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The City Council is considering a two-year-long test to “divert” cars from residential streets by using barriers, speed bumps and “extended sidewalks” that jut into street corners to force drivers to hit the breaks.
A bill sponsored by Democratic Majority Leader Shaun Abreu would launch a pilot program and require the Department of Transportation to create a “low-traffic neighborhood” in five areas across at least three boroughs in a move New Yorkers said could spark more rush hour chaos.
The proposal got a hearing Tuesday.
“You can still drive to every address, get every delivery, and an ambulance can still reach your door. But drivers won’t use your block as a shortcut anymore,” Abreu, chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said at a rally on the City Hall steps before the hearing.
Kojo Thompson, 81, a former yellow cab driver from the Bronx, told The Post Tuesday he doesn’t like the idea.
“This is a fast moving city. You can’t slow the city down,” he said shaking his head. “It’s going to create more congestion, which we don’t need.”
The bill leaves the choice of neighborhoods and most design decisions to the DOT.
The city could install speed humps, raised crosswalks, curb extensions that slow turning cars, median barriers and diverters that force drivers to turn instead of cutting straight through.
“They are coming up with all kinds of limits. It’s unnecessary,” Kojo said, shaking his head.
The DOT would have to get input from community boards and keep access for emergency and sanitation vehicles, some delivery vehicles and residents whose homes are near one of the changes.
To measure the pilot’s success, the city would have to track crashes, injuries and deaths in the pilot areas and bordering neighborhoods, along with noise, honking, illegal parking and 311 complaints.
The bill sets no targets for success though and doesn’t require the DOT to count whether fewer cars actually use the streets.
The council’s Finance Division estimated DOT could run the pilot its current resources.
The idea fits in with the Mamdani administration’s pro-pedestrian Vision Zero Reimagined plan.
Released in September, the updated Vision Zero plan first developed under former Mayor Mike Bloomberg promises to expand traffic calming corridors and pedestrian-priority zones to shift travel away from private cars.
“There’s a range of treatments that are related here, whether it’s pedestrian-only zones, pedestrian-priority zones, lowered speed zones or low-traffic neighborhoods,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said.
“We absolutely see the potential of low-traffic neighborhoods as an important tool for keeping New Yorkers safe,” he said, adding that DOT is learning from London and other cities.
Flynn was light on specifics at the hearing.
“To be honest some of these ideas are still in development so it may be hard to provide specifics,” he said.
Abreu said the low-traffic neighborhoods would be large.
“We want a true neighborhood approach, not just a few blocks,” Abreu said.
James B., who lives in Bushwick and was shopping with his wife and 1-year old at the Target near Union Square Tuesday, backed the idea.
“I think it’s a good idea, if it works. It’s safer for families, especially with young children,” he said. “Don’t use our streets as your personal highway.”