NYC Announces New Actions to Improve Pedestrian Safety at Intersections – NBC New York (47)

New York City will implement new actions and investments aimed at keeping pedestrians safe at intersections because they are the places where most accidents occur, some of them ending in deaths, said Mayor Eric Adams.

That’s why the Department of Transportation (DOT) will make design improvements to make 1,000 intersections safer with traffic signals, raised crosswalks and other measures for increased visibility and space for pedestrians.

Additionally, the New York City Police Department will begin cracking down on drivers who fail to recognize the primacy of pedestrians in crosswalks. The agencies also announced a new education campaign to ensure all drivers know the rules of the road.

Intersections pose a special safety challenge in New York City, where crashes typically account for 50 percent of all deaths and 70 percent of all injuries. For pedestrians, the dangers are more pronounced: 55 percent of pedestrian fatalities and 79 percent of pedestrian traffic injuries occur at intersections.

Intersection Design Toolkit

DOT announced that in 2022 it would undertake new and expanded efforts focused on intersection design at 1,000 locations, including through:

• Increased focus on intersections in Street Improvement Projects.
• Raised pedestrian crossings.
• Bike corrals at intersections.
• Calm traffic in parking lots and gas stations.
• Program Duplication Turn-Calming.

Increased compliance within intersections

Failure to yield will be enforced by the New York City Police Department. A violation that especially endangers pedestrians and bicyclists at intersections, with a goal of doubling FTY enforcement efforts in 2021.

While the enforcement will be done at intersections citywide, officers will also be empowered by a new DOT traffic rule that goes into effect Wednesday for such violations at more than 1,200 intersections citywide that are not governed by a traffic light or a stop sign. Under the new rule, drivers and bicyclists passing through such intersections must not simply yield, but come to a complete stop until a pedestrian has fully crossed the street. The new rule is intended to clarify the application and remove any subjectivity from such violations.

New “For. Let Them Cross”: Public Awareness Campaign

This month, DOT will begin a public awareness campaign on social media and in community and ethnic media posts to raise awareness of the new stop rule for pedestrians at uncontrolled intersections. The message also underscores the importance of slowing down and being aware of pedestrians while driving in New York City.

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