Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
DOT Unveils Broad Vision Zero Safety Plan For Queens
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 17, 2015
Modified Feb 17, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Courtesy DOT
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 17, 2015
Modified Feb 17, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Queens will get a pedestrian-friendly makeover, courtesy of Mayor de Blasio's Vision Zero plan. Today, the Department of Transportation and the NYPD unveiled a comprehensive plan intended to cut down on injuries and fatalities in a borough where an average of 43 pedestrians are killed annually.
This is just the first of five pedestrian safety plans, with each borough getting its own Vision Zero treatment. (Manhattan's plan will be revealed tomorrow.) In Queens, a year's worth of research and public workshops yielded 47 "priority" corridors—as in, corridors with high death and injury rates—72 "priority" intersections and 17 miles of stretches prone to pedestrian fatalities. Investigators also noted that drivers were most frequently cited for speeding and failing to yield to pedestrians.
The DOT, NYPD and other city agencies plan to use the identified priority zones to implement a number of programs, including extending pedestrian crossing time, installing additional speed limit signs, and modifying signal timing to cut down on speeding.
The plan also calls for the addition of speed cameras at dangerous intersections and crossings. In addition, the DOT will "expand the bicycle network," which hopefully means new bike lanes and more cyclist-friendly signage.
Particularly problematic areas in the borough included the intersection of Metropolitan and Hillside avenues in Kew Gardens, which is due for an intersection redesign later this year. The city also plans to target the Pulaski Bridge Bike Path, Astoria Boulevard at 31st and 33rd Streets, and Hunter Street from Springfield Boulevard to Cross Island Parkway in Cambria Heights.
The DOT says about 75 percent of Queens pedestrian fatalities in recent years were primarily or in part due to "dangerous driver choices." Vision Zero aims to eliminate traffic deaths completely by 2024.
Tagged
department of transportation
nypd
pedestrian fatalities
queens
vision zero
original
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .