Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
Molinaro says Borough President’s Office and City Agencies are making Island roads safer
Hylan Blvd. fatalities dropped 27 percent last year; 60 percent Borough-wide
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Responding to a new report that names Hylan Boulevard as one of the city’s most dangerous roads, Borough President James P. Molinaro today said the reality is that Island streets are safer due to a concerted effort by his office and City agencies to implement initiatives such as a left-turn ban on Hylan, which resulted in a 27 percent drop in fatal accidents last year. Borough-wide, traffic fatalities dropped 60 percent.
Molinaro said his office is working on further initiatives to increase safety, including a new entrance to Miller Field, more right and left-turn lanes, large overhead street signs, and “smart lights,” which control traffic flow using sensors instead of the current set-timer method.
Earlier this week, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign identified the region’s most dangerous streets for pedestrians, and Hylan Boulevard ranked fifth, with nine pedestrian fatalities between 2005 and 2007.
“Nine fatalities is, of course, nine too many,” said Molinaro, “but the fact is that my office is working with City agencies to reduce accidents on Hylan Boulevard, and we are succeeding. The ban on left turns at 33 intersections was credited with a 27 percent drop in accidents last year.”
In 2002, Molinaro formed a Borough Traffic Task Force with the Department of Transportation, the NYPD, and other elected officials to develop new ideas for traffic improvements, and made the left-turn dilemma along Hylan Boulevard a priority.
Molinaro asked the Department of Transportation to examine the problem of delays and fender-benders on Hylan that were caused by vehicles stopped in the left lane waiting to make a turn. DOT concluded that left turns should be prohibited at intersections that lack dedicated left-turn lanes in order to improve safety and the flow of traffic.
“The Department of Transportation confirmed what we had suspected, that when motorists attempted to make left turns on Hylan Boulevard where no left-turn lane or signal was present, the result was traffic backups and frequent accidents,” said Molinaro.
Signs were posted on Hylan Boulevard from Grasmere to Eltingville prohibiting left turns at any intersection that does not have a dedicated stacking lane. In some cases, medians were filled in to prevent motorists from breaking the law.
Other traffic improvements on Hylan Boulevard that have resulted in significantly safer and quicker travel times are parking bans during rush hour, new left-turn lanes and signals, large overhead street signs and “next signal” signs.
In 2006, the Mayor’s Transportation Task Force was formed to address the unique traffic challenges of Staten Island and expand on the Borough Traffic Task Force’s efforts.
Last year, the Mayor’s Transportation Task Force reported that there were 60 percent fewer fatalities on Staten Island roads in 2007 than in 2006, due to increased police enforcement and engineering improvements made at some of the Borough’s busiest and most dangerous intersections.
One of the most congested corners is Hylan Boulevard and New Dorp Lane, and at the Borough President’s request, the Department of Transportation is conducting a capital project to widen the intersection to help improve traffic flow and safety.
Molinaro has also been working with the owners of property at some of the Island’s other busy corners, such as Victory Boulevard and Clove Road, Victory and Richmond Avenue, and Amboy Road and Nelson Avenue, who have voluntarily agreed to widen the intersections at their own expense.
“I applaud the work of the Mayor’s Transportation Task Force, and I am optimistic that by working together we’ll continue to reduce accidents on Hylan Boulevard and throughout the Borough,” said Molinaro. “Our common-sense traffic solutions are making Staten Island’s roads safer for pedestrians and motorists alike.”
November 3, 2008