It's not infrequent to find a crosswalk signal blinking mixed messages, but last week the Daily News found malfunctioning devices all over the place, from Morningside Heights to Times Square to the East Village. This comes a year after Councilwoman Gale Brewer pointed out the hazard... and how long before the apocalypse? more ›

A 76-year-old man was struck and killed yesterday morning while attempting to cross Queens Boulevard, bringing back the street's nickname as the "Boulevard of Death." Robert Borchers was crossing the Boulevard at 80th Road around 5:30 a.m. when a marked Correction Department vehicle slammed into him. Cops say Borchers was crossing against the light, and the civilian driver was not charged with any crime. more ›

City birds aren't just living in trees and in the nooks of tall buildings... they're also making themselves at home in our traffic lights! The NY Post has a cute story about a family of sparrows that lives inside of a crosswalk signal on the Upper West Side. And the only way they'll leave is if the Department of Transportation physically removes them (which they have threatened to do once they find the signal—location undisclosed!). Urban bird specialist Karen Purcell told the paper, "They are fierce nest competitors. They are able to evict other birds, even native species. They are survivors." Can someone please write a children's book about this little feathered family? more ›

After concluding an $800,000 pilot program that began back in 2006, the DOT is ready to start installing thousands of countdown clocks at busy intersections in all five boroughs. After analyzing "mountains of data" gathered at 25 intersections equipped with cameras to videotape pedestrians, the DOT determined that the timers are most effective on wide streets. more ›

Despite the picture, nursing student Theressa Compere says the injury inflicted when a B6 painfully peeled the skin from her ankle three years ago has left her permanently unable to wear mini skirts and shorts. (Here she is wearing pants.) In 2008 the teen was crossing a Brooklyn intersection when the B6 bus rolled on top of her foot. Damage might have been minimal, reports the Daily News, had the driver not turned the wheel—causing the skin to come off completely—but backed up instead. Now, she says "when I go to the beach I have to cover up. I can't wear heels and it hurts when I walk up a flight of stairs." Compere is suing the city, demanding reparation for the accident that hospitalized her and caused her great pain and inconvenience. more ›

We've been getting more and more tips about broken crosswalk signals showing both the Don't Walk symbol ("Red Hand") and the Walk symbol ("White Man") simultaneously. Today a reader e-mails: "My girlfriend and I have noticed an ongoing problem of the 'Walk/Don't' walk signs actually 'freezing' in place when it gets cold out. Both a bright red hand and a walk sign stay up at the same time, presumably opening the city up to some serious lawsuits should something go awry. We must have seen it about 30 times in the last month, prompting my email." more ›