[Click image to enlarge]
The Alphabet City-Tompkins Square Slow Zone is on its way.
Department of Transportation reps provided Community Board 3 (CB3) committee members with an update last Thursday night about the incoming (officially named) Alphabet City-Tompkins Square Slow Zone, the community-based program that reduces the speed limit within designated zones from 30 mph to 20 mph. (Read the background about all this here.)
For starters, the zone is expected to go into effect in August, according to CB3 member Chad Marlow, who helped put the plan in motion for the East Village early last year.
The above map shows the designated Slow Zone — First Avenue east to the FDR, and from East Second Street north to East 14th Street.
In addition to the 20 mph speed limit, a Slow Zone area receives speed humps (21 for East Village) and new striping and signage to slow drivers. (You can find a PDF of the DOT's presentation here.)
This is a particularly personal issue for Marlow. In 1995, a drunken driver struck Marlow's father on Harlem River Drive, an accident that left him with quadriplegia and a severe brain injury. His father died 13 years after the accident.
"I actually almost started crying when I got the DOT plan printout," Marlow told us. "This is a very emotional issue for me. I feel great and grateful."
Previously on EV Grieve:
Call for an East Village 'slow zone' (34 comments)
More about the timing of the Tompkins Square/Alphabet City Slow Zone
The speed limit could be 10mph and it won't make that much of a difference until it addresses pedestrians and Bikers doing the same antisocial behavior as perceived by drivers.
ReplyDeleteIf you eliminated all cars from manhattan then the issue would be between bikes and the passengers who equally pay no mind to signage as well.
Just yesterday saw some lady face timing with someone and walk right off St Marks & Second against the big red palm into the bikeway came ][ this close to getting creamed... and she blamed the biker
ShutUpHooker, It's true that if we solve one problem, there will still be others. But that's not a reason to stop solving problems.
ReplyDeleteThis is great news. It shows that there can be change for the better. The speed bumps are going to help a lot. They are all over my friend's neighborhood in California now and they have greatly reduced the amount of speeding and made her neighborhood safer for everyone. We all complain a lot on this site. It feels good to have something to applaud.
ReplyDeleteThis does nothing but frustrate drivers. You figure out the result. What an idiotic idea, and there will be no enforcement in a city where half the drivers are unlicensed, uninsured, and drive vehicles with PA or FLA plates. This is a joke.
ReplyDeleteI hope a speed bump is installed on E 12th St between A-B. There is a children's playground there and there is a large elementary school one block to the east btw B+C. Trucks of late have favored this block and they don't go slow since they seem to be on deadline.
ReplyDeleteSpeed bumps are enforcement. Believe me. I once found out the hard way.
ReplyDeleteWho cares if drivers are frustrated? They're probably frustrated that they have to drive 30mph now, or stop at red lights, or yield to pedestrians.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said:
ReplyDelete"This does nothing but frustrate drivers. "
You say that if it's a bad thing.
- East Villager
Yeah, I am not worried about drivers being frustrated. Too bad. It's terrifying to see how fast some drivers zoom down Avenue B.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for it--I just wish they could put speed bumps on the avenues. And in the bike lanes. Seriously, could they just put speed bumps in the bike lanes right before the intersection on each block, so that bikers have to slow down long enough to at least acknowledge that they might be about to whiz through a red light and mow down a pedestrian? Please?
ReplyDeletehopefully this will have a positive effect. i hope that it doesn't cause drivers to be bigger jerks before and after the slow area. i thought for a brief moment "too bad it didn't go as far west as second avenue' until i realized that the the zone would keep these jerks on my block for a longer period of time and it's not just fast cars, it's taxi horns, car alarms, loud radios, folks hanging around the small japanese restaurants waiting to get in or smoking, droves walking, dancing or running down the block. loud as they can get, etc. and i thought "speed them off the block". what's really sad is that we have been taken over by droves of mostly youngsters, unaware of anyone but themselves, stupid, selfish, brain dead brats, unable to communicate other then through electronics who think having the latest toy and tons of money makes them special and exempt from the rest of the human race.
