Category: Pedestrian Safety

New Sidewalks Are Coming To A Busy Street On Staten Island

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By Joseph Morales

Forest Hill Road is a busy street in the Mid-Island area of Staten Island. Along the street or within its vicinity is an elementary school, multiple parks and youth baseball fields, the CUNY College of Staten Island(CSI) along with other community destinations. Also within walking distance from the corridor are the S61, S91 and SIM31 bus routes. There is also a significant amount of residences in the area. The street is known for having very high traffic volumes due to all the community destinations in its vicinity as well as access to other major roads such as the Staten Island Expressway(I-278), Rockland Ave, Victory Blvd and more.

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How Will Open Streets in Rockefeller Center Change How People Get Around And Enjoy The Area?

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By Joseph Morales

 Rockefeller Center is one of the most famous recreational and tourist destinations in Midtown Manhattan as well as all of New York City during the holiday season. Treasured by locals and visitors alike, Rockefeller Center is world-famous for its 82-foot tall Christmas Tree, ice skating rink, observatory and slew of other attractions that draws over 750,000 people daily, this is about double the average weekday ridership for all MTA Buses total in 2019.  In addition to Rockefeller Center itself, the surrounding neighborhood is home to many tourist attractions that increase the density of pedestrians in the area such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Museum of Modern Art, Radio City Music Hall and much more. There is also a high density of transit options, employment and housing in the area which all increase pedestrian volumes. 

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NYCDOT is Looking Northern Blvd Better For Both Pedestrians and Bus Riders

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By Joseph Morales

     The Northern Blvd corridor between 114th St and Broadway is one of the busiest stretches in East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. The area is both a busy commercial and residential area with a plethora of small businesses with roots from all over the world. There is also a good amount of public transit along the corridor. Despite the 7 train being about 0.5 miles south,  the Q66 local bus as well as 4 Queens-Manhattan express buses use the corridor. In addition, the M and R trains are located at the Northern Blvd Station which is on Northern Blvd and Broadway. Around 15,000 bus riders ride the bus along this portion of Northern Blvd on any given weekday. Public Transit and walking is a critical part of how people in the surrounding community get around  in Queens Community District 3, where the corridor is located as 64% of residents here take public transit to work and 8% walk according to data from the New York City Department of City Planning. Only 50% of housing units have at least one vehicle.

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Stamford’s Vision Zero Program Aims To End Pedestrian Fatalities In The Next Decade

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By Joseph Morales

On Tuesday September 20th, 2022, Stamford, CT Mayor Caroline Simmons signed an executive order for the City Of Stamford to invest money and resources in order to end all traffic fatalities on Stamford’s roads and streets by 2032. This comes as Stamford has recorded 22,622 traffic incidents between Jan. 1st, 2017 and Aug. 31, 2022 as stated by interim Public Safety Director Louis DeRubeis during a press conference. 459 of those incidents involved pedestrians and Stamford has recorded 4 fatal car crashes as of September 2022 which is its highest number of fatal car accidents in a year since 2017. The city also averaged seven pedestrian incidents a month in 2021. 

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The Fordham Area Bike Network Can Make Cycling Much Easier in Busy Bronx Area

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By Joseph Morales

    The Fordham Area is a densely populated portion of The Bronx. It is home to the bustling Fordham Road Shopping District, the Fordham Plaza Transit Hub, Fordham University and also the Bronx’s world famous Little Italy neighborhood. Walking and taking public transit are the primary modes of travel in the community as only between 25% and 40% of New Yorkers living in these areas own a car according to an article by the New York City Economic Development Corporation published in 2018.This tally most likely is not including many Fordham University students that might live on or off campus without a car. Thus, access to a safe cycling network can allow residents to be able to travel via a convenient and active mode.

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NYCDOT Is Proposing Plan To Make Soundview More Cyclist And Pedestrian Friendly

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By Joseph Morales

      Soundview is a neighborhood in the Eastern Bronx with many residential and commercial land uses.  In Soundview, many residents do not own a vehicle, meaning that walking, cycling and public transportation is imperative for these residents to travel around the city. The neighborhood includes many bus routes, the 6 train as well as a station for the Soundview route of the NYC Ferry. Unfortunately, Soundview is not considered cyclist or pedestrian friendly. According to NYCDOT(New York City Department of Transportation) data, from 2014 to 2018, 554 pedestrians, 180 cyclists and 2,663 motorists were injured in accidents between 2014 and 2018  with 123 severe injuries and 27 fatalities occurring between 2014 and 2021.

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Streets Surrounding Staten Island Railway Stations Can Be More Pedestrian-Friendly

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By Joseph Morales

             The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is a rapid transit line operating on the East Shore of Staten Island. The SIR is the closest thing Staten Island has to a subway. The line is used by many Staten Islanders to get to the St.George Ferry Terminal, either to transfer to the Staten Island Ferry or to get to the St.George neighborhood. The St. George neighborhood has one of the highest employment densities on Staten Island and is home to major attractions such as the Empire Outlets, Snug Harbor and the Richmond County Ballpark home. Many other important points of interest are located in St. George, such as courts, borough offices as well as social services and other municipal buildings. Besides getting to and from St. George, the SIR is used by many to get to and from a variety of places on Staten Island and can be faster than driving on busy streets such as Hylan Blvd. In addition even though more Staten Islanders own cars than in other boroughs, many Staten Island residents do not own a car, so the railroad is critical for these residents to be able to access the East Shore of the Island.

