Staten Island’s Seaview Avenue Safety Redesign Ribbon Cutting, New Bike Lane Traffic Signals On 3rd Ave,

NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND STATEN ISLAND OFFICIALS CUT RIBBON ON SEAVIEW AVENUE SAFETY REDESIGN

New Design Delivers Traffic Safety Upgrades Along Busy Corridor Outside Northwell Staten Island University Hospital

 

This Project Resulted From NYC DOT Listening to Local Concerns After Initial “Commissioner in Your Borough” Visit in February 2023

Editor’s note: We also covered the street redesign for McGuiness Avenue, as well as the recently completed Broadway redesign in Manhattan.  We also covered last year’s Car-Free Earth Day celebrations across the five boroughs.  This year brings an even bigger expansion of the program, and those ditching their cars can get a free bike ride (if you don’t have your own).  Earth Day is also a great time to be reminded of the responsibility humans have for contributing to species extinction, as well as what we can each do to help our communities. 

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez joined Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, Northwell Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) President Dr. Brahim Ardolic, and Northwell SIUH Vice President/Deputy Hospital President Meagan Sills to cut the ribbon on the final stages of the traffic safety project, including a protected bike lane upgrade, along a corridor with heavy pedestrian activity outside the Staten Island hospital. The project delivers community-requested traffic safety upgrades to the .7-mile corridor alongside Seaview Avenue from Mason Avenue to Father Capodanno Boulevard, including a new traffic signal and crosswalk at the key intersection at Nugent Avenue. The Seaview Avenue corridor ranked in the upper third of serious injuries on Staten Island from 2019 to 2023.

“I always look forward to being on Staten Island, and today we celebrate a safety project along Seaview Avenue that is a direct result of a previous Commissioner in Your Borough visit. This project will make Seaview Avenue safer for everyone, whether you live on the avenue, are visiting the hospital, or traveling through Ocean Breeze,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “I would like to especially thank Northwell Staten Island University Hospital leadership and Borough President Fossella for their awareness and leadership in helping to make Seaview Avenue safer.”

The discussion for improving traffic safety in the area first came about in February 2023 during NYC DOT Commissioner Rodriguez’s initial ‘Commissioner in Your Borough’ visit to Staten Island while at a meeting with Northwell Staten Island University Hospital. At the meeting, Dr. Ardolic asked for safety measures in the area out of concern for pedestrian crossings. NYC DOT’s planning units went to work identifying ideas and the project was substantially completed late in 2024, with final markings and epoxy paint for pedestrian islands completed last week.

NYC DOT looked at opportunities to calm traffic by reducing underutilized vehicle traffic lanes, while also upgrading the existing standard bike lanes on the corridor. The NYC DOT team observed there being only three traffic signals on the corridor, requiring over five minutes in walking distance between signals and enticing pedestrians to cross outside of crosswalks. NYC DOT traffic analysis also identified Seaview Avenue as an important cycling route.

NYC DOT road diets like the one installed on Seaview Avenue generally reduce fatalities and serious injuries by 30 percent for all users, including by 35 percent for senior citizens and by 32 percent for pedestrians. Given the corridor had as many travel lanes yet just a fraction of the traffic of both Hylan Boulevard and Father Capodanno Boulevard, NYC DOT was able to implement a redesign that included:

• Removal of one lane of traffic in each direction
• Conversion of standard 5-foot bike lanes in each direction into fully parking protected 7-foot lanes with additional 5-foot buffers from the parked vehicles
• Addition of new traffic signal, crosswalk, painted pedestrian islands, and signalized pedestrian crossing outside Northwell Staten Island University Hospital at Nugent Avenue
• Daylighting in the area to improve motorists’ visibility of pedestrians and cyclists

NYC DOT was also able to make ADA upgrades to six bus stops along the corridor, replacing grass areas with cement sidewalks.

NYC DOT will continue to monitor the area for pedestrian visibility as it normally does following road diets.

“Recently, we were contacted by SIUH with concerns that Seaview Avenue between Mason and Father Capodanno was dangerous for the patients, visitors and employees who frequent that stretch every day,” said Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella. “We are pleased to support measures to make this road safer. We thank NYC DOT Staten Island Borough Commissioner Caruana and her team for making these much-needed adjustments, and Dr. Ardolic for raising these concerns.”

