Grand Concourse in the Bronx will be even grander.
City officials Thursday said that the famed Bronx thoroughfare will see more pedestrian-friendly projects.
The city is already working on the second phase of a five-part improvement program for Grand Concourse, from 161st St. to 138th St., that’ll cost $164 million. That’ll mean bigger curbs and crosswalks, more on the crossing signal, and medians and trees.
The Vision Zero street safety fixes that have been made include a lower 25 mph speed limit and school-zone cameras that cut lead-foot driving down by 70%, according to the city Department of Transportation.
DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said the safety fixes made as part of the city’s Vision Zero safe streets program caused a 40% drop in crashes and no fatalities along Grand Concourse in at least two years.
“We’re talking about numbers but it’s more than numbers. Those fatalities represent our fellow New Yorkers – our mothers, our fathers, our wives, our children, our neighbors,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “It’s really exciting to see Vision Zero work.”
For reckless and boozed up drivers, NYPD Transportation Chief Thomas Chan vowed a crackdown for the Memorial Day weekend.
“Vehicles operated by drunk drivers will be confiscated and subject to forfeiture,” Chan said. “So if you need your car to go to work, if you need your car to go on vacation, or you love your car – I, too, enjoy my car – then please, do not drink and drive.”
