NYPD will be out in force for DWI enforcement Memorial Day weekend around the five boroughs; “Know Your Limit” campaign will offer $10 off cab rides on Friday and Saturday night
As part of the de Blasio Administration’s City Hall in Your Borough, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, NYPD Transportation Chief Thomas Chan, and TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi announced several Vision Zero-related announcements on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. They noted dramatic safety improvements along the Grand Concourse and announced Memorial Day weekend initiatives to discourage drinking and driving, including DWI enforcement and a new program to offer discounted cab rides -- via the Curb app -- over the holiday weekend.
“Last week, we went to Queens Boulevard to announce the tremendous strides made in reducing fatalities and injuries on a street once known as the ‘Boulevard of Death,’” saidMayor de Blasio. “As City Hall in Your Borough comes to the Bronx, the Vision Zero news from the Grand Concourse is just as impressive: after major design changes by DOT, the street has seen dramatically fewer serious crashes and has also gone over two years without a fatality. But we have so much more work to do, and so as we start a holiday weekend, we remind New Yorkers of our efforts -- using both the carrot and the stick -- to keep everyone safe this weekend. We want to make sure that your holiday celebrations do not combine drinking and driving.”
The DOT, NYPD, and TLC today made the following Vision Zero announcements:
The New Grand Concourse: DOT released safety statistics for the Grand Concourse, which had been named a Vision Zero Priority Corridor for its high-crash history. In 2015, DOT began a major street redesign that shortened pedestrian crossings, added more pedestrian refuges, and calmed traffic. With legislative changes, DOT also lowered the street’s speed limit to 25 MPH and installed speed cameras at school zones along the street. Speed cameras have successfully reduced speeding within school zones along the Grand Concourse -- by 70 percent. The dramatic results suggest improved safety for all roadway users.
· Comparing the period 2011-14 to 2016-17, the Grand Concourse saw its average annual number of crashes with injuries decline from 220 to 133, a 40 percent reduction. Pedestrian injuries dropped by 48 percent.
· Between 1990 and 2015, the Grand Concourse had 103 traffic fatalities, including seven deaths in 2013. However, the Grand Concourse’s last fatality was April 5, 2015 – 781 days ago.
The de Blasio Administration has committed to making the DOT design changes permanent as part of a $164 million capital plan investment currently being undertaken by the Department of Design and Construction (DDC). The five-phase project, now in its second phase, is reconstructing and beautifying this major Bronx boulevard for a total of 3.5 miles from East 161st Street to East 198th Street.
DWI Enforcement Citywide: DOT data show that DWI-related traffic fatalities show a dramatic increase in the period between Memorial Day and Independence Day. In the six weeks between May 25 and July 6, the rate of fatal alcohol-involved crashes increases by 55%, compared to the rest of the year with an average of one in four annual fatal DWI crashes happening during this six-week period.
Recognizing this increased seasonal danger, NYPD will be focused on finding and arresting intoxicated drivers this holiday weekend. The focus on DWI will be down to the precinct level, including through the use of random checkpoints.
