NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- New York City officials laid out a new plan Wednesday to make crosswalks safer—including the redesign of 1,000 intersections and widespread enforcement of a new rule for drivers—following the deadliest year for pedestrians in almost a decade.
Mayor Eric Adams joined the heads of the NYPD and Department of Transportation at one of the “most dangerous” intersections in the city—Coney Island and Caton avenues in Brooklyn—to announce the new measures.
Citywide, 79% of pedestrian injuries and 55% of pedestrian fatalities happen at intersections. Among the pedestrians injured or killed in recent days was 15-year-old Antonina Zatulovska, who police said was fatally struck by a turning school bus driver as she crossed a street in Sheepshead Bay on Monday.
Last year saw the most traffic deaths in the city since the Vision Zero traffic safety effort began nearly a decade ago. There were 122 pedestrians killed on city roads—the majority of them hit by drivers making turns onto crosswalks.
“No matter how much we lean into Vision Zero that vision was clouded by the number of deaths we witness in our city,” Adams said at Wednesday’s press conference.
The efforts include increased enforcement against drivers and cyclists who fail to recognize the “primacy of pedestrians in crosswalks,” as a new DOT rule takes effect on Wednesday.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said under the new rule, drivers and cyclists can’t simply yield but must fully stop for pedestrians anywhere in a crosswalk and stay stopped until they’ve finished crossing.
“That does not mean slow down and navigate your car between people walking in the crosswalk. It means stop until the crosswalk is clear of pedestrians, then proceed,” Sewell said.
Drivers and cyclists who don’t stay stopped for pedestrians in a crosswalk face a summons—or arrest if someone is hurt or killed.
“The time for warnings has come to an end,” Sewell said.
Despite the increases in pedestrian injuries and deaths in 2021, the NYPD issued a record-low number of moving violations. That will change, officials said, as the NYPD ups enforcement of failure-to-yield violations, with the goal of doubling 2021 enforcement efforts.
In addition to increased enforcement, city agencies are also launching a new public awareness campaign, called “Stop. Let Them Cross,” to ensure that all drivers know the rules of the road.
Adams said the city was also committed to beginning intersection design changes this year at 1,000 locations across the city identified as priority locations by Vision Zero.
“There will be traffic-calming measures and recapturing space for pedestrians,” the mayor said.
DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said the design changes will include improved traffic signals, raised crosswalks and other expanded pedestrian space and visibility measures.
Here are some specifics of the new plan for intersections:
· Increased focus on intersections in Street Improvement Projects: DOT will use its full toolkit of street design treatments as redesigns happen, focused on Vision Zero priority geographies, locations where fatalities and serious injuries have occurred, and Priority Investment Areas as detailed in the NYC Streets Plan. These changes include new turn signals and “head-starts” that allow pedestrians to enter the intersection before vehicles can turn.
· Raised crosswalks: DOT will begin a program to construct 100 raised crosswalks at curb level annually. Raised crosswalks serve a dual purpose of increasing accessibility for the disability community, while at the same time serving as speed bumps that slow drivers. This work will be done primarily via a new contract with the New York City Department of Design and Construction.
· Bike corrals at intersections: DOT will “daylight” at least 100 intersections with bike corrals this year, as part of its planned installation of more than 10,000 bicycle racks by the end of 2022. Bike corrals at intersections help provide visibility for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, while preventing drivers from cutting corners and turning too quickly.
· Parking lot and gas station traffic-calming: Curb cuts at high-traffic locations like parking lots and gasoline stations, often at intersections, can create danger as drivers cut across sidewalks unpredictably — a particular concern for vulnerable student and senior pedestrians. DOT efforts will target dozens of problem locations, largely outside Manhattan, reducing driver “short cuts” and better channeling vehicle traffic to increase visibility and predictability.
· Doubling the Turn-Calming Program: Research has shown that drivers take turns more slowly and deliberately when physical elements are in place to force turns at more appropriate speeds. DOT will double the production of such efforts to 100 intersections this year.
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