New York City Announces Next Wave of Vision Zero to Make Streets Safer

Approximately four years into New York City’s Vision Zero initiative to minimize collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists, Mayor de Blasio announced changes that will revise the program and target areas where accidents are more likely to occur. Based on crash data, new “priority corridors” have been added in all five boroughs.

Using detailed accident data to identify and improve pedestrian accident hot spots has proven successful since the program was launched in 2015. Fatal collisions within the priority corridors dropped by 36 percent during that period and 2018 was the safest year on record. The recently added corridors include parts of 10^th Avenue in Manhattan, Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, Westchester Avenue in the Bronx, Rockaway Boulevard in Queens and Lincoln Avenue in Staten Island.

Building on the successful results already achieved, enhancements to Vision Zero addressed in this year’s $1.6 billion budget include:

• Exclusive pedestrian crossing periods — Most New Yorkers are familiar with the moment when the light changes at a crowded intersection, with pedestrians and turning cars looking to move at the same time. Though walkers have the right of way, careless or aggressive drivers frequently enter the area before everyone has passed.
• Speed reducers — Even a small reduction in speed gives a motorist a better chance to avoid collisions and reduces the potential severity of injuries. By installing speed humps and speed cushions in high-accident areas, New York City can lessen the likelihood of significant harm.
• Driveway safety program — Along with intersections, locations where cars must cross a sidewalk to enter or exit a garage, parking lot or driveway are particularly dangerous. The city is evaluating the best ways to improve safety at such crossings.
• School zone safety cameras — Speeding is unsafe anywhere in the five boroughs but school zones demand specific attention. Installing more cameras to catch speeders on the blocks that are often crowded with children offers an extra level of protection.

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