Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan announced new traffic-safety initiatives to further drive down already record-low traffic fatalities and injuries in New York City. The announcement was in conjunction with the United Nations launch of its Decade of Action for Road Safety campaign to draw global attention to the growing need to address roadway safety and implement measures to reduce traffic deaths in 120 countries. The Mayor announced a slow-speed zone pilot program starting in the Bronx this summer and the installation of temporary speed boards along corridors known for chronic speeding to encourage motorists to slow down.
“Since the beginning of our Administration, we’ve been committed to taking action to reduce traffic deaths,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We are now wrapping up our own ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety,’ which has produced record lows in traffic fatalities and dramatic reductions in crashes and injuries. I want to thank the Secretary-General for his leadership in taking on this issue, which has been a relatively neglected global challenge. The slow-speed zones and increased speed boards we are announcing today will target the biggest killer on our roads – speeding – in the most dangerous locations.”
Through the Safe Streets for Seniors and Safe Routes to Schools programs safety improvements are being made in neighborhoods throughout the city. Improvements include the installation of pedestrian countdown signals at 1,500 locations, making safety upgrades for 60 miles of streets each year for improved pedestrian safety, and the installation of more than 1,500 speed bumps citywide.
Mr. Bloomberg has noticed the speeding problem in New York. Oh yes, the U.N. pointed it out.