Community asks NYPD for more enforcement

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