Gioia wants traffic safety at all schools

The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) should accelerate the rate at which it conducts traffic safety studies for city schools, and it should implement some immediate safety measures around all schools.
This request came on Sunday, September 7, from City Councilmember Eric Gioia and Transportation Alternatives, an organization that advocates walking, bicycling and the use of public transit.
The appeal came after the DOT’s recent announcement that it has targeted 135 public and private schools throughout the city - 33 of which are in Queens - for far-reaching street safety enhancements based on an analysis of school accident histories. Before targeting these schools, the DOT made traffic safety improvements at another set of 135 city schools.
These measures are good, but insufficient, said Eric Koch, spokesperson for Gioia. “Are you telling me that 1,700 city schools in New York City don’t need traffic upgrades?”
The DOT should make immediate traffic improvements at all schools such as allowing pedestrians more time to cross the street and further reducing speed limits near schools, according to Wylie Norvell, a spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives. He explained that no studies would be needed for these measures, and they would be inexpensive.
“We shouldn’t wait for a tragedy before we take proactive action,” Koch said.
In addition, the rate at which the DOT is currently studying schools and implementing far-reaching measures is too slow, according to Koch. Since 2004 when the DOT adopted the Safe Routes to Schools program, under which these improvements take place, only 134 schools have been enhanced, Koch explained.
“The cycle is way too slow,” said Norvell, explaining that neighborhood traffic conditions change faster than the rate that the DOT carries out studies and acts on them.
The DOT did not respond to multiple requests about the feasibility of these requests by press time.
Traffic accidents are the main cause of child fatalities in New York City and half of these deaths occur within 700 feet of a school, according to the DOT.