             Unfortunately, many SIR stations might not be considered pedestrian-friendly. According to a survey done by State Senator Diane Savino in 2013, 61% of SIR riders used the bus and 23% walked in order to access the Staten Island Railway, indicating the need for safe conditions at the stations. 16% of Staten Island residents are seniors, who may find it easier to take public transportation than drive, especially considering the Staten Island Railway has not been known to have the same crime or crowding issues as the NYC subway, making it more senior friendly. These station entrances may be considered unsafe for many reasons, such as lack of signaled crosswalks and sidewalks.  The SIR also does not have MetroCard vending machines, station agents and other amenities found in the NYC subway, making the railway less convenient for riders.

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What Is The Future Of Broadway Junction?

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By Joseph Morales

   When we think of a transit hub in New York City, we generally think of thriving commercial and cultural centers with a plethora of small businesses, department stores, street vendors and occasionally even street performers. One of the city’s most famous transit hubs is Times Square in Midtown Manhattan, which in addition to being a hub for subways and buses is also known as the crossroads of the world.  Downtown Jamaica in Queens and The Hub in The Bronx are some notable examples of such hubs in the outer boroughs. 

                One of the city’s largest hubs and the largest transit hubs in Brooklyn, Broadway Junction is located at the crossroads of Eastern Brooklyn, bordering six diverse and vibrant neighborhoods. These neighborhoods include Brownsville, Bushwick, East New York, Cypress Hills, Ocean Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant(Bed-Stuy). Broadway Junction is served by five subway lines, six bus routes and the LIRR. Broadway Junction is also not that far from other major business districts. According to the NYCEDC (New York City Economic Development Corporation), Broadway Junction is a 15 minute subway ride from Downtown Brooklyn, Downtown Jamaica, or Williamsburg, 20 minutes to Lower Manhattan and 35 minutes to Midtown Manhattan or JFK Airport. It is also in the vicinity of the East New York Industrial Business Zone which hosts over 100 industrial businesses, making it one of the largest industrial business hubs in the city.  The local bus routes also connect Broadway Junction with other parts of Brooklyn.

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NYCDOT Is Working to Improve White Plains Rd For All Road Users

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By Joseph Morales

              White Plains Rd is a major residential and commercial corridor in The Bronx. About 5.0 miles of the corridor between Bronxdale Avenue in the Pelham Parkway area to E 241st St in the Wakefield section near the Westchester County Line are located underneath the elevated tracks for the IRT White Plains Rd Line(2 and 5 trains). Given all the congestion on White Plains Rd plus its location underneath elevated rail tracks, White Plains Road faces some unique transportation challenges. These include double parking, lack of safe accessible bus stops, pedestrian safety and more. In 2021, the city completed a project on White Plains Rd between Burke Avenue and East 226th Street that addressed some of these issues through various measures such as bus boarding islands, safer intersections and more. Based on the results of that project, Bronx Community Board 12 has requested that the NYCDOT continue that project north to East 241st St. The NYCDOT plans to accept this request and look to make continued improvements northward to East 241st St.

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Hylan Blvd Road Diet Plans to Improve Safety on Hylan Blvd in Tottenville, But Draws Controversy Among Drivers

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By Joseph Morales

Hylan Blvd is one of the busiest streets in Staten Island and the longest street in all of New York City. For Tottenville residents, it is one of the main ways to access the rest of the borough and travel in the northeast direction. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most if not the most dangerous street for pedestrians in the entire city.  According to the NYCDOT’s presentation to Staten Island Community Board 3 on the Hylan Blvd Street Improvement Project (also known as the road diet) Hylan Blvd between Satterlee St and Page Ave in the Tottenville section had an alarming KSI(Killed or Seriously Injured) rate of 7.5 people per mile, 9 times that of the rest of Staten Island and 2.5 times the rate for the entire city. This section of the corridor includes stops for the S59, S78, SIM2, SIM25 and SIM26 buses, making pedestrian conditions important for riders to feel safe getting to and from the bus. Safety is a key component in encouraging bus ridership in an area in which most residents have multiple transportation options.

In addition, this section of the corridor is located near several parks, the Tottenville Pool, an elementary/middle school as well as the South Shore Babe Ruth League fields, making pedestrian safety very important in order to protect the area’s youth. The city has lowered the speed limit from 40 to 30 last summer to attempt to address the issue. However the NYCDOT is taking further action as they have recently announced plans for what is known as a “road diet”. The plan for the road diet is to reduce the number of driving lanes from two to one in each direction and add dedicated left turn bays in each direction in order to calm traffic. This might be a practical solution given Hylan Blvd’s width as wide streets encourage speeding.

 

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