FINALLY SOME ANSWERS FROM NYC DOT!
This update is for Sunday, July 10 - Thursday, July 21. Sorry about the slowdown in updates. I continue to have technical difficulties with the iPhone cameras. First, there was the memory problem, now in the hot weather, the phones are overheating and shut down after 45 minutes if they are in the sun. The new technique of shooting simultaneously from two cameras, one upstream and one downstream of the crosswalk, is also making the editing more difficult because now I have to review the whole length of two videos to see the notable incidents. Before, when I shot just very short clips on one cam, it was easy to "like" a notable clip and then find it later. As a result, updates are taking longer.
On July 8, at 4:41, DOT responded to my speed bump inquiry (DOT-554219-C8K7) with the following email.
Dear Jerome W Dewald :
Thank you for your correspondence to the Department of Transportation (DOT). The issue that you described is not under the jurisdiction of this agency. This matter will be properly addressed by the Police Department (NYPD). You may send your inquiry directly to the NYPD by going to http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mailnypd.html For individual precinct information, click on http://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/about/about-nypd/contact-us.page
DOT appreciates you taking the time to write.
Sincerely,
Clement Okegbe
Commissioner's Correspondence Unit
New York City Department of Transportation
I replied that installing a speed bump was not a job for NYPD and immediately reinitiated the request for a speed bump (DOT-554564-F3C0).
On Tuesday the 12th, I was surprised to receive a phone call at 4:26 PM from Jessie Adair, from the DOT Commissioner’s Customer Service and Correspondence Unit, regarding my Request for Speed Reducers (DOT-554564-F3C0). After an initial discussion to clarify which crosswalk I was inquiring about, the petition, and what the demands were, Jesse promptly followed up by email at 5:52 PM to the question about installing speed bumps or "humps" upstream of our crosswalk to slow the vehicles to the posted speed limit. Here is what she said:
Hi Jerome,
Thanks for speaking with me today.
I have at least been able to get a response for you about one of your questions: speed humps within Central Park
The DOT unit involved with installing speed humps has advised as follows:
The Central Park Drives are now fully closed to motor vehicles so we wouldn’t put speed humps within the park drives.
Does he mean the crosstown roadways (also known as the transverse roads) i.e., 86th, 96th, 65th/66th Streets?
Also we wouldn’t put speed humps on Central Park W because there are 2 moving lanes in each direction.
I hope this clarifies things for you a little.
Jessie
Commissioner’s Customer Service and Correspondence Unit
(718) 796-8081
I responded by email at 6:03 PM by pointing out that both of these statements were untrue. First, there are a lot of vehicles in Central Park. These include municipal and state vehicles, like DOT, CPC, NYC PARKS, NY PARKS, and commercial vehicles like Coca-Cola, and Nuts Unlimited, as well as illegal motor vehicles like motorcycles that enter thru the pedestrian entrances. Second, traffic on West Drive is one-way, except for joggers and vehicles going the wrong way. I also told her about the audio message I was playing and gave her links to the iCloud videos of the previous day.
Jessie then called me back at 6:36 PM, said she had read our petition, and berated me for saying in the petition that it would take another death in the crosswalk before DOT did something. At 6:50 PM, Jessie responded by email and told me she was going to forward all of my materials to the appropriate DOT units to review.
The next day, at 9:57 AM, I sent Jessie the following email:
Hi, Jesse!
Here is a link to video surveillance of our crosswalk on Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10. There are two hours from the upstream cam and two hours from the downstream cam for each of these two days. The link expires in 30 days but anyone with the link can download the videos. You can see clearly that the traffic is one-way and you will see the occasional motor vehicles entering and exiting our crosswalk. You can also see that it is not on a hill.
Here is a link to a reference video of a normally-functioning crosswalk two blocks away at 63rd and Broadway during a similar time/day period. You can see that pedestrians are able to enter this crosswalk without fear and without a barrage of incoming vehicles traveling above the speed limit when the stoplight is red and the pedestrians have the right of way.
The posted speed limit on all Central Park roadways is 20 MPH but there is a yellow 10 MPH speed sign about 250 feet upstream of our crosswalk. I am advised that the yellow speed sign is only advisory and not enforceable. I have speed radar and have measured the speed of the traffic entering and exiting the crosswalk and there are some videos available of the speed measurement as well. Most of the competitive cyclists are moving through our crosswalk at about 24-30 MPH, while tourist bikes travel at about 17-18 MPH. Many e-vehicles travel at speeds as high as 35 MPH and some motorcycles go much faster than that. I've not yet been able to clock their speed but you will see them speeding through in these videos.
Since I began this project on May 24, I have collected well over 2500 video clips. Many of these early clips are 30-second studies of the types of vehicles entering our crosswalk and their speed. Others study the behavior of pedestrians in terms of how often they push the crosswalk button and how vehicles and pedestrians behave when pedestrians are in the crosswalk and they do not have the right-of-way.
Although we are using the term "speed bump" in our petition, what we are actually asking is that DOT install BY LABOR DAY a traffic-calming device to bring the speed of traffic entering our crosswalk to the posted speed limit at all times. Considering the nature of the vehicles and their speeds, it may be more appropriate to install a series of "rumble strips" similar to those found on the edge of roadways to alert drivers that they are moving off the roadway. The device to use is DOT's expertise, not ours.
Kids come back to school after Labor Day. Our crosswalk is getting more dangerous every day as e-vehicles proliferate and more people use West Drive as a downtown highway to avoid the congestion and compliance with traffic rules on Central Park West. There are over 200 kid-crossings every school day here. Most of the 800 signatories to our petition are parents of kids attending the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and the YMCA as well as residents who live near the park and use this crosswalk every day.
