Weight-In-Motion Ticketing Success, Traffic Safety Banners, Roadway Dining Season Begins Next Month, Curb Enthusiasm Podcast: NYC DOT

OVERWEIGHT TRUCKS ON THE BROOKLYN QUEENS EXPRESSWAY DROPPED 60 PERCENT SINCE NYC DOT DEPLOYED ROADWAY WEIGHT SENSORS

First-in-Nation Weigh-in-Motion Technology Issues Violations to Overweight Trucks and Has Brought Safer Conditions to Aging Half-Mile Portion of Busy Interstate Highway I-278

Based on the Success of the Program, NYC Dot Calls for the State To Reauthorize the State Law That Empowered NYC DOT To Create the Program and To Expand It Statewide To Protect Other Aging Infrastructure

Editor’s note: The DOT has earlier this year announced the success of this program in just the short time that it has been in operation.  It is likely generating a large amount of revenue, considering the high cost of the tickets themselves (at a cost of $650 per violation). Since the latest fiscal year available was 2023, we will have to wait until next year to see if there is a rise between 2023 and 2024, when 40% of the overweight trucks that were already on the BQE were still there, and their presence now generates revenue. Revenue has been rising already year over year as more and more speed and red light cameras are installed and operated around the clock.  From about $1 Million in revenue is 2016 to $1.45 Billion in 2023, there has been a steady increase.  We previously covered the close of outdoor dining season at the beginning of winter last year.  New regulations should make for safer structures built outside of restaurants, whether in the street or on the sidewalk.  Last month’s Curb Enthusiasm podcast featured a conversation about the benefits of charging for parking in cities.  

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today released a new report that found that the number of overweight vehicles on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) dropped 60 percent after NYC deployed first-in-the-nation weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology that uses roadway weight sensors to issue violations to overweight vehicles. A state law passed in 2021 granted NYC DOT the authority to use weigh-in-motion technology on the half-mile section of the BQE in downtown Brooklyn, known as ‘BQE Central.’ The law, Chapter 773 of 2021, will sunset on December 1, 2025, and Commissioner Rodriguez is in Albany today to discuss reauthorization and expansion of its use to other infrastructure statewide.

“Modern problems require modern solutions, deploying cutting edge technology is the key to addressing our city’s most complex infrastructure needs,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “I hope our productive partnership with legislative leaders and the governor to bring weigh-in-motion to New York City, and the results it has yielded, can serve as a national model for other cities and states, including the rest of New York State.”

Overweight trucks, especially those with severely overloaded axles, can cause serious wear-and-tear on aging infrastructure, hastening the need for expensive repairs and rehabilitation. When BQE Central was first constructed in the 1940s, trucks weight limits were approximately 11 percent lighter than current legal loads. Earlier NYPD weight enforcement along the BQE had found that some out-of-compliance trucks were exceeding the 40-ton (80,000 lbs.) maximum weight limit by 100 percent or more.

Since the agency began WIM enforcement in 2023, the system has proven an incredibly effective tool at deterring overweight trucks from using the roadway. As of November 2024, overweight vehicles detected on the roadway with the WIM system installed had decreased by 60 percent.

The complete WIM system technology utilizes roadway sensors to weigh passing vehicles in conjunction with adjacent cameras to capture the identifying information of vehicles that are overweight. Using this technology, those that violate the state maximum weight limit for their truck’s weight/vehicle class are issued a $650 violation. For example, WIM legislation grants a 10 percent gross weight overage — so a truck whose maximum gross vehicle weight is 40 tons is allowed to weigh 44 tons before a violation is issued. (Otherwise, violations of axle weight limits are specifically prescribed by state law — and can only be issued when those limits are exceeded by 20 percent.) Prior to the use of this technology, NYC DOT found an average of 7,920 overweight vehicles driving in the Queens-bound direction on the city-owned portion of the BQE each month. During the first year of the use of WIM technology, this figure dropped to 3,041 vehicles on average.

The report published today covers development and implementation of the WIM automated enforcement program, and data summarizing the first year the program issued violations, between November 2023 and November 2024.

