Finally: Sweeping Safety Improvements Planned For Dangerous Delancey Street

The scene of the accident that killed 12-year-old Dashane Santana as she was crossing Delancey Street last month (Gothamist)

The Department of Transportation will announce initiatives to improve safety along Delancey Street at a special meeting of Community Board 3 tonight. Four people familiar with the project told DNAinfo that the changes will include wider sidewalks, different signal timing, and improved traffic patterns. "We're going to see significant safety improvements on Delancey Street in months, not years," State Senator Daniel Squadron said. "This is a quick and dramatic proposal."

Last month, 12-year-old Dashane Santana was killed crossing Delancey Street near the mouth of the Williamsburg Bridge, the latest fatality on a street that is one of the most dangerous for pedestrians in the city. Squadron, along with other state and municipal representatives, formed the Delancey Street Safety Working Group, and last month Sheldon Silver asked the DOT to place crossing guards along the corridor. It's unclear if that will be part of the DOT's initiative.

By increasing the size of the sidewalks, the DOT will shorten crosswalks on Essex Street, Chrystie Street, and Forsyth Street, but Clinton Street's will be impacted the most, as it will shrink from 125 feet to 75 feet. Some parking will be eliminated, and cars traveling on the westbound service road off the Williamsburg Bridge will be forced to turn onto Clinton.

"The proposal we will present tonight is the most concerted effort that’s ever been brought to bear on Delancey Street and will really help to elevate safety on the Lower East Side," the DOT's Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan noted in a statement.

For a look at just how dangerous the intersection of Delancey Street and Clinton Street is for pedestrians and cyclists, check out DNAinfo's interactive comparison of that intersection with other major intersections in New York City. For instance, people are given 22 seconds to cross 10 lanes of traffic on Delancey, but 32 seconds to cross 6 lanes of traffic at Broadway and Canal.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Christopher Robbins in News on February 8, 2012 3:19 PM

Comments [rss]

randomtransplant

A pedestrian overpass....Why is something so simple so out of reach!?

Will reducing the length of the cross walks have saved the life of Santana? It was my impression she got hit by a driver preforming a jack-rabbit start.

DOT wants to do anything in their power to avoid spending money to preserve human life or, gasp, inconvenience drivers.

Saving lives should be priority #1.

tsol

They need to change the timing on the lights NOW, especially on the bridge-bound side. As it is cars and trucks fly through the several green lights and really barrel onto the bridge

WZA

As always, it takes a tragedy to make improvements.

TheRealCannibal

whats wrong with the Funnel of Cones?

Peanut_Butter

I just remembered one of my pet peeves...when you're on Delancey (having come off the bridge), and want to make a left turn onto Allen, the traffic is so heavy going in that direction, but the DOT knuckleheads thought it wise to only allot one left-turn lane, thus forcing an unacceptable back-up of the left-turn lane, or forcing drivers to illegally turn left from the lane next over, which predictably has been happening ever since that intersection's redesign. What kind of a knucklehead planned that?

edgie168

the world may never know.

cr17

"
cars traveling on the westbound service road off the Williamsburg Bridge will be forced to turn onto Clinton." All of them?

edgie168

it's already one lane right turn only, that doesn't get nearly as much use as just going straight through. so this makes no sense and won't make things better.

just build a fucking pedestrian overpass.

cr17

I think I initially missed the part about everyone coming off the *service road* being forced to go ring on Clinton. I'm assuming you can still go straight coming off the bridge itself. Or do I have that all wrong?

Agreed 100% on the overpass. Without that the tragedy that took place here will happen again and again and again... Anyone know what the resistance is to putting one in?

estragon_nyc

I'm guessing the resistance to building an overpass is either not wanting to spend the money, or not having it to spend.

edgie168

no, they mean the outer lanes on the bridge ("..coming off the Williamsburg Bridge") which is just fucking retarded on multiple levels.

one surefire way to mitigate a good percentage of traffic would be to.. *gasp* institute tolls.