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  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2002
PR-254-02
www.nyc.gov


MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES TRAFFIC
IMPROVEMENTS FOR MIDTOWN MANHATTAN


Ten "Thru- streets" to be Designated in
Midtown to Improve Traffic Flow


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, joined by Department of Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall and New York City Police Department Chief of Transportation Michael Scagnelli, announced that the City will designate five pairs of Midtown cross streets for "express" or through-street operations on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., beginning Tuesday, October 15. Turns will be barred (with a few exceptions) between 3rd and 6th Avenues. The streets designated for the pilot program are as follows:

"Thru-streets are an excellent means of improving traffic flow in crowded Midtown Manhattan," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Traffic is simply too heavy in New York and we have to think outside the box to move goods, people and services around our City more quickly and efficiently. Thru-streets are an excellent way to fight gridlock and keep New York moving."

"Pairing these streets should facilitate the movement of east-west vehicular traffic in Midtown," Commissioner Weinshall said. "By allowing no turns off these streets, we should attract drivers who seek a reliable route across town, and also lighten the load on non-thru streets, thus making overall traffic flow more consistent."

In addition, curbside parking regulations between 3rd and 6th Avenues will remain "no standing" on one side, with "no standing, except trucks loading and unloading," on the other side. On the non-through streets between 42nd and 60th streets, "no standing except trucks loading and unloading" regulations will govern both sides of the street. These regulations will provide up to 150 additional truck-loading spaces. These spaces should help alleviate double-parking - a chronic Midtown problem.

The "thru-street" program also will benefit pedestrians, as turning prohibitions will create protected intersections where pedestrians will be able to cross the avenues without risks posed by turning vehicles. A "split phasing" pedestrian crossing scheme also will be installed at the 37 other intersections between 42nd and 60th Streets, facilitating crossing for pedestrians.

The Police Department will strictly enforce the new parking and turn prohibition regulations once the "thru street" program begins. Bus service along 49th and 50th Street and 59th and 60th Streets should be improved, as well as entrance and exit points from the Queens Midtown Tunnel and the Queensboro Bridge. The program was developed because the average automobile speed in Midtown during the spring of 2002 was 4.8 miles per hour, just 1.4 miles per hour faster than the average walking speed of humans.

DOT has been in the forefront of many traffic initiatives during the past year - including implementation of the single occupancy vehicle ban; the establishment of an
HOV-3 lane along the Gowanus Expressway and establishment recently of an exclusive bus lane along Church Street in lower Manhattan.

 

www.nyc.gov

Contact: Ed Skyler / Jordan Barowitz
(212) 788-2958
Tom Cocola (DOT)
(212) 442-7033