'Traffic Violence Crisis': City Pledges 1K Safer Intersections

BROOKLYN, NY — A heroic Park Slope nanny who pushed a 1-year-old out of a truck's path. An elderly woman killed by an SUV while walking down a Bed-Stuy sidewalk. A 15-year-old killed by a school bus in Sheepshead Bay.

These are the lives lost that will spur an overhaul of the city's most dangerous crosswalks, according to Mayor Eric Adams.

"These tragedies...they've changed lives," Adams said from an intersection below Prospect Park on Wednesday. "These fatalities are happening, these injuries are happening, merely because people want to cross the street."

The mayor and transportation officials announced Wednesday that 1,000 New York City intersections will be "reimagined" to help prevent traffic deaths that have plagued streets across the five boroughs.

The changes will include raised crosswalks, new bike corrals, new turn signals and other traffic-calming measures that will be rolled out largely at 100 intersections at a time, according to officials.

They will come along with an enforcement blitz from the NYPD, who will focus specifically on a new law that requires drivers and cyclists to fully stop, rather than simply yield, when pedestrians are crossing the street.

The rule, which went into effect Wednesday, will mean summonses or arrests for those who are seen maneuvering their way around pedestrians instead of stopping, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.

"The time for warnings has come to an end," Sewell said Wednesday. "We will be out there to ensure compliance."

Adams, an avid cyclist and subway rider himself, has long promised on expanding former Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero program.

He inherited a record-breaking year for traffic deaths in 2021, the deadliest year for Vision Zero since the program was put in place.

Last year, 122 pedestrians were killed in New York City, including more than half on intersections, Sewell said. Intersections accounted for 79 percent of pedestrian injuries, according to Adams.

Here's a look at the intersection plan, according to Adams' office:

• 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.
• Bike corrals: 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.