More than 1,500 new pedestrian countdown clocks will be installed citywide starting this month as part of the Pedestrian Safety Study and Action Plan unveiled by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
The first ones in Queens were already installed at the intersection at 108th Street and Northern Boulevard. The city will be focusing on wider avenues first like Queens Boulevard, from Van Dam Street to Hillside Avenue. Major streets redesigns and speed limits of 20 mph in residential areas are some of the other measures that will be implemented.
“The installation of countdown clocks on Queens’ intersections is great news for our residents,” said Queens Councilmember Van Bramer, who sits on the Transportation Committee of the City Council. “The new clocks will make our crossways safer for pedestrians and help reduce accidents.”
At most intersections in the city, the standard crosswalk signal shows an outline of a person walking in white lights indicating that a pedestrian can cross, and a hand flashing in red lights that turns to a solid hand in red lights indicating not to cross. The newly installed countdown clocks are next to the standard signal and features numbers in red lights to let pedestrians know how much time they have to cross. The goal is to help pedestrians decide if they will make it across on time and reduce the number of people who run in front of traffic at the last moment.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Pierina Santos, who walks to St. John’s University along busy intersections. “The current blinking light is deceiving. When I see it flashing, I look at the traffic light and if it’s still red I cross anyway. Knowing how much time I have will take the guessing out of crossing the street.”
The findings of the comprehensive study show that pedestrian fatalities occur more often at multi-lane streets and avenues like Queens Boulevard, a major through street up to 12 lanes wide in some parts.
Speeding, driver inattention and failure to yield cause most of those fatalities or serious injuries. In 2009, pedestrian fatalities in the city were at 155, which was lower than 199 in 2001.
Still, not everybody thinks the clocks will have a positive impact. Matthew Rouse, a sophomore at St. John’s University, regularly drives along Utopia Parkway and Hillside Avenue, an area where the new clocks will be installed. Studies showed that male drivers were involved in 80 percent of crashes that seriously injured or killed pedestrians.
“People are always in a rush,” Rouse said. “Those timers will only make them try to run faster so it will be even more dangerous and drivers like me will have to be extra careful.”
