STATEN ISLAND — The city plans to cut down on the number of traffic deaths in Staten Island by giving pedestrians more to cross streets without competing with cars and by timing red lights to reduce speeding on high-crash streets.
The city's Department of Transportation revealed a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan for Staten Island Thursday — part of the city's Vision Zero program to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and injuries. The city also released plans for Queens and The Bronx this week.
“These Borough Plans combine cutting edge data analysis and community input from thousands of New Yorkers in all five boroughs," DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said in a statement. "They will help the city target its engineering, enforcement, and education efforts to make New York's streets the safest in the world.”
The plan targets safety improvements for 16 "priority corridors," 17 "priority intersections" and 7.5 square miles of "priority areas" mostly in the northern and eastern shores of the borough. Target areas include Hylan Boulevard, Victory Boulevard, Clove Road, Bay Street and more.
Between 2009 and 2013, 172 pedestrians were killed by a car on Staten Island — the lowest number for that time period in the five boroughs. The DOT said seniors account for 25 percent of the borough's fatalities.
The DOT plans give pedestrians more time cross before cars are given the green light at every priority intersection and all school crosswalks on priority corridors by 2017 to cut down on injuries and deaths.
Aside from giving pedestrians more time to cross, the DOT aims to cut down speeding during non-rush hour times, when there's less traffic and clearer roads, by timing traffic signals so drivers catch more red lights, the plan said.
The plan also calls for the city to install more speed limit signs and expand the bicycle network in the borough.
"I welcome the proposed intersection improvements at some of the busiest locations in my district as the North Shore sees the highest rates of pedestrian fatalities on Staten Island," Councilwoman Debi Rose said in a statement. "These new measures will make Staten Island streets safer for all who use them.”
