City officials have a message for motorists on Atlantic Avenue: Slow down.
Atlantic Avenue will be the first major road in the city to undergo a speed reduction as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “Vision Zero” plan to significantly curb traffic-related fatalities, city Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said last week.
The first of 25 planned arterial slow zones will be installed along eight miles of Atlantic Avenue, from Brooklyn Heights to Woodhaven, this month, and the speed limit will be reduced from 30 mph to 25 mph along the dangerous corridor where there have been 25 fatalities, including 13 pedestrians, between 2008 and 2012, officials said.
“With long crosswalks and wide-open lanes, major corridors like Atlantic have too often served as barriers in our communities, especially for our students and seniors,” Trottenberg said. “By targeting corridors with the greatest numbers of injuries, building on our agency’s engineering expertise and partnering with communities across the city, this program marks the next step towards Vision Zero and streets that are safer for all New Yorkers.”
The arterial slow zone program – one of 63 proposals included in the Vision Zero report released by the de Blasio administration in February – lowers the posted speed limits to 25 mph on streets that have witnessed some of the highest number of fatalities and serious injuries. Citywide, arterials make up only 15 percent of the total street mileage but have accounted for some 60 percent of pedestrian fatalities.
On these arterials, the DOT will make comprehensive improvements to signal timing along the corridor. The locations will also benefit from increased police enforcement, as well as temporary speed boards the DOT will place in key locations.
Following Atlantic Avenue, the program will expand to 25 corridors across the city throughout the year.
“This announcement for an arterial slow zone for Atlantic Avenue is great news for everyone who uses this hazardous corridor, which has long been plagued by speeding and reckless driving,” said Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives.
Amy Cohen, a founding member of Families for Safe Street, a group of New Yorkers who have lost loved ones in traffic crashes, too said she was pleased with the city’s announcement.
“We are grateful that the DOT is moving forward with the arterial slow zone initiative, and we encourage officials to act with urgency to implement Vision Zero so that no other families will suffer the loss members of our group have had to face.”
Cohen’s 12-year-old son, Sammy Cohen Eckstein, was killed in October when he was hit by a van on a street in Park Slope.
City officials are looking to gain additional input from residents at nine upcoming Vision Zero public workshops that will be held across the city. In Queens, there will be a workshop on Wednesday, May 21 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Bohemian Hall, located at 29-19 24th Ave. in Astoria. Another workshop will be held Thursday, May 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center at 153-10 Jamaica Ave.
By Anna Gustafson
