Harlem

Three pedestrians and one cyclist have been killed in the city since Friday night. Two drivers fled the scene, and two were reportedly exonerated by NYPD.

Although the project covers only half to the distance initially proposed thanks to foot-dragging by the local community board (the other half may be implemented next year), safety enhancements along 19 blocks of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard are in place and giving pedestrians more room to cross the street. When complete, the boulevard between 134th and 153rd Streets will include left turn lanes, wider median pedestrian islands, and one less through lane in each direction. With current nighttime speeds averaging 50 mph, the road diet will have an impact on calming the avenue's deadly traffic.

In today's headline stack, we noted that, according to the Daily News, the Department of Transportation is getting started on installing badly needed safety improvements along Harlem's Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard. The road diet is long overdue on the avenue, where nighttime speeds average 50 miles per hour and three pedestrians have been killed so far this year. Though the plan has the support of some of the neighborhood's most important community organizations, such as the Abyssinian Development Corporation, some community board members and neighborhood activists remain opposed.

Safety improvements on deadly Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard could be in place by September, the New York Times reported yesterday, despite continued resistance to the redesign from the local community board.

Responding to the local community board, NYC DOT has shrunk its proposal for safety improvements on Harlem’s deadly Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard. The revised plan only covers half the distance initially proposed. And even with that concession, the board has yet to approve the plan to expand the road's medians and slow speeding traffic.

A motorist struck two women crossing Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard in Harlem last Sunday evening, according to the NYPD. One, 35 years old, died from her injuries at Lincoln Hospital. Police did not release the names of the victims.

Select Bus Service is a big success on First and Second Avenues and 34th Street. Speeds are up, ridership is up, and the MTA is using the time savings to run even more buses along the busy corridors. So where in Manhattan is next for the popular package of bus improvements? One group of uptown transit riders hopes the answer is 125th Street.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation's commitment to replacing any parking spaces the agency builds on top of is a one-way ratchet toward ever-increasing amounts of automobile infrastructure. For projects at Flushing Commons and the Lower East Side's SPURA site, slated to be built over surface parking lots, EDC has pushed for the new developments to include hundreds of parking spaces in addition to replacing the old parking.

After more than three years of delay and debate, safety improvements may finally be coming to one of Harlem's deadliest avenues. Under a plan tentatively okayed by Manhattan Community Board 10's transportation committee last night [PDF], Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard will get wider medians, shorter crossing distances, and narrower traffic lanes in an attempt to improve safety for all users of the street.