Compared to the first 6 months of 2019, our district of Chelsea and Hell’s kitchen has experienced a 51% decrease in traffic injuries to pedestrians and cyclists. This is significantly better than the city average which stands at 24% decrease. However we seem to be unable to eliminate 3 fatalities each year, while the city has managed to reduce that number by 26%. This may well be attributable to speeding vehicles, a frequent occurrence at the beginning of the year, when the traffic was still sparse. And in spite of the increase in the number of cyclists in our district, none of the pedestrian fatalities were caused by a cyclist. Injuries to pedestrians by cyclists decreased from 7 to 2.
Our District is completely converted to the 25 mph limit . On all the avenues, the traffic signals have been adjusted so that drivers are incited to stay below 25mph.
In 2019, the State legislature passed a law that expanded dramatically the School Zone speed camera program in New york city, and now many streets and corridors within a one mile radius of a school are equipped with them.
School Zone Speed Cameras are a proven technology: since the city launched the program in 2014, speeding at locations with cameras decreased by more than 60%, with over 80% of violators not receiving a second ticket.
- The new law expanded the maximum number of school speed zones from 140 to 750.
- Doubling Speed Camera hours : Speed cameras will now operate year-round on weekdays between 6am until 10pm, including summer and school vacations.
- Extending Camera Zones: Cameras’ maximum distance from schools was expanded to a mile radius from a school, This change to the law allows cameras to be installed on a much larger number of streets near schools.
While this is all good news, keep vigilant when you cross the streets. We will continue our fight for pedestrian and bike safety.