ReplyDeleteon foot, by car, bike, scooter they arrive in all their glory to making sure we know that nobody else matters.
I really hope a hump is put in on 10th street between avenue b and c which has become a drag raced strip for motorcycles. It is super scary to see and something that effects safety and noise levels. There are a lot of families in the area and the 30 mph limit is not adhered to and I have seen some very scary close calls happen on this street. Obviously drives need an obstacle to be implemented for them to slow down.
ReplyDeleteI hope it makes a difference, but expect that it will not. The NYPD don't enforce speed limits or traffic rules now, will they suddenly start to do so after this goes into effect?
ReplyDeleteSpeed bumps are a mixed blessing. If they put them in there will be a raft of letters complaining about the noise from the thump and rattle as cars and trucks hit them. There have also been lots of issues in the UK (where they have been used absolutely everywhere) of the impacts on the bump causing damage to nearby buildings.
I am all for slowing traffic, and speed bumps definitely help do that, but that also have the effect of increasing noise, as anyone who has driven or lived near one knows. Delivery trucks fly over them, and gargage truck are even worse, crashing down on the other side of the bump as they fly over them like Evel Knievel. (retro!)
ReplyDeleteThey also can slow down emergency vehicles and are dangerous for cyclists. That being said, they are probably no worse than the random potholes that I dodge every day that I get flats from both driving and cycling.
It will be interesting to see how this works, but we must stop these crazy speeders that are causing so much carnage and mayhem.
We can all guess what's going to happen, but we don't know. Let's give it time, and see how it works. These types of things are always works in progress. You make adjustments after you see how it is going. It would be helpful if the cops start setting speed traps too and ticketing fast drivers.
ReplyDeleteYes, NYPD needs to do MUCH more ticketing for reckless, dangerous driving behavior, but this is great progress towards a safer East Village! Driving is a privilege, not a right, and fast, reckless driving certainly is not a right. Very excited about the speed bumps and grateful to Mr Marlow and others who have made this happen. Thank you from this East Villager and her family!
ReplyDeletewell time to get a big truck with massive wheels.. then I can speed down the block and FLY off of those bumps..
ReplyDeletewhat are they called? Fun Bumps?
Get out there and ticket, NYPD. Why wouldn't they ticket? It's money for the city.
ReplyDeleteI see on another blog that there is a movement to criminalize reckless driving in NY, at least to the extent it causes injury or death. Can anyone tell me why killing and maiming with a car can result in points on a record, but not more severe penalties such as jail time, $ compensation to victims, fines, etc.
ReplyDeleteBill the libertarian anarchist and resident of Moscow on the Hudson
I drive in the EV . Do I go over 20? Sure. Do I drive safely, yes. Will I drive 20.? Prob not. Look, it's dumb pedestrians at fault too. Maybe this wil slow the seriously unsafe drivers.
ReplyDeleteMore communist baloney. The latest tragedy is a 10 year old girl with Downs Syndrome who wandered out of her house at midnight and tried to walk across a major road, was it Hempstead Turnpike, and got hit, there is a big push to grab the driver that hit her, like it is his fault, not whoever let her wander around like that. The big activists behind this are the parents of a kid that absolutely ran out from between parked cars chasing a ball and got hit on Prospect Park West. Now everyone has to deal with speed bumps because of the irresponsible adults in these kinds of cases. No thanks. Keep a better eye on your kids hows that.
ReplyDeleteAs cars and trucks land with a thump after going over a speed bump it may momentarily interrupted someone texting an amazing message about the cronut they just ate after waiting in line for "only" 2 hours.
ReplyDeleteTo the schmuck at 3:00 PM:
ReplyDeleteThe "kid who absolutely ran out" on PPW entered the crosswalk WITH the light, one driver stopped at the red he had, another one didn't as the light was changing. You should be ashamed to spew such hateful, ignorant comments. Maybe you should read up before you comment.