“Every pedestrian injury we prevent means one less family disrupted, one less emergency room visit, and one more step toward a safer borough,” said Northwell Staten Island University Vice President and Deputy Hospital President Meagan Sills. “As a hospital, we see firsthand the impact of preventable accidents, and that’s why projects like this are so important. Safer streets mean safer patients, safer staff, and ultimately a healthier Staten Island.”

 

NYC DOT UNVEILS NEW BIKE LANE TRAFFIC SIGNALS ALONG THIRD AVENUE IN MANHATTAN TO HELP PROTECT CYCLISTS, PEDESTRIANS, AND EVERYONE WHO SHARES OUR STREETS

 Smaller Signals at Cyclist’s Eye-Level Are Part of the Major Safety Redesign of Upper East Side Street That Previously Had Among Highest Crash Rates in New York City

With “Green Wave” Signal Timing Installed Earlier This Year Along Third Avenue, Traffic Lights Are Making the Street Safer for All & Encourage Compliance With Traffic Laws

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced new bike lane traffic signals have been installed along Third Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The new signals, smaller and installed at about five feet off the ground – cyclist eye-level – and have proven elsewhere to increase safety as well as cyclist compliance with traffic laws.

 

In 2023, NYC DOT unveiled a major street redesign of Third Avenue, when nearly two miles of the avenue – from East 60th to East 96th streets – were prioritized for pedestrian and cyclist safety, with pedestrian islands, a new offset bus lane, and a double-wide parking-protected bicycle lane. Earlier this year, the agency announced ‘green wave’ signal timing had been introduced to the corridor, with traffic signals now timed so that vehicles driving at 15 MPH will hit consecutive green lights. The speed limit remains 25 MPH, but average daytime travel speeds are generally lower on the busy corridor. Prior to the redesign, this stretch of Third Avenue had been a Vision Zero Priority Corridor, with a high incidence of vehicle speeding, with 31 severe traffic injuries and five traffic fatalities (four pedestrians and one cyclist) between 2020 and 2024.

 

“Our transformative redesign of Third Avenue has already made the street safer —whether you are walking, biking, or driving,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “These new traffic signals for cyclists complement our green wave traffic timing, the next natural step in making sure the thousands of cyclists who use this street every day can keep both themselves and the many pedestrians crossing Third Avenue safe. We are working every day to make our streets safer and to make it easier for New Yorkers to get around our city.”

 

New Bike-Specific Traffic Signals: As NYC DOT continues its record expansion of protected bicycle lanes, the agency has sought ways to make those lanes safer for cyclists and other street users. The smaller new bike signals are more visible to cyclists by being located at eye-level at the nearside of corners, where they can be easily spotted before cyclists enter intersections, where most crashes occur. With cyclist-specific imagery, the first signals have been placed at those intersections with left-turning vehicle lanes that cross the bicycle lane – areas where there is the greatest need for clarity and predictability for cyclists.

 

NYC DOT installed the first new signal along Third Avenue at 69th Street, with more installations to come.

 

While these are the first smaller bike signals deployed in New York City, these signals have been used successfully elsewhere in the United States. A recent peer-reviewed paper at Oregon State University indicated that such traffic signals had increased compliance with traffic laws. According to the paper, “…[the] average percentage of users who committed a red-light violation [after such lights were installed] decreased from 30.8 percent to 14.8 percent.”

 

Third Avenue Transformed: The Third Avenue “Complete Street” project, constructed in 2023, included a redesign of every intersection on the avenue as well as traffic-calming measures to reduce speeding. The project now better accommodates all road users, including by delivering faster, more reliable bus service for 50,000 daily riders along the corridor. To better accommodate record high bike ridership and expected future growth, NYC DOT installed segments of bike lanes along Third Avenue as wide as 10 feet, making cycling conditions safer and more comfortable.

 

Preliminary data from the redesign shows a 79 percent increase in bike traffic while also bringing a 54.3 percent decrease in pedestrian injuries and 33.3 percent decrease in total injuries.

 

NYC DOT plans to return to the corridor this year to deliver similar bike and bus lane upgrades to Third Avenue’s northern terminus, from East 96^th to East 128^th streets.

