Eyes on the Street: Watch Drivers on 158th Street Run Reds With Impunity

By Stephen Miller
Jun 7, 2013

Drivers going to and from the Henry Hudson Parkway at 158th Street pass a traffic signal at a crosswalk that cyclists and pedestrians use to access the Hudson River Greenway. The light flashes yellow until a crosswalk user requests a signal, at which point it turns red and drivers must stop at the crosswalk.

The problem? Drivers often don’t stop for the red.

Anna Zivarts, 29, is a video producer from Red Hook who uses the crosswalk on her rides up the greenway every week, where she connects to 158th Street. She noticed that drivers weren’t stopping for her when she had the signal. “I was going to make a video to show DOT that the light was broken,” she said, before realizing that the light wasn’t malfunctioning. Drivers were simply ignoring it.

“Recently, I’ve seen it every time I’ve crossed,” Zivarts told Streetsblog. “You see people running red lights all the time in the city, but not with such repetition in the same spot. It’s just crazy.”

Streetsblog has inquired with DOT and NYPD about whether either agency would be performing red light enforcement at the intersection, with automated cameras or officers. We also have a request in with Council Member Robert Jackson’s office about the issue. We’ll let you know if we hear anything back.

The intersection sits on the boundaries of the 30th and 33rd Precincts. The next 30th Precinct community council meeting, where residents can express concerns to the precinct about traffic enforcement, is scheduled for June 27 at 7:30 p.m.; the next 33rd precinct community council meeting will take place on June 26 at 6:30 p.m.