Driving a 2-3 ton vehicles is a HUGE responsibility. If you can't handle it, then maybe take a bike instead.
Looking forward to it. At least in Germany it really works. A bit more calming down of this mad, negligent, ignorant and aggressive behavior in NYC traffic can't be wrong. And I mean motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians alike.
ReplyDeleteDriving while talking on a cell phone, texting, etc. should result in a suspended license for a first offense at the very least, and a permanent suspension the second time. Plus some severe jail time.
ReplyDeleteBill the libertarian anarchist and resident of Moscow on the Hudson
My street doesn't get a speed bump. That sucks. We desperately need one as there's no light at Ave D and 9th St. Drivers take that corner at crazy speeds and then drag race down to C. The low rise NYCHA buildings mid block are full of small children that ride their bikes up and down the street and sidewalk.
ReplyDeleteI am the 3:00 poster. Based on 3:32's comments, I have just finished researching the Brooklyn incident from multiple accounts in different newspapers, easy to find these days on the Internet, ready to retract and apologize if indeed I had somehow completely misread the reports on the accident.
ReplyDeleteBut that will not be necessary. Police investigation and witness statements indicate that no fault was attributed to any drivers, the kid ran out after a ball, as kids will do. The one thing I did find was that witnesses said the fact that he was skidding in metal soccer cleats may have made the situation even worse.
A sad story, but not the drivers fault, I grew up playing stickball right in the streets full time, only God's grace kept any of alive I suppose.
Curious why St Marks between 1st and A isn't on the speed bump list....trucks fly down there daily. Does anyone know who do ask about this?
ReplyDelete@ anon 7:02
ReplyDeleteI believe it's because the eastbound M8 travels on St. Mark's Place ... (and there won't be any speed humps on 9th Street for the westbound bus)...
If someone is going to drive drunk down the street at 50 mph a sign or speed bump us not going to slow them down. The NYPD will ticket working class EV'ers who go 30 mph safely down the street. It will not prevent a drag race or accident. Bikers & electric bikes are at fault at least half the time. They should be ticketed as well
ReplyDeleteI applied for a speed bump on 12th between A&B in front of the playground and it was denied as being deemed to not having fast enough traffic to warrant the effort. (P.s. Anybody can apply, it takes no special skill; getting it approved appears to be the skill I lack)
ReplyDelete@Jill
ReplyDeletethanks for applying for the speed bump, one would think a children's playground (which is the official use of Sauer Park) would make it an ideal candidate for a speed bump.
Wrote this in a wrong thread last night.
ReplyDeleteJill, you should've applied for a liquor license for Speed Bump - a "restaurant" that is an homage to the family of traffic calming devices with dishes and cocktails names such as Slow Zone and Speed Limit and the "restaurant"'s decor would have rubber speeds and speed humps and bumps in yellow and black stripes - and CB3 would have approved that application.
But in all seriousness, this is a commendable idea, however Ave. A is high traffic area and with the proliferation of idiotic binge drinking, which often times the binge-drinkers would result in need of medical services and the rest of Wooohoooo-ers causing other incidents and accidents that'd need emergency medical services, the bumps would slow down the response time for the EMT's, firetrucks, ambulances, and NYPD (well, they never arrive anyway, unless an affluent "whitey" was in need of aid.)
June 17, 2014 at 10:49 PM
Car traffic in Alphabet City could definitely stand to calm the fuck down. Don't understand some of this knee-jerk defense of motorists, especially when most of them are prick cab drivers, driving around using both feet talking on the fucking bluetooth constantly. Do you people really mean to stick up for these people? They don't give a shit about you. I say Fuck them and their need for speed, we need peace and safety, and our needs trumps theirs. Our neighborhood. Or is there some another East village that I don't know about in which most people own cars.
ReplyDeleteThe point about emergency vehicles needing to move quickly is a good one. Now I feel worried when before I had hope.
ReplyDeleteIn Jamaica they call speed bumps Sleeping Policemen.