Please let me know if I can provide any more documentation.
Thanks.
By 12:06 PM, the same day, Wednesday the 13th of July, I received the following response from Jessie about the school speed zone question,
Hi Jerome,
Below is the response I got for you from DOT’s School Safety Division:
West Drive inside Central Park is not eligible for a School Slow Zone or school warning signage because it is not adjacent to a school building. We’ve investigated Central Park West adjacent to Ethical Culture Fieldston for a School Slow Zone and it is also not eligible because there is more than one travel lane per direction. As a general note, DOT ceased installing “SCHOOL” word markings on the street in 2016 as they were determined to be ineffective at reducing crashes and injuries.
On Central Park West, appropriate school warning signage is in place approaching Ethical Culture Fieldston school. Both intersections adjacent to Ethical Culture Fieldston and the YMCA Pre-K are signalized with a leading pedestrian interval at W 64 St and a dedicated pedestrian phase at W 63 St on Central Park West.
I hope this helps.
Jessie
At 1:40 PM the same day, I received this further email response from Jessie regarding the speed bump issue.
Hi Jerome,
Below is the response from DOT’s speed hump unit:
The answer is not speed humps. Although the Parks Department vehicles still use the park drives it is still closed to all motor vehicle traffic.
His video is showing all the pedestrian and cycling activity. From what I’m gathering he doesn’t like the fact that no one is utilizing the signals in the park – the cyclists are not stopping at the red light and the peds are crossing against the walk signal. There isn’t anything that is going to stop this from happening now that the park is car-free. Is he expecting NYPD to stand there and give tickets to cyclists going through red lights and peds for jay walking? I don’t believe there is a design solution for this but copying Sean for any thoughts here as his team was responsible for the markings inside the park drive.
I hope this helps.
Jessie
THIS IS THE PART IN THE EMAIL I THINK IS MOST REVEALING ABOUT WHY DOT HAS DONE NOTHING TO MAKE OUR CROSSWALK SAFE IN THE EIGHT-PLUS YEARS SINCE JILL TARLOV DIED IN THIS CROSSWALK:
".. the fact that no one is utilizing the signals in the park – the cyclists are not stopping at the red light and the peds are crossing against the walk signal. There isn’t anything that is going to stop this from happening now that the park is car-free."
DOT CLEARLY THINKS THERE IS NO SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM ASIDE FROM REINTRODUCING CARS TO THE ROADWAYS IN CENTRAL PARK AND REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING!
At 2:24 PM the same day, I received this further email response from Jessie regarding the school speed zone issue.
Hi Jerome,
Below is another response from DOT’s School Safety unit:
We are working on a larger plan to deal with the signal compliance issue [in Central Park].
I would thank them for the input and that you will pass it on.
I hope this helps.
Jessie
At 2:47 PM the same day, I responded to Jessie's 1:40 PM email:
Thanks for all the great work, Jessie!
The bottom line is that this is a dangerous crosswalk, as are all the crosswalks in the park. It is not about what I do or do not like. This crosswalk is different from all the other crosswalks in Central Park because it is within 350 feet of two schools and the crosswalk is used by hundreds of children every school day in addition to the elderly and disabled who use it every day. I am certainly not expecting NYPD to stand there all day handing out tickets. That's why we want a traffic-calming device installed there that works 24/7.
There certainly is a design solution here but DOT may have to take a cue from other cities that have dealt with it. One idea is rumble strips. I understand from my conversations with competitive cyclists using this roadway is that Seattle and Toronto both have speed limiting devices similar to rumble strips on roadways that are used primarily by bicycles. These make it very uncomfortable for the rider to move over them at a high speed.
The American Council of the Blind of NY recently filed and won a lawsuit against the City of New York and DOT concerning the crosswalk signals, see SDNY Case No. 18 Civ. 5792. The rationale in this case is exactly the same as the case I will file if there is no traffic-calming device installed there by Labor Day. DOT is obligated under the Americans with Disabilities Act, to make all of its crosswalks safe for the disabled, including those in Central Park. The difference here is that the crosswalks in Central Park are far more dangerous for blind, disabled, elderly, families and children than are the ones in the rest of the city. This is easy to show and I now have far more evidence than I need to file this suit. Let's please not go this route.
Please send this back to Sean or whoever in DOT designs and implements solutions for this kind of problem and see if we can come up with a solution that complies with federal law by making this crosswalk safe by Labor Day.
Thanks, Jessie.
By 3:09 PM, I had received the following response from Jessie.
Hi Jerome,
Again, I have forwarded your latest email to our School Safety and Speed Hump units to review.
Unfortunately, I will be unable to continue receiving information from you as my part in assisting with your case is over.
Thanks for your understanding.
Jessie
Probably they were put off by my threat of a lawsuit.
Here are links to the videos from July 10 to July 21 videos. This is about 24 hours of video.
July 15 Upstream Cam (missing in action, will investigate)
Rain Day, No July 16 Upstream Cam
Rain Day, No July 16 Downstream Cam
THESE LINKS EXPIRE IN 30 DAYS BUT YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THEM BEFORE THE LINKS EXPIRE.
Today's screengrab is another competitive cyclist charging between pedestrians in a crowded crosswalk while the stop light is red and the white safe-to-cross light is white. This faster cyclist has just passed on the right of a group of slower bikes moving thru the crosswalk on the red. He swerves in front of the slower bikes to avoid a baby in a carriage in the crosswalk when the safe-to-cross light is white. Here is a link to the upstream video of the incident and here is one from the downstream cam.