Safety first!
The city will be installing a slow zone on 19th Avenue, between 55th and 58th Street, near Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School.
According to City Councilmember David Greenfield, the strip is a hazardous one, and students and employees at FDR have to cross it on a daily basis to get to the school, 58th Street and 20th Avenue.
Greenfield petitioned the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) back in August, requesting something be done about the dangerous street conditions for pedestrians. Upon investigation by the DOT, the slow zone was approved. It will reduce the speed limit in that area to 20 miles per hour as pedestrians struck by a car traveling 20 mph have a greater chance at survival than those hit by vehicles traveling 30 mph or faster.
Greenfield is a supporter of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative — a program which aims to end traffic deaths and injuries across the city — and sees the approval of the slow zone as a step in furthering the goals of Vision Zero.
“This is a major victory for pedestrian safety and for the safety of our children,” Greenfield said. “By reducing the speed limit on this busy road near a school, we are sending a clear message that New York puts safety first.”
Melanie Katz, principal of FDR High School told this paper, “Many FDR students walk to our school and pass through this area. I’m hopeful that the new slow zone will prevent accidents and make the area safer for my kids and our community.”
DOT Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Keith Bray said, “I’d like to thank Councilmember Greenfield for his continued collaboration with DOT and for his continued interest in keeping the students of FDR High School and all New Yorkers safe as they traverse through this area.”
The new slow zone will be installed within the next three months by DOT and will run on 19th avenue between 55th and 58th Streets.