Lafayette Avenue:
Traffic Calming for a Complete Street
Division of Street Management & Safety
Traffic Operations Bureau
Presentation to CB 9, Bronx
June 2007
1
Why are we here?
• Community Input to
Improve Designs
• Priority School Area
• Parks Department
Coordination
• PlaNYC 2030 Initiative
to Add 200 Miles of
Bicycle Lanes by 2009
2
“Priority School” Public Outreach
•DOT ranked top NYC
schools with the most
serious accident IS 131
enue
Lafayette Av
histories
•I.S. 131 was selected
as one of “135 Priority Catchment Area Map
Schools”
3
IS 131 – Safety Measures
•IS 131 requested
new school
crosswalks and
warning signage on
Lafayette Avenue
•A new signal and
school crosswalks
were installed on
Bolton and
Lafayette last year
Bolton and Lafayette Avenues
4
Lafayette Avenue
Primary Goal: Complete Street
• Safer Routes to Schools, Parks, &
Greenways
• Pedestrian Safety Improvements
• Road Diet: Manage Excess
Roadway Capacity
-Reduce High Speeds
-Organize Vehicle Movements
• Provide Quality Bicycle Routes
5
Project Highlights
Short Term Medium/ Long Term
• New Signal • Raised Pedestrian
Refuges
• New School
Crosswalks • Neckdowns
• Potential for Greening
• Left Turn Bays
– Refuges and Medians
– 4 Lanes 3 Lanes
• Painted Median
• Bicycle Lanes
6
Lafayette Avenue Project Area
Eight Schools will Benefit from Pedestrian Safety Enhancements
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Most Students Walk to School
I.S. 131
Mode of Students
Travel (Percentage)
Walk 55
Driven by Car 5
School Bus 5
MTA Bus/ 35
Subway
Bicycle 0
Total 100
Source: Priority School Report, 2006
8
Low Traffic Volume
Westbound Traffic Volume
Lafayette @ Noble
600
500
Vehicles per Hour
400
300
AM PM
200 Peak Peak
521 402
100
0
Traffic Counts performed on 1/16/2002
•One lane of traffic can accommodate >600 Vehicles
•Westbound Daily Count ≈ 4900 (2-way ≈ 7800)
9
Crash Frequency
June 2004 - May 2007
40
Number of Crashes
30
20
10
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• Lafayette Avenue
•180 Crashes; 24 Pedestrian Injuries
• Seward Avenue Pedestrian
•134 Crashes; 13 Pedestrian Injuries Injuries
• Randall Avenue Non-Ped
•137 Crashes; 15 Pedestrian Injuries Crashes
10
Increase Pedestrian Safety
Existing Condition:
Lafayette Avenue
Pedestrian Refuge
11
48th Avenue, Long Island City
Manage Excess Vehicle Capacity
Existing Condition: Short-term Improvement:
Lafayette Avenue Striped Median
Potential Improvement:
12
Planted Median
Reduce Pedestrian Risk Exposure
Existing Condition:
Lafayette Avenue
13
Grand Street, Manhattan
Improve Bicycle Conditions
Existing Condition:
Lafayette Avenue
Bicycle Lanes: 14
Montgomery Street, Manhattan
Link to Parks and Greenways
¹
Proposed Bicycle Lane Routes
Existing Bicycle Facilities Planned Bicycle Facilities
Class 1, Greenway / Off-Street Path Class 1, Greenway / Off-Street Path
Class 2, Bicycle Lane Class 2, Bicycle Lane
15
Link to Parks and Greenways
Soundview
Park
16
Organize Vehicle Movements
Existing Condition:
Lafayette Avenue
Left Turn Bays:
17
Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn
Simplifying Left Turns
Existing Condition
Existing Condition
Left Turning Motorist Have
4 Concerns
Pugsley
1) Vehicles Approaching
1) Vehicles Approaching
Ave.
from Behind
from Behind
2) Identifying Gap in Left Lane
2) Identifying Gap in Left Lane
3) ID’ing Gap in Right
3) ID’ing Gap in Right
Lane
Lane
4) ID’ing Pedestrians in
4) ID’ing Pedestrians in
(VISIBILITY HINDERED)
(VISIBILITY HINDERED)
Crosswalk
Crosswalk
18
Simplifying Left Turns
Only 2 Points of Focus and
No Visibility Problem
Proposed Condition
Proposed Condition
Vehicles from behind in
Vehicles from behind in
different lane
different lane
Driver only needs ONE gap to
Driver only needs ONE gap to
turn; can then look at crosswalk
turn; can then look at crosswalk
19
Complete Street Safety Improvements
Existing
Proposed 20
Summary
Project Goal: A Safer and More Comfortable
Lafayette Avenue Corridor for ALL Street Users
• Pedestrians –
– More Comfortable and Safe with Potential for
Planted Median
• Motorists –
– Simplified and Safer Operations
– Center median reduces head on crash risk
• Cyclists –
– Improved experience
– Connection to local schools and to Soundview Park
Next Steps: Refine Plans Based on Community Input
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End of Presentation
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