After three pedestrians were hit and killed in the West 90’s within a week of each other, the city has begun to put in place some initial changes to make the area safer. In particular, the city Department of Transportation has changed the signal timing at 97th street and West End Avenue, where 9-year-old Cooper Stock was hit and killed on Jan. 10 by a taxi driver who failed to yield.
The DOT also put up signs reminding drivers to yield to pedestrians at 97th and West End.
Council members Helen Rosenthal and Mark Levine wrote a joint letter to the DOT pushing those changes. We’ve posted the letter below. The community board has also recommended changes that we wrote about here.
According to Levine’s staff, DOT Manhattan Borough Commissioner Margaret Forgione sent the following note in response to the letter:
“On 1/22 we extended the Leading Pedestrian Interval to 12 seconds. This allows pedestrians to cross the street with no vehicles beginning turns until 12 seconds after pedestrians get the “walk” signal. We will also install “Yield to Pedestrian” signage at this location.
In the coming weeks we will make a determination on the last request to adjust traffic signal timing so that when the signal is green at westbound 97th Street (from Broadway) it is red at West End Avenue.”
One nearby resident tells us other problems haven’t been addressed, including a series of treacherous potholes at the North side of 97th street on West End. “Trip on one of those and you’re in big trouble when the light changes.”
There will be a meeting on Thursday, January 30 at 6 p.m. at Goddard Riverside (593 Columbus Avenue at 88th street) to discuss the changes.
Photo by Laura Weiss of 97th street and West End Avenue.
This has been a danger since the minute that the new station opened – you put hundreds of pedestrians on a tiny plaza between several lanes of rushing traffic – did no one ask – what could go wrong?
I use this station as infrequently as I can (I live in the neighborhood). I’ve seen many near misses as people dart across Broadway impatient to wait for the light.
Yesterday, I watched three cars turn right onto West End from 96th Street. Despite the crowd of young children and their parents at PS 75, these cars didn’t yield to pedestrians in the cross walk.
NYC needs to lower speed limits to 20 mph with in 2 blocks of ALL public schools. Speed bumps would also help slow cars exiting from the Henry Hudson onto 96th Street.
They need to address the issue of bicyclists too, esp. at West End Ave. speeding through red lights without stopping or looking if pedestrians or bike are coming regardless if the pedestrians are the other bikers have the right of way. Have been brushed off by those bikes by hairline constantly and without them looking back or apologizing or slowing down. I guess only on accident would NYC address this issue.
I was almost hit by a West-bound taxi 15 years at 97th at West End, who was turning to head south. He somehow didn’t see me and was driving too quickly.
In regard to a more general neighborhood traffic assessment, I believe a key risk factor is that many drivers are in a hurry to get onto the West Side Highway. This includes cars heading Westbound on 96th as well as northbound cars on West End turning West onto 96th St.. The light sequence is quite confusing—- and includes a green light / brief red light and then a quick left-turn green arrow as I recollect. It’s further exacerbated by southbound WEA cars muscling across the median to make left turns heading east on 96th St.
In general, I’ve sensed a lot more aggressiveness by drivers going through interesections. There needs to be much stricter enforcement against drivers—- not jaywalkers. This should include beat cops as well as fully deployed cameras ticketing drivers. I also like the idea of innovative traffic control measures from DOT.
There are problems with the proposed solutions for the traffic and pedestrian problems in my neighborhood. I’m frustrated to see the recent proposal from Community Board 7 that seems to punish both pedestrians and drivers.
This is what I wrote to Community Board 7:
Proposals to improve traffic flow and pedestrian flow are missing the point, by penalizing pedestrians and cars instead of improving the intersections to serve both.
First, there should be no parking along 97th and 96th Streets from Amsterdam to West End Avenue. The streets regularly back up, creating frustrations and pressure to drive quickly on drivers and risk for pedestrians. Every time an intersection snarls to a halt, the people in and around it suffer.
Further, 97th St. narrows from four lanes between CPW and Columbus to two between Columbus and Amsterdam to one from Amsterdam to West End Ave. This narrowing creates pressure on drivers who often have to wait 3 cycles of traffic lights to get from Amsterdam to Broadway and Broadway to West End so that when they finally reach the intersections, they are going as fast as they can and people behind them are often tailgating or honking to make sure they get through the intersection on the same green light as the car ahead of them.
By eliminating parking from Amsterdam to West End, the pressure would be greatly relieved. This would also allow for special turning lanes with a separate traffic light for left turns from 97th onto West End. Further, West End regularly on the southbound side btwn 97th and 96th with people turning onto 96th to access the West Side Hwy. To reduce this problem, parking should be eliminated from the southbound side of West End Avenue between 97th and 96th.
Putting up barricades and eliminating the free flow of pedestrians heading N/S on Bway is a terrible idea. People don’t want to cross in the middle of Broadway.
Similarly, it was a terrible idea to install a giant head house for the subway on Broadway that narrows the traffic flow and requires hundreds of people to cross the street to access it. The set up at 96th St. is much safer because people can enter the subway on either side of Bway instead of having to cross Bway.
People seem to lose track of the actual experience of drivers and pedestrians, coming up with proposals that punish them rather than improving their experience.
Well said! Great post and excellent ideas.
3 of 2014’s 9 pedestrian traffic fatalities happened just blocks away from P.S. 163 on West 97th Street, where the community is fighting to stop the possible construction of a 20-story nursing home on this already dangerously congested block. Adding many cement trucks, construction vehicles, and then ambulances and critical care vehicles to the street threatens the safety of hundreds of our students, teachers and families.
NYC’s elected officials should move swiftly to stop this construction project’s dangerous threat to the safety of our community.
Allan Margolin
PS 163 Tax Force For Safe Schools