Amy Pfeiffer, Coalition's consultant, researched the status of the changes. Thanks also to Jared Chausow, aide to Senator Duane for his assistance.

High visibility crosswalks are street markings that look like ladders, combining parallel and perpendicular lines across the street.

 

This style of roadway marking is easier for motorists to see at a distance in the evening, assists people with visual impairments track their course, and these crosswalks have a longer life span on city streets. (For those interested in knowing how wide a street is, the ladder crossings serve as a guide. Count each perpendicular line when crossing and multiple it by three. That is the approximate width of the street).

 

The locations of the new high visibility crosswalks are:

 

1. W. 60th St. & Columbus Avenue

2. W. 61st St. & Columbus Avenue

3. W. 62nd St. & Columbus Avenue

4. W. 73rd St. & Columbus Avenue

5. W. 81st St. & Columbus Avenue

6. W. 62nd St. & Central Park West

7. W. 65th St. & Central Park West

8. W. 69th St. & Central Park West

9. W. 70th St. & Central Park West

10. W. 72nd St. & Central Park West

11. W. 74th St. & Central Park West

12. W. 77th St. & Central Park West

13. W. 81st St. & Central Park West

14. W. 60th St. & Broadway

15. W. 62nd St. & Broadway

As part of the complete crosswalk treatment, new stop bars on the Upper West Side will be placed at 10 feet from the crosswalk rather than the old standard of five feet.

Placing the stop bar marking further away from the crosswalk allows greater eye contact between motorists and pedestrians and reduces the rate of motorists stopping in the crosswalk.

 

Marking streets with new stop bars and crosswalks takes place from Spring to mid-Fall when pavement conditions allow markings to settle, extending the life span of the markings over several years.

Extending the corner into the street, traditionally the size of one parking space, is also called a “neckdown”. Neckdowns greatly enhance pedestrian safety as they shorten the crossing distance between curbs and place pedestrians in better view for motorists than standard sidewalks.

 

The locations of the three new neckdowns are:

 

·      West End Avenue and W.75th St, NW corner

·      Amsterdam Avenue and W.66th Street, SW corner

·      Central Park West and W.72nd Street, NW corner

And more to come.

There are currently 13 locations on the Upper West Side submitted for funding by NYCDOT for installation at a later time.

These locations are (sidewalk extensions on both sides of the street are listed twice):

1. Central Park West and W. 62nd Street

2. Central Park West and W. 65th Street

3. Central Park West and W. 72nd Street

4. Central Park West and W. 79th Street

5. Central Park West and W. 79th Street

6. Central Park West and W. 81st Street

7. Central Park West and W. 81st Street

8. Broadway and W. 65th Street

9. Broadway and W. 65th Street

10. Broadway and W. 71st Street

11. Broadway and W. 79th Street

12. Amsterdam Avenue and W. 79th Streett

13. Amsterdam Avenue and W. 79th Street

Sidewalk extensions and pedestrian ramps can be significant capital expenses based on the current location of drainage grates and utilities, and the materials used in the sidewalk.   

 

 

 

Pedestrian refuge islands protect people waiting to complete their crossing.

Like curb extensions, pedestrian refuge islands shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians with curbing in the middle of the street for protected waiting areas.

The main benefit of this traffic calming measure is two-fold. First, they provide places for people to wait mid-street for the next pedestrian signal. Second, they force turning vehicles to slow down and make the turn at a 90-degree angle. This is particularly important at the two locations on West End Avenue.

 

The locations of the new refuges are:

·      West End Avenue and West 61^st Street, south crosswalk

·      West End Avenue and West 66^th Street, north crosswalk

 

For senior citizens, children, and people with strollers, the greatest time crossing an intersection is descending an ascending the curb. Protecting that movement, usually just three to four seconds, establishes the pedestrian in the crosswalk, making them more visible to turning motor vehicles. People can look at what is in front of them, rather than what is moving behind them.

 

Prioritizing pedestrians in the crosswalks gives walkers moments to move without motor vehicle movement.

This happens by using an all red light phase for motor vehicles, and a walk phase for pedestrians. This is a “Leading Pedestrian Interval” or LPI.

Without an LPI, pedestrians see a walk signal, as motorists have a green light; so both movements occur simultaneously.

 

The length of an LPI signal cycle is a measure of the distance from the curb to the centerline, then dividing that number by the amount of time given to pedestrians for each linear foot of movement.

Thus, a street that is 60 feet in width would be 30 feet to the centerline. At a walking rate of three or four feet per second, the LPI would be between seven and 10 seconds long.

 

In some cases, the length of an LPI is unrelated to width of the street. This tends to occur at intersections with high pedestrian and motor vehicle volumes. Thus, some LPIs on 60 foot streets are given only five additional seconds, and some are given close to 20 seconds because vehicle volumes are low and pedestrian volumes are high.

 

The locations of the new and approved LPIs on the Upper West Side are:

NYCDOT has changed signal timings at locations throughout the city to accommodate the real rate at which people walk. The signal timing has been changed from four seconds per foot to three seconds per foot. That gives people an additional five seconds to cross the street.

Coalition's studies, as well as nationwide studies, show that 2.5 seconds is needed for older pedestrians to cross the street safely.

The program area is bounded by West 81^st Street and Central Park West to West 60^th Street and West End Avenue -

This is a significant pedestrian safety benefit.

 

All signalized intersections in the Safe Streets for Seniors program area have been changed to reflect the three seconds per foot walking speed.