Deterring freight companies from travelling on the BQE with overweight trucks is part of a larger suite of efforts undertaken by the NYC DOT to extend the useful life of the aging structure. As the city works to develop a long-term solution for the structure NYC DOT will continue to leverage the WIM automated enforcement system.

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The system is currently active in the Queens-bound direction and will be expanded to include the Staten Island-bound direction in 2025, further protecting the roadway.

Weigh-In-Motion Expansion

Given the success of the technology, NYC DOT is seeking broader legislative authority to allow WIM systems to be deployed elsewhere in New York State. Among possible infrastructure being targeted by NYC DOT for WIM technology is the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River, which connects Washington Heights to Highbridge in the Bronx. WIM would help protect the long-term future of the Washington Bridge, which is also a designated local truck route.

Expanding the system will help reinforce existing vehicle weight restrictions citywide and protect additional pieces of critical infrastructure. NYC DOT will work with New York State agency partners and the New York State Legislature to explore these opportunities.

“Our transportation infrastructure is the nervous system that keeps our city and our economy running, and we need to take care of it to ensure it serves New Yorkers safely for the long haul,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “I was proud to pass the first-of-its-kind bill to enable NYC DOT to use weigh-in-motion sensors to prevent overweight trucks from damaging the BQE, and I’m glad to see it working so effectively. This tech is helping us preserve the BQE as we work toward a long-term solution for the roadway’s future, and it makes sense to use it on other vital infrastructure across the state. I’m grateful to Commissioner Rodriguez and NYC DOT for their hard work to make this program a success.”

“I’m thrilled that our first-in-the-nation WIM program has successfully reduced the number of illegally overweight trucks – that means fewer large trucks causing significant damage to the BQE triple cantilever and to our health,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon. “The WIM program is not only extending the BQE’s useful life but helps buy us time to re-imagine the BQE as a 21st-century corridor prioritizing climate justice while reducing carbon and the particulate matter that harms our lungs. As we look toward reauthorizing this successful program, I am proud of the collaboration between the city and state to implement this system and grateful to the NYC DOT and the BQE expert panel for their work on this initiative.”

“Weigh-in-Motion technology has successfully eliminated 60 percent of the overweight truck traffic on the Queens bound BQE,” said Councilmember Lincoln Restler. “I am pleased WIM is finally being implemented on Staten Island bound lanes and hope to see a similar reduction in illegal, overweight trucks to extend the lifespan of the triple cantilever structure.”

NYC DOT LAUNCHES VISION ZERO PUBLIC AWARENESS EFFORTS ON STREETS ACROSS THE CITY

NYC DOT Will Utilize 1,000 of Its Street Light Poles To Hang Banners With Traffic Safety Messaging

Vision Zero Banner Installation on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Image Credit – NYC DOT

NEW YORK– New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced the launch of a new Vision Zero public awareness effort on streets across the city. NYC DOT will utilize 1,000 of its street light poles to hang banners with traffic safety messaging. NYC DOT will post messages primarily on streets that are Vision Zero corridors that are also prioritized for street safety redesigns and enhanced enforcement of traffic laws. In addition to banners on light poles, the campaign imagery will also be displayed on city-owned properties. Under Vision Zero, the city prioritizes The Three Es: Engineering, Education, and Enforcement. To implement the Three Es, NYC DOT has a $4.7 billion 10-year budget to redesign streets to make them safer; supplement NYPD’s traffic enforcement efforts through speed cameras and red-light cameras; and raise awareness through public education to complement its Vision Zero work.

“Building safer streets starts with safer street designs and enforcement of traffic laws, but education plays a key role, reminding people of the responsibilities we all share when we get behind the wheel,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “This campaign takes the message directly to people where they live using NYC DOT’s own light poles and I hope it serves as a reminder to slow down, to look for pedestrians and cyclists, and to obey all traffic laws.”

The messaging posted on NYC DOT light poles supplements the agency’s Speeding Ruins Lives multi-platform public awareness campaign to reduce speeding and reckless driving. The campaign uses powerful imagery of pedestrians and cyclists in slow motion to show the impact of a crash paired with a direct call to action for drivers to slow down.

New Yorkers will spot banners on streets throughout the five boroughs.

