Courtesy of DOT
By Forum Staff
City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced on Tuesday that the agency has successfully made safety improvements at 1,400 intersections as the city experiences among the fewest annual pedestrian fatalities on record. Rodriguez also highlighted trends that show New York City is likely to end this year with fewer traffic fatalities than in 2021, stopping the rise in traffic fatalities that began in 2019. Pedestrian deaths are down 8.8 percent this year, compared to last year, with the current total the third lowest in the City’s recorded history. New York City is bucking trends being experienced in the rest of the country, which has seen pedestrian fatality rates reach a two-decade high.
According to Rodriguez, pedestrian safety has been a primary priority of DOT in 2022, starting in January when the Adams Administration made intersections a particular focus – as a majority of pedestrian fatalities and injuries occur there. After exceeding its original 1,000 intersection improvements goal this fall, DOT has now also reached its expanded commitment to improve 1,400 intersections, in addition to delivering a host of projects to reimagine the city’s greatest public space, our streets, to create new dedicated space for pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders. DOT achieved these improvements through a variety of treatments, including intersection redesigns, signal upgrades, all-way stop installations, daylighting, turn-calming, and raised crosswalks. Injury and severe injury analysis shows DOT’s treatments are effective; and while New York City is experiencing one of lowest rates of cycling and pedestrian deaths in the city’s history, the agency is committed to continuing to drive deaths down under Vision Zero.
Through November 30, New York City had recorded 233 traffic fatalities, down from 248 at that point last year. As pedestrian deaths have risen across the country, NYC experienced a 8.8-percent decline in the first 11 months of the year, with 114 pedestrian fatalities last year and 104 recorded through the end of November.
“While traffic deaths are on the rise across the country, New York City is turning the tide and is moving in the opposite direction by taking action to protect pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and all road users,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “After reaching our goal of making 1,000 intersections safer months ahead of schedule, we have reached an even more ambitious goal of improving safety at 1,400 intersections across the five boroughs. Other critical successes like 24/7 speed cameras and groundbreaking new programs like Trick-or-Streets and the Fifth Avenue Open Street show that our administration is not afraid to be creative and bold in fighting for true traffic safety. But we won’t have achieved that until we reach Vision Zero, and our administration will always continue working towards a day when no one dies from traffic violence in New York City.”
“Let me be clear: any loss of life on our streets is unacceptable. That’s why DOT is committed to using every available tool to make our streets safer and end reckless driving,” Rodriguez added. “New York City is leading the nation as an example of how cities can use engineering, education, and enforcement to reduce senseless traffic violence. And we will continue to take an equitable approach to delivering our life-saving projects across the city.”
