Clinton/Hells Kitchen Pedestrian Safety Coalition

Coalition Requests Federal Funding - Elected Express Support

Sep 03, 2006

What you did : Chekpeds members showed up in force at the NYMTC (New York Metropolitan Transportation council) to request that a portion of the $ 51 millions in federal funding be directed at a comprehensive study of the Lincoln Tunnel accesses and 9th avenue. They explained the extreme traffic conditions in our neighborhood:
EMS vehicles are trapped: all intersections are constantly gridlocked.
There is no enforcment : after 3 years of asking we have JUST GOTTEN 1 agent, 3 hours a day, when we need 10 !
Our children cannot walk to school safely : Holy Cross is the most dangerous school to walk to in Manhattan. Why hasn't it been studied for solutions?
9th avenue is increasingly dangerous for pedestrians : 500 people have been injured on 9th avenue in 5 years. 11 intersections have become more dangerous and some have doubled or tripled accidents over the last two years.
We cannot breathe: our neighborhood suffers 25 % more deaths from chronic lung diseases than the Manhattan average, but more and more diesel buses are travelling through our residential streets. WHY?
Trucks overwhelm us : the Lincoln Tunnel carries most of the truck traffic : 9th Avenue has the second highest rate of truck accidents per mile in Manhattan , but has not been studied. WHY?

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