Eyes on the Street: A Guerrilla Message to DOT

Greenwich_Duane_2.JPG

This stencil appeared on the corner of Manhattan’s Duane and Greenwich Streets late last month. Our source tells us the message — "DOT what will it be, traffic light or dead like me" — stems from years of fruitless neighborhood efforts, as documented in this Streetfilm from 2006, to persuade the agency to install a signal at what residents say is a dangerous intersection. Community Board 1, Council Member Alan Gerson and Borough President Scott Stringer have joined the call, but to no avail.

Our tipster also speculates that this latest attempt could be the work of the SoHo Alliance, which we’re told has also demonstrated for the cause. What say you, Mr. Sweeney? 

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Expecting DOT Street Safety Projects to Deliver More Than the Minimum

|
A DOT plan to add painted bike lanes and sharrows to Spring Street [PDF] doesn’t go far enough to prioritize walking and biking, says Community Board 2 transportation vice-chair Maury Schott. Last Thursday, DOT presented the proposal to the CB 2 transportation committee. Two-thirds of the audience supported the plan, meeting attendees said, and neighborhood NIMBY […]

Eyes on the Street: Pedestrian Islands Arrive on Amsterdam Ave

|
DOT has finished striping the protected bike lane on Amsterdam Avenue between 72nd Street and 110th Street, and now it’s moving on to the concrete. A reader sent in this photo of a brand new pedestrian island, more of which will be going in on the north side of intersections along the corridor. The nine-foot-wide raised concrete islands […]

CB 2 Committee Signs Off on Slate of SoHo Pedestrian Improvements

|
The transportation committee of Manhattan Community Board 2 this week unanimously recommended that DOT implement two projects that would bring a menu of pedestrian safety improvements to SoHo, including a number of intersections near the Holland Tunnel. At the intersection of Canal Street and Hudson Street, DOT plans to add median islands and bump-outs to […]

Eyes on the Street: Safer Streets Come to Jackson Heights

|
In June, Queens Community Board 3 overwhelmingly supported two traffic safety projects: a neighborhood Slow Zone for part of Jackson Heights and new pedestrian islands on Northern Boulevard. Now those improvements plus multiple Safe Routes to School projects are being installed. Clarence Eckerson Jr. snapped some photos earlier this week as DOT crews poured concrete […]