Safe Streets Daylighting
Clearing the curb space next to a crosswalk and upgrading that space with curb extensions benefits neighborhoods with a high percentage of parents of young children, older or disabled residents, high rates of traffic fatalities, traffic injuries, and large traffic volumes. Widening sidewalks at intersections shortens the distance that pedestrians need to cross, reduces speeding, and makes pedestrians more visible and drivers more likely to yield to pedestrians.
Case study: Hunts Point, the Bronx
The neighborhood of Hunts Point has more traffic fatalities and serious injuries than any neighborhood in New York City. With a rate of traffic fatalities nearly eight times higher than the citywide average, Hunts Point residents would dramatically benefit from safe streets daylighting at every intersection. Industrial neighborhoods such as Hunts Point especially benefit from the increased visibility offered by daylighting (as the high hoods and long footprints of trucks block crosswalk visibility and limit driver line-of-sight even more than passenger vehicles).
