First Slow Zone Announced

The first Neighborhood Slow Zone, which reduces the speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph, was announced in the Bronx on Monday.

Neighborhood slow zones, part of multiple initiatives headed by the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) to make residential streets safer, was first announced last year. It is part of the DOT’s Pedestrian Safety Study and Action Plan, which aims to encourage walking by calming traffic.

Blue gateway signs mark the entrances to the slow zone, while the new speed limit is posted on other signs. Speed bumps in the area and 20 MPH stenciled in letters 8 feet high also encourage safe driving.

DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan joined Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and City Council Transportation Committee Chair James Vacca in the Claremont neighborhood off 167th Street, at the intersection of Vyse Avenue and West Farms Road, one of the entrances to the slow zone.

“Local neighborhood streets are not highways, they are not shortcuts, they are where New Yorkers live,” said Commissioner Sadik-Khan. “A pedestrian struck by a car going 40 mph has a 70 percent chance of dying while a pedestrian stuck by a car going 20 mph has a 95 percent chance of surviving.” 

Community Board 3 approved the zone in May. Other communities that wish to create safe zones can submit applications to DOT for consideration.