Vision Zero: NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Makes Improvements

   NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi’s Chief Executive Officer William Foley today announced the completion of a project to make the hospital campus safer and more pedestrian-friendly. The work is the result of a successful collaboration with NYC Department of Transportation (DOT).  As part of its Vision Zero efforts, DOT toured the campus and recommended a number of strategies to transform Jacobi’s outdoor space, with a focus on pedestrians, who are the majority of the users of the hospital’s large suburban campus. 

Hundreds of patients and staff who traverse the campus on foot each day will now benefit from safer streets and slower vehicular speeds as they cross streets. The following roadway and parking improvements are now complete: 

·         Installation of eight speed bumps,

·         Clearer pavement markings to show crosswalks and vehicular pathways,

·         Installation of reflective posts and “Pedestrian Crossing” and “Yield to Pedestrian” signs,

·         Replacement of “STOP” signs with more easily visible ones,

·         Painting of curbs to increase their visibility at intersections,

·         Narrowing and clearer demarcation of Seminole Avenue to discourage speeding, and

·         Installation of “Pick Up and Drop Off Only – No Parking” signs outside the Outpatient Care Pavilion, to better guide traffic.

“NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi is taking a common-sense approach to create a safer environment for both our patients and our staff,” said Mr. Foley.  “We see these improvements as an extension of our work to promote wellness.” 

Mr. Foley expressed his appreciation to the NYC Department of Transportation for their guidance and expertise.

“As part of Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative, we have been working hard at redesigning streets all over New York City, making them safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists” said Nivardo Lopez, Acting Bronx Borough Commissioner for the Department of Transportation. “With these new changes, Jacobi’s employees, patients and their families will all benefit from important safety improvements.”