 

NYC DOT will continue to monitor, evaluate, and make adjustments to the project as needed. The monitoring process will include reviewing both designs and behavior in terms of how the wider bike lanes and signals are being utilized and how cyclists are adapting.

 

Given the Third Avenue lane’s heavy use by delivery cyclists, these safety efforts build upon the Adams administration’s Charge Safe, Ride Safe E-mobility Action Plan announced earlier this year by incorporating street designs that accommodate the growth of micromobility devices on city streets—and make riding both safer and easier.

 

 

NYC DOT TO KICK OFF OPEN STREETS SEASON WITH EXPANDED CAR-FREE EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

NYC DOT Will Celebrate the 55th Anniversary of Earth Day on Saturday, April 26, With 54 Streets Across the Five Boroughs Opened to Pedestrians as Part of Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day

 

Citi Bike Will Offer Free One-Day Passes to All Riders

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced today the largest-ever Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day event — with a record number of car-free streets and expanded events in Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and on Staten Island. The annual event, hosted by NYC DOT, makes select city streets car-free and promotes activism and education surrounding climate change, environmentalism, and sustainable modes of transportation. The event also marks the official start of the city’s Open Streets and Public Space Programming season.

“New York’s public realm gets better and more inviting with each passing year—vibrant plazas with music and art, bustling streets with outdoor dining, and well-cared for parks teeming with trees and plants. There’s no better way to explore it than a walk or a bike ride to take it all in,” said Deputy Mayor Jeff Roth. “Our public realm is the best of our city—this Car Free Earth Day is an excellent reminder to enjoy it sustainably.”

“Car-Free Earth Day is a chance for New Yorkers to enjoy our city’s world class streetscapes as open spaces for all,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We only have one planet — temporary public art, programming, music, and other activities at dozens of car-free streets around New York City will help us remember: we must all do our part to reduce our carbon footprint and respect our environment.”

“Lyft is thrilled to partner with NYC DOT this Earth Day to offer free day passes that encourage New Yorkers to give Citi Bike a ride for the first time,” said Citi Bike General Manager Patrick Knoth. “Last year, 51% of commute hour rides on the Lyft platform were taken on a Citi Bike. Bikeshare programs like Citi Bike are a powerful tool to help cities reduce carbon emissions and we are incredibly proud of our partnership with the City of New York that makes the Citi Bike program such a huge success.”

This year’s, Car-Free Earth Day will include 54 car-free streets and plazas across the five boroughs, with locations featuring public art or community programming—up from 53 locations as part of 2024’s event. Select streets will be open from 10 am and 4 pm.

Through the support of Lyft, on Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day, Citi Bike will offer unlimited 30-minute rides on a classic Citi Bike for 24 hours. Riders can take advantage of the offer by using the promo code CARFREENYC25 in the Day Pass tab of the Citi Bike app.

ABOUT CAR-FREE EARTH DAY

First launched in 2016, Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day originally converted select Manhattan streets into public plazas and car-free streets for pedestrians, cyclists, and local businesses. Last year, NYC DOT awarded $30 million in contracts to expand resources available to in-need Open Streets, plazas, and other public spaces. Expanded resources include staffing, permitting and administrative support, community outreach, promotion, fundraising, grant writing, and more.

Signature event locations are listed below, and the additional 47 community-organized locations can be found at nyc.gov/carfreenyc.

NYC DOT also announced that five artists have been commissioned to provide temporary, environmentally focused artworks along certain routes through the NYC DOT Art program. New York-based illustrator Ishita Jain’s whimsical illustration, titled Branching, honoring some of the oldest New Yorkers—the City’s majestic trees—will be featured on 300 JCDecaux bus shelters citywide. The popular NYC DOT Art Stop Letters will also come to Car-Free Earth Day with a brand-new botanical design by NYC-based illustrator Caitlin Keegan. Her work illustrates springtime in a car-free utopia.

NYC DOT Art will also present two sculptural installations at Car-Free Earth Day. Connecticut-based interdisciplinary artist Molly Gambardella is bringing her Asphalt Asters, which tranforms community-sourced single-use plastic bags into larger-than-life sculptures. The second installation by New York-based artists Anjali Deshmukh and Ernest Verrett, titled Rising. Curtain., is a beaded curtain depicting a map of global temperatures from 1901 to 2000 to raise awareness about climate change and