Improving Pedestrian Safety
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Pedestrian safety has been a top priority for me since I was elected and it continues to be a major focus of my office. Way too often, we wake up to news of yet another fatality due to reckless driving.
Sadly, the 25th Council District is all too familiar with these tragedies. To combat this epidemic, I have implemented many pedestrian safety improvements with more on the way.
Immediately after taking office I was presented with the results of a three-year Neighborhood Transportation Study. The study, funded in part by Congressman Joseph Crowley, aimed to address issues of congestion and pedestrian safety in Jackson Heights. The report suggested an ambitious package of improvements that included bus rerouting, expanded crosswalks, turning lanes and more.
I took action. Working closely with the community and the Department of Transportation (DOT), I implemented these improvements and they have yielded significant results. Vehicle travel time in the study area has improved. Commuters on the Q47 and Q49 busses enjoy a ride that is up to 10 minutes faster. Most importantly, the total number of crashes with injuries in the area has decreased significantly. See this link:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/ssi-2012-jackson-heights.pdf
Building on the success of the Transportation Study, and in response to community requests, my office reached out to the DOT and applied for the creation of the East Elmhurst Slow Zone. Slow Zones set a 20 mph speed limit in a given area and use a combination of speed bumps and other traffic calming measures to enforce it. Since implementation, many residents have told me they have noticed a decrease in speeding in the area. Traffic data is being collected by the DOT and we expect to have information on how effective the Slow Zone has been in the coming months.
Moving forward, I am happy to say that we have received approval for a second Neighborhood Slow Zone for Jackson Heights. The zone, scheduled to be implemented in 2014, will cover 69th Street to 86th Street between Roosevelt and 35th Avenues. This will provide a greater degree of safety for many of our area schools.
To further bolster our students' safety, I allocated $300K in capital funds for a Safe Routes to Schools Project. Among other improvements, the project will install curb extensions at intersections around St. Joan of Arc and the Renaissance Charter School. These extensions will shorten crossing distances for pedestrians while reducing the speed of approaching vehicles. Details on this project can be found at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/qnstjoanofarc.pdf
In response to the tragic death last year of young Miguel Torres on 80th Street and Northern Boulevard, I began working on an action plan with the Queens Borough Transportation Commissioner. We discussed the need for further safety measures to better protect our young people.
Almost immediately following our meeting, the DOT removed two parking spots from the northwest corner of 80th Street and Northern Boulevard. Doing this allows for a greater field of vision for drivers who are making a right hand turn on to Northern and will help to protect pedestrians who are crossing. I will continue to work with the DOT on further safety improvements especially along Northern Boulevard.
The changes we have made will not guarantee 100% pedestrian safety on their own. Without proper and effective enforcement there is no way we can curb the epidemic of reckless driving that is plaguing our streets.
Similarly, we must focus on educating our young people as well as adults on issues of pedestrian safety. Recently, I was pleased to support the "3 Children Too Many" march and rally, organized by a small but dedicated group of mothers who have had enough of preventable tragedies on our streets. I support their work to raise awareness of these issues.
Along with engineering, education and enforcement, community involvement is crucially important to achieving the goal of zero traffic fatalities on our streets. I look forward to working with these dedicated mothers and the rest of the community to continue to find ways to make our streets safer.
I am pleased to report that because of our advocacy streetsblog.org and streetfilms.org awarded me their Elected Official of the Year award. However, I will not rest on my laurels.
I encourage you to contact my office with questions, concerns or suggestions and we will continue to advocate for safer streets. We have accomplished a great deal in the 25th Council District but clearly more must be done. I believe that with persistent and vigilant efforts the 25th Council District can become a model for pedestrian safety in New York City.
Sincerely,
Council Member Daniel Dromm