By Jordan Heller
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
New York City streets are about to get "even safer" with the planned installation of pedestrian countdown clocks at 1,500 of the city's most dangerous intersections, officials said Monday.
The new crosswalk signals will display LED numbers that count down the number of seconds remaining before the "flashing hand" turns a solid red, which will help pedestrians avoid getting caught in a real-life game of Frogger.
The measure is one of many the city is undertaking in an effort to cut pedestrian fatalities by half.
In addition to the countdown clocks, the Department of Transportation will target high-crash, high-volume intersections along such major crosstown two-way corridors as Canal Street, 57th Street and 125th Street for custom redesigns, with such improvements as pedestrian refuge islands.
The strategies stem from a new report, called the Pedestrian Safety and Study Action Plan — released Monday — which was based on data from more than 7,000 crash records.
According to the report, walking the streets of New York City is more dangerous than driving on them. Pedestrians accounted for 52 percent of traffic fatalities from 2005 to 2009.
Manhattanites should be especially concerned. According to the study, Manhattan has four times as many pedestrians killed or severely injured per mile compared to the other four boroughs.
"The report and actions detailed today, including the installation of pedestrian countdown signals across the city, will make our streets even safer, especially for the pedestrians who, year in and year out, account for the majority of New York's traffic fatalities," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg Monday.
