In the last several days, you may have noticed, the city has made some changes to the intersection of East Broadway and Canal, alongside Seward Park. New pylons and street markings have created a larger pedestrian area, just to the east of Essex Street. In the new configuration, cars heading west on East Broadway must make a relatively sharp turn on to Canal.
We asked the Department of Transportation what’s up. Spokesman Monty Dean told us:
This neckdown has been installed as part of a Safe Routes to Schools project to both shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians and reduce speeds of vehicles turning at this intersection.
You can click here for more information about the Safe Routes to Schools program.
Back in August, a boy was struck by a car in this intersection. The entrance to Seward Park is just a few steps away from the new “neckdown.”
Take a look at the photo. Taxis drive right through the new pedestrian area in order to park along the curb. Somehow DOT did not set up stanchions close enough together to prevent this. A pedestrian, thinking the area safe, might be at risk.
The stanchion/barriers were set up at particular intervals and, I believe, this was deliberate. Seems to my eye that it was done this way so that emergency vehicles would be able to cut through that newly carved-out area rather than try to swerve around. Seems that way to me.