ENFORCEMENT OF 25 MPH SPEED LIMIT ON BROADWAY ARTERIAL SLOW ZONE BEGINS TODAY

NYC Council Members Ydanis Rodriguez and Helen Rosenthal, State Senator Adriano Espaillat and NYPD Traffic Chief Thomas Chan Join Safe Streets Advocates in Announcing the Beginning of Stricter Enforcement of Broadway's New 25 MPH Speed Limit

Throughout this stretch of Broadway, 22 people have been killed since 2008, including 4 within a 2 block radius just this year. New York City is committed to limiting traffic deaths; earlier this year Mayor de Blasio announced a multi-agency approach to this goal known as "Vision Zero". Part of this plan includes lowering speed limits to 25 MPH and re-timing traffic lights to accommodate the lower speed in what are known as "Arterial Slow Zones," with a focus on highly trafficked multi-lane streets that make up the central arteries of New York City's street-scape.

The elected officials and advocates announced this start to enforcement as a way to encourage drivers to slow down, particularly on the City's major streets. Car crashes are the leading cause of injury related death for children under 14 in New York City and speed is the most common contributor to these grim statistics.

"Starting today, if you are found speeding uptown on Broadway, you will get a ticket," said NYC Council Transportation Committee Chair Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Northern Manhattan). "Too many lives have been lost on this stretch of Broadway and we are glad the NYPD is beginning to provide the enforcement necessary to hold drivers accountable. We want our residents and visitors to know that driving just a little bit slower can literally save lives. Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito and the NYC Department of Transportation have been leaders when it comes to protecting everyone who uses our streets and the help of the NYPD will be crucial in this effort moving forward. This is about changing the culture in our city when it comes to how drivers interact with the many others who use our streets."

We are making steady progress on the Upper West Side towards safer streets," said Council Member Helen Rosenthal (D-Upper West Side). "With the start today of the slow zone on Broadway we are one step closer to that goal; slowing Amsterdam along an even longer stretch will move us another step along the way.  There is much work still to be done and the public campaign to make drivers aware of the rules of the road in NYC, such as the new 25mph speed limit on Broadway, is an integral part of that work."

said Senator Adriano Espaillat (D-Northern Manhattan, West Side).

Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, said, "We thank Council Members Rodriguez and Rosenthal for their leadership to make streets safer in Upper Manhattan and across New York City, and we thank the NYPD leadership and Chief Chan for recognizing that better enforcement is essential to the effort to end traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Speeding continues to kill more New Yorkers than drunk driving and distracted driving combined. Starting now, drivers will be getting a clear message that that they have to observe the safer 25 mph speed limit and that there will be consequences for reckless behavior."

"Go slow! Going slow reduces the possibility that people will get hurt" said Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. "Thank to the DOT, Council Members Rodriguez and Rosenthal, the NYPD and - most of all - concerned citizens who are working to make this stretch of Broadway safer."

"The evidence is overwhelming that lower speeds lead to less fatal accidents. NYPD's efforts on Broadway will save lives and make pedestrians feel safer when crossing our busiest streets," said Council Member Mark Levine (D-Washington Heights, West Harlem). "I hope that we use every tool at our disposal to ensure drivers follow this lower speed limit. Signage alone is not going to slow cars unless it's matched with enforcement."

"With the start of the Broadway 'Arterial Slow Zone,' we are continuing the crucial work of making our streets safer for all," said Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell (D-Upper West Side). "In June, my bill to lower NYC's default speed limit to 25 miles per hour passed both the NYS Assembly and Senate. While we are still waiting for the bill to be signed, today's change takes an important first step forward by lowering the speed limit on Broadway and enforcing it. We must continue to improve our streets and laws so that no one else experiences the pain of a serious injury or death due to a speeding car."

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