Vision Zero Banner Installation on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Image Credit – NYC DOT

NYC DOT is working to reduce traffic deaths holistically through Vision Zero education, enforcement, and street engineering. Last year traffic deaths declined in New York City, with fatalities near all-time lows. In addition to completing transformative street redesign projects, NYC DOT successfully fought for the renewal and expansion of red-light cameras, began reducing speed limits in targeted areas under Sammy’s Law, improved visibility at thousands of locations at intersections, pedestrianized over 350,000 square feet of space, implemented measures to give pedestrians a head-start in crosswalks, and continued its efforts to dramatically expand bike lanes and other infrastructure.

Campaign Results

Although advertising is a small portion of the city’s overall Vision Zero budget, a data-driven approach is critical for ensuring that funds are used effectively and efficiently. Teams conduct qualitative and quantitative research in campaign development and to measure awareness and impact. Data identifies target audiences and geographical ad placements.

In 2022, DOT analyzed the influence of Vision Zero messaging, specifically on male drivers, age 25-54, a demographic group involved in a disproportionate share of traffic crashes:

• 70 percent are aware of Vision Zero
• 83 percent support of Vision Zero as a valuable government program
• 81 percent say the campaign encouraged them to be a more responsible driver
• 77 percent say they will give more thought to their speed when approaching crosswalks
• 81 percent say they will pay more attention to pedestrians and cyclists

ONE-MONTH UNTIL ROADWAY DINING SEASON: NYC DOT CUTS RED TAPE TO ALLOW MORE RESTAURANTS TO OPERATE

NYC DOT Grants Conditional Approvals for the Majority of Roadway Dining Applicants To Cut Bureaucratic Red Tape Ahead of April 1 Season Launch

Thousands of Roadway and Sidewalk Dining Setups Currently Permitted To Operate Under Dining Out NYC Rules

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced today the agency is cutting red tape by helping hundreds of restaurants currently moving through the cumbersome outdoor dining application process established by law. The move will help ensure that restaurants can operate roadway dining setups when the roadway dining season launches on April 1.

On Monday, March 3, NYC DOT will begin sending hundreds of letters to food service establishments granting conditional application approvals for roadway dining setups through Dining Out NYC. Conditional approval will be granted to all roadway dining applicants that have been heard at a legally mandated public hearing. The nearly 2,000 establishments with existing sidewalk-based outdoor dining were already allowed to operate while their applications were pending. With these conditional approvals, nearly 3,000 sidewalk and roadway setups will be permitted to operate. Sidewalk setups are allowed year-round and roadway setups can operate beginning April 1.

“New Yorkers love outdoor dining and it has made our streets more vibrant and welcoming public spaces,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Outdoor dining on our sidewalks and roadways has been a lifeline for many restaurants, and we are cutting through red tape to ensure that thousands of restaurants will be up and running as the weather warms.”

NYC DOT has received close to 3,800 Dining Out NYC applications from more than 3,000 restaurants and has worked to make the program as accessible to restaurants as possible, connecting business owners to resources through the Dining Out NYC Marketplace and Setup Menu. The program is already more than two and half times the size of the pre-COVID sidewalk cafe program. 

Currently, the vast majority of the 2,300 sidewalk cafe applications submitted to NYC DOT can already operate compliant setups as their applications are reviewed. Existing sidewalk setups were allowed to operate year-round, even if an application was pending. Through NYC DOT’s conditional approvals, roadway cafe applications that received a legally mandated public hearing will now be clear to operate on April 1. The city has received more than 1,400 applications for roadway dining, and roughly 800 roadway cafe applicants will be eligible for conditional approvals by the start of the roadway dining season.

When the City Council created a permanent outdoor dining program, it required roadway cafes to be seasonal, operating from April 1 to November 29. The law also requires separate, lengthy approval processes for roadway and sidewalk setups, so that restaurants must file separate applications, with separate license fees, and receive separate revocable consent agreements and licenses for their roadway and sidewalk setups. The agency looks forward to discussing future reforms to improve the program with the City Council, including potential changes to the application process.

