LOWER MANHATTAN — Expect to see slower-moving traffic on Canal Street this summer.
The mile-and-a-half stretch of Canal Street from West Street to East Broadway is one of nine new arterial slow zones announced Thursday by the Department of Transportation.
Traffic on Canal Street will be reduced to 25 miles per hour and accompanied by signal timing changes, distinctive signage and increased enforcement by the NYPD. That will include temporary speed boards installed in key locations to make motorists aware of the new speed limit, the DOT said in a statement.
The new designation is intended to make the roadway safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. Canal Street has seen six fatalities since 2008, according to the DOT
“Sometimes it seems as if Canal Street is a perpetual slow zone – but slowing down traffic on Canal, which bustles with bicycles, pedestrians and vehicles all day long, is the right thing to do,” said State Sen. Daniel Squadron. “This heavy volume of road use is exactly what makes Canal Street a candidate for an arterial slow zone.
State Sen. Brad Hoylman also praised the new slow zone, saying that Broadway and Canal Street are “two of the most dangerous roadways in my district.”
Eight other slow zones across the city were announced Thursday, including Atlantic Avenue and Grand Concourse corridors in Brooklyn and the Bronx, respectively, which have seen more than 20 fatalities since 2008, according to the DOT. The slow zones are part of the city’s Vision Zero Action Plan to end traffic deaths and injuries.
