Curb Extension On West 75th Street and West End Avenue is here!!!!West 75th Street is getting its FIRST curb extension!! Bravo to the West 75th Block Association which advocated for safer streets a year ago. They originally lobbied for curb extensions on three blocks along the West 75th Street corridor. In talks with the DOT, the decision was made that the SW corner of WEA and West 75th Street was the most warranted. It has been completed. See image below.
What is a curb extension?
• Curb extensions are a traffic calming method.
• They extend the sidewalk or curb line out into the parking lane, which reduces the effective street width.
• Curb extensions significan
tly improve pedestrian crossings by reducing the pedestrian crossing distance, visually and physically narrowing the roadway, improving the ability of pedestrians and motorists to see each other, and reducing the time that pedestrians are in the street.
• Motorists are encouraged to travel more slowly at intersections or midblock locations with curb extensions, as the restricted street width sends a visual cue to motorists.
• Curb extensions also provide additional space for curb ramps and for level sidewalks where existing space is limited. • Curb extensions reduce the amount of roadway available for illegal or aggressive motorist activities such as failing to yield to pedestrians, making high-speed turns, and passing in the parking lane.
• It has also been observed that motorists are more inclined to stop behind the crosswalk at a curb extension, and that pedestrians are more inclined to wait on the curb extension than in the street.