General Overview of Required Roadway Cafe Application Process

General Overview of Required Sidewalk Cafe Application Process

Through the conditional approval process, roadway setup applicants must have completed NYC DOT review and the community board review process, and NYC DOT must have held a public hearing on the application. Applicants that do not provide NYC DOT with the required documentation to move forward with the issuance of their license within a certain time frame, or fail to comply with Dining Out NYC rules, will have their conditional approvals rescinded. 

Restaurants that have applied for a roadway dining set up, received a public hearing, but have not received a conditional approval can reach out to NYC DOT at [email protected].

NEW EPISODE OF NYC DOT’S CURB ENTHUSIASM PODCAST FEATURES PROFESSOR WES MARSHALL

Marshall Is the Author of Killed by a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies our Transportation System

The Conversation Focuses on the Critical Role of Engineering in Traffic Safety, How Planners and Engineers React to Traffic Deaths, and the Value of Empirical Science and Research in Designing Streets

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced the release of the sixth episode of the agency’s Curb Enthusiasm podcast. The episode features Wes Marshall, PhD, PE, author of Killed by a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies our Transportation System, and a professor of civil engineering at University of Colorado Denver. The conversation focuses on the critical role of engineers in designing streets with safety in mind, how transportation officials can analyze traffic deaths to better address underlying safety threats, the importance of following empirical data, and the need to focus on vehicle design.

“The Curb Enthusiasm podcast always broadens the discussion on what works best in the transportation world,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “This episode featuring prominent academic and author Wes Marshall takes a deep dive into the science, research, and data that needs to go into road designs and what the future of civil engineering education should be.”

The Curb Enthusiasm podcast focuses on issues at the local, national, and international level and features guests who discuss the most consequential transportation work happening all over the globe.

The episode is co-hosted by Emily Weidenhof, assistant commissioner of public realm at NYC DOT, and Nick Carey, traffic engineer and director of school safety at NYC DOT.

Curb Enthusiasm is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, BuzzSprout and other major streaming platforms. More information is available at nyc.gov/CurbEnthusiasm.

About Wes Marshall, PhD/PE

Wes Marshall, PhD, PE, is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado Denver, where he holds a joint appointment in urban planning. He also serves as director of the CU Denver Human-Centered Transportation Program and the Transportation Research Center.

Marshall authored the 2024 book Killed by a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies our Transportation System. He is also credited with more than 80 peer-reviewed journal publications and book chapters, and has received millions of dollars in research funding. He is also the only three-time winner of the CU Denver College of Engineering Outstanding Faculty in Teaching Award. A Massachusetts native, Wes earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia (BS) and a Master of Science and PhD from the University of Connecticut (MS and PhD).

About Emily Weidenhof, Episode Co-Host

Emily Weidenhof is assistant commissioner of Public Realm at NYC DOT. Emily works closely with community organizations throughout the five boroughs to transform their streets as public space. For over a decade, she has focused on strengthening communities through the creation of plazas and shared streets and retooling the curb lane for innovative programming. She’s also played an integral role in NYC DOT’s Broadway Vision Plan, which employs a range of tools to reimagine the famed Manhattan corridor from Union Square to Columbus Circle, which now prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists. Emily has worked as an architect and urban designer in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, including at the NYC Department of City Planning.

Emily received her bachelor’s degree in architecture from Pennsylvania State University and her master’s degree in architecture and urban design from Columbia University.

About Nick Carey, Episode Co-Host

Nick Carey is the director of school safety at NYC DOT, where he leads a multidisciplinary team focused on redesigning streets to enhance safety for the city’s youth. Over his 13 years at the Department of Transportation, Nick has worked to bridge the gap between city planning and transportation engineering, demonstrating that even small adjustments to something as intangible as traffic signal timing can lead to profound improvements in quality of life. Originally from the Bay Area, Nick studied civil engineering at Portland State University.

Banner Image: Vision Zero Banner Installation on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Image Credit – NYC DOT

NYC DOT

The New York City Department of Transportation’s (NYC DOT) mission is to provide for the safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible movement of people and goods in the City of New York and to maintain and enhance the transportation infrastructure crucial to the economic vitality and quality of life of our primary customers, City residents.