monitoring was added. The 1,500 initial intersections scheduled for pedestrian countdown signal installation are along corridors selected due to roadway width and geometry, and their high rates of accidents involving pedestrian injuries. Following installation of countdown signals at the initial 1,500 intersections, countdown signals will be installed along other corridors where DOT has demonstrated a strong need for such signals. Countdown signal installation will be phased-in, with locations including: Grand Concourse in the Bronx from E.140th Street to Mosholu Parkway; 4th Avenue in Brooklyn from Pacific to 65th Streets; Broadway from Columbus Circle to W.169th Street; Queens Boulevard from Van Dam Street to Hillside Avenue; and Hylan Boulevard on Staten Island from Harold Avenue to Steuben Street. Pedestrian countdown signals will become standard for all new signal installations on wider streets. The first 250 new signal installations will start within a month, with the remainder installed over the next year. A complete listing of the 1,500 locations where countdown signals will be installed is available at www.nyc.gov. Pedestrian Safety Study and Action Plan 2009 saw the fewest traffic fatalities in New York City’s recorded history and the Pedestrian Safety Study and Action Plan affirmed that New York City is the nation’s safest big city and is getting safer as DOT moves toward the goal of reducing traffic fatalities by 50 percent by 2030, compared to 2007 statistics. The study examined eight years of data from 2002 through 2009 that showed that serious crashes in the city occurred overwhelmingly along high-traffic corridors, not at specific intersections. The data supports previous studies that have led to the launch of ambitious safety initiatives targeting seniors, schoolchildren and congested corridors citywide. Some of the key findings in the report include:
In addition to installing countdown pedestrian signals at 1,500 intersections, other major actions detailed in the Pedestrian Safety Study and Action Plan are:
In addition to these action items, DOT will increase its efforts to improve safety through public information, education and advertising campaigns, and working with NYPD on targeted enforcement. The complete Pedestrian Safety Study and Action Plan report can be found at www.nyc.gov. MEDIA CONTACT: Stu Loeser / Marc La Vorgna (212) 788-2958 Seth Solomonow (Department of Transportation) (212) 839-4850 |
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