Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4) Transportation committee held a hearing on a number of safety concerns residents have brought to its attention about traffic management and traffic enforcement at various intersections in our district.  They invited senior members of NYPD to hear these concerns directly and help resolve ongoing safety concerns.

Inspector Pilecki, and Deputy Inspector Hanover, both reporting to Chief of Transportation Tuller, as well Lieutenant Chris Druckman and Traffic Enforcement Agent (TEA) Anthony Dellapenta represented New York Police Department (NYPD) They listened, answered all residents’ questions and took away suggestions.

NYPD clarified roles and responsibilities and their priorities:

  • TEAs direct the traffic, give gridlock (or spill back) summonses, give parking tickets and idling tickets.
  • All other moving violations are given by police officers, even bikes on sidewalk and bikes running red lights.
  • NYPD’s new transportation priority is  “Pedestrian First “ instead of moving traffic”. Stickers have been printed, and TEA training is underway.

The community requested stricter enforcement of moving violations, sidewalk obstructions, idling and a more strategic deployment of resources at known hot spots. (List is below)

NYPD agreed to consider community suggestions related to TEA protocols and placement:

  • A TEA is needed fulltime at 45th Street and 10th Avenue until the end of this school year.
  • On two-way streets the TEA should never wave turning cars into unsuspecting pedestrians crossing with the light. The TEA should be positioned in front of the pedestrian crossing where the pedestrians are most at risk. (South and East)
  • The TEA should only wave cars through a red light if there is excessive vehicle accumulation or emergency vehicles. The practice of constantly waving cars through red lights is dangerous to pedestrians and encourages drivers to run red lights as a matter of course.
  • TEAs should use the whistle as a matter of exception only, to alert pedestrians and cars that they are overriding the light. When use constantly the whistle becomes ineffective and negatively affects the quality of life of nearby residents.
  • TEAs should give out tickets and idling summonses to commercial buses and vans rather than asking them to leave.
  • Could NYPD support changing accident reports so that include a description of the vehicles and specify whether the vehicle is “a quiet vehicle” (hybrid or electric).

NYPD indicated that 311 calls for increased enforcement at specific locations are taken in account and analyzed at Trafficstats, the multi-agency monthly meeting to review problematic locations) and therefore are a good tool for the public to use.

Transportation Committee plans to monitor progress and invite NYPD again in four months.

List of Hot Spots mentioned at the meeting – if there are additional locations where you think more enforcement is needed , write up a comment or post a movie below…

  • Moving violations:
    • Yield to pedestrians on turning movements:
      • Eastward turns from 9th Avenue onto streets 40th, 38th, 30th streets
      • Westward turns from 11th Avenue onto 41st Street
      • Southward turns form 43rd Street onto 9th Avenue
      • West ward turns from 9th Avenue onto 45th Street
      • Eastward turns from 9th Avenue on to streets from 43rd to 50th streets, and 58th street
      • Northward turns from 48th Street onto 8th Avenue
    • Running red lights
      • Westward on 39th Street at 9th Avenue
      • Eastward on 42nd Street at 9th Avenue
    • Bicycles going the wrong way
      • 8th Avenue from 14th to 34th Streets
    • Bicycles on sidewalk
      • West of 9th Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets
    • Cars driving on sidewalk or going the wrong way
      • South west corner of 10th Avenue and 45th Street
    • Speeding
      • 29th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues
      • 9th Avenue from 57th to 45th Streets
  • Non Moving violations
    • Gridlock on streets
      • 37th Street at 9th Avenue (p.m. and week ends)
      • 39th Street at 9th Avenue (week end)
      • 40th Street at 9th Avenue
      • 41st Street at 9th Avenue
      • 44th Street at 9th Avenue (a.m.)
    • Gridlock on avenues
      • 9th Avenue from 37th Street to 45th Street, p.m. and Sunday p.m.
    • Bus illegal parking and Idling – please enforce idling laws
      • 23rd to 29th Streets between 8th and 9th Avenues
      • 9th Avenue between 31st and 34th Street (School Zone – 1 minute limit)
      • 38th to 40th Streets between 8th and 9th Avenues
      • 43rd and 42nd Streets between 8th and 9th Avenues (School Zone 1 minute limit)
      • 9th and 8th Avenues between 43rd and 38th Streets
      • 50th and 51st Streets between 8th and 9th Avenues (School zone- 1 minute limit)
      • 58th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues
    • Sidewalk obstructions
      • Tow away cars parked on sidewalk
        • North side of 44th Street, west of 10th Avenue.
      • Remove illegal electric bicycles, scooters and motorcycles on sidewalk
        • 34th to 41st Streets  on west side of 9th Avenue
        • 50’s on west side of 8th Avenue

 

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christina morrissey
christina morrissey
13 years ago

Please include stepped up enforcement on 42nd street turning south on to 11th Ave. The population on the block West of 11th Ave has grown immensly over the past 10 years, and we need pedestrian protection, especially when school gets out. Kids have to negotiate the gridlock before the rush hour enforcement arrives. There are accidents on this corner every week. I saw another one yesterday afternoon.