Traffic deaths continue to soar despite cities' pledges to get them to 'Zero'

[hotdogPi]

Survivability decreases sharply over 40 MPH. And let's be truthful: there is no real reason to speed in NYC. If you are going 40 MPH down Broadway, you are driving recklessly.

Heh. Drive on Sixth Avenue after midnight. If you're going 40 mph, you may be the slowest person on the road.

Aren't the traffic lights timed for a specific speed?

[tradephoric]

Survivability decreases sharply over 40 MPH. And let's be truthful: there is no real reason to speed in NYC. If you are going 40 MPH down Broadway, you are driving recklessly.

Heh. Drive on Sixth Avenue after midnight. If you're going 40 mph, you may be the slowest person on the road.

Wait, isn't 6th Avenue in Manhattan a one-way street?  It's extremely easy to regulate the speed of a one-way street with traffic signals every city block by simply timing the lights for a specific speed limit.  Short of completely blowing the red lights, the driver can't outrun the green-wave.  Point being, i don't think the signals along 6th Avenue are timed for 40 mph so there would be no way to go that fast even if you wanted to (specifically once you reached the 'start' of the wave).  I have a great video of this phenomenon but i won't bother posting it here because i already have several times in the past. 

[jakeroot]

NYC is in a position that places like London are not. NYC has huge, wide streets that are built for speed. Places like London can have lower limits that are actually observed because the roads are best suited for lower speeds.

[seicer]

Hence the traffic calming measures. I know a few complained when traffic was rerouted out of the core of Times Square, but it's greatly enhanced the pedestrian and cyclist experience. And has it really been all that detrimental to automobiles? Probably not.

[tradephoric]

1st Avenue Before/After traffic calming:




I will point out the "before" picture was taken during the dead of winter, with no leaves on the trees.  Just having some tree canopy would have made the "before" picture a lot more appealing.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

Survivability decreases sharply over 40 MPH. And let's be truthful: there is no real reason to speed in NYC. If you are going 40 MPH down Broadway, you are driving recklessly.

Heh. Drive on Sixth Avenue after midnight. If you're going 40 mph, you may be the slowest person on the road.

Aren't the traffic lights timed for a specific speed?

Yes, lights on avenues/major arterials in NYC are very precisely timed. You can drive nearly the entire length of Grand Concourse in the Bronx in the peak direction and not hit a single red light (you could even use cruise control if your car lets you set it slow enough) . Going 40 on one of the one-way avenues would be incredibly aggravating as you'd hit a red every third light or so. Almost the entire city has been retimed for 25 mph now, but I believe there are still a few 30 mph straggler corridors.

[jakeroot]

1st Avenue Before/After traffic calming:

https://nacto.org/wp-content/themes/sink_nacto/views/design-guides/retrofit/urban-street-design-guide/images/downtown-1-way-street/carousel/1st-ave-ny-2010-1before.jpg
https://nacto.org/wp-content/themes/sink_nacto/views/design-guides/retrofit/urban-street-design-guide/images/downtown-1-way-street/carousel/1st-ave-ny-2010-2after.jpg

I will point out the "before" picture was taken during the dead of winter, with no leaves on the trees.  Just having some tree canopy would have made the "before" picture a lot more appealing.

IMO, the before picture is definitely less inviting (five lanes one way? really?). It looks like you're crossing a freeway. The second picture is slightly more inviting, as it's clearly a multi-modal street (bus lane, bike lane with buffer) that would make sense in a city. I would have gone a step further and concreted over the rest of the chevron markings on the left side of the street (improved cycle lane protection) but this is a good step in the right direction.

As it relates to traffic control, fewer lanes can sometimes improve traffic flow. Fewer lanes invite fewer lane changes, and lane changes can sometimes induce that rubber-band braking effect. That would be especially problematic on a long, timed straightaway like this, where traffic probably reaches 35 or 40 mph. There's also a massive capacity increase resulting from that exclusive bus lane.

Hence the traffic calming measures. I know a few complained when traffic was rerouted out of the core of Times Square, but it's greatly enhanced the pedestrian and cyclist experience. And has it really been all that detrimental to automobiles? Probably not.

Last time I was in Times Square (2008), I did feel quite squeezed on the sidewalk. I haven't been back to Times Square specifically since then (only other parts of NYC), but I would imagine the ped experience has improved dramatically, especially for those seeking those grand photos that look best from the center of the square.

[kphoger]

1st Avenue Before/After traffic calming:

It looks a lot less inviting if I need to park somewhere along there.

[adventurernumber1]

1st Avenue Before/After traffic calming:




I will point out the "before" picture was taken during the dead of winter, with no leaves on the trees.  Just having some tree canopy would have made the "before" picture a lot more appealing.

The second picture does indeed look more inviting. The plant life is more vibrant (though, heavily influenced by the different seasons in the different pictures), there is greater safety for a more variety of modes of transportation, and the striping is now fresher and more coherent. It looks great. The first picture still looks really cool, but the second one, of course, just looks even more inviting. I don't know when these pictures were taken, but the first picture looks more like something I would have seen when I went to New York City at the very, very beginning of 2015 (New Year's). I am glad to see some work like that being done.

[jakeroot]

1st Avenue Before/After traffic calming:

It looks a lot less inviting if I need to park somewhere along there.

There still seems to be a lot of parking. In fact, the number of spaces on the right side of street is far more than I think other cities like Seattle or Vancouver would have left (both of whom would have likely bulbed the corners, removing at least four spots on each block (two each direction)).

[abefroman329]

The best solution for the pedestrian overcrowding in Times Square is for everyone to go back where they came from.

[RobbieL2415]

The best solution for the pedestrian overcrowding in Times Square is for everyone to go back where they came from.

Long have I yearned for a streetcar line to replace Broadway in Manhattan.