$71 Million in Federal Traffic Funds go to New York

NEW YORK - New York City’s streets could see less traffic and pollution in the not-to-distant future. Last Tuesday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the City is getting $71 million in Federal funds to ease traffic congestion and improve air quality.

“Thanks to the excellent planning of [the Department of Transportation] and $71 million in Federal funding we will be able to invest in a host of innovative programs and initiatives to improve traffic flow and reduce pollution,” said Mayor Bloomberg.

The announcement was made at Nostrand Avenue and Avenue V in Brooklyn, which is one of nine roadways to be studied under the City’s “Congested Corridor” initiative.

Congested Corridor is one of numerous improvement projects the City is investing the $71 million in over the next four years. Here is a brief overview of some of the projects:

Congested Corridors Mitigation: $5 million

The Citywide Congested Corridors Project will attempt to make improvements which will reduce delays and improve traffic flow, thereby reducing vehicle emissions on major traffic corridors in each of the five boroughs. Possible measures to reduce congestion include signal timing changes and computerization, roadway alignment changes, bus priority lanes and changes to curbside regulations (parking control). All changes will be done in consultation with local community leaders and with public input.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Network Development: $21 million

The Pedestrian Network Development Project is meant to ensure that new construction and transportation improvements integrate the needs of pedestrians into their design. It also promotes walking and encourages New Yorkers to commute by foot. The Bicycle Promotion, Parking, and Network Development project will encourage the use of the bicycle as a healthy and low-cost alternative to motor vehicle travel and as a compliment to public transit. The Bicycle Promotion initiatives will further improve the City’s 900 mile bicycle network as well as provide wide-spread and secure bicycle parking.

Downtown Brooklyn Mobility Management Study: $1.8 million

The Downtown Brooklyn Mobility Management Study will explore ways to reduce traffic and promote mass transit in Downtown Brooklyn. The area is undergoing a large-scale redevelopment and is the City’s third largest central business district. Under consideration are alternative fuel shuttle buses to the area’s ferry landing.

Walk to School and Asthma Free School Zone: $3.7 Million

The Walk to School Program educates school-aged children and encourages them to walk, bike and use other non-motorized means to travel to school. It is part of a larger program that teaches children the skills to walk safely and identify officially-designated safe routes to school. The asthma free school zone project addresses the environmental causes of asthma by training communities to make their schools and neighborhoods as environmentally safe and healthy as possible. To reduce particulate pollution the program educates New York City drivers (especially diesel bus and truck) to respect existing anti-idling legislation and agreements between school bus fleets and the State Attorney General.

Electronic Traffic Management Improvements: $14 million

This program will install a fiber cable network linking principal City arteries to the Traffic Management Center in Long Island City. Connection points include: The Cross Island Parkway, The Henry Hudson Parkway, The New England Thruway, Jackie Robinson Parkway, The Belt Parkway and The Korean War Veterans Parkway. These networks will allow for the installation of remote traffic monitoring systems, closed circuit video cameras, variable message signs and other traffic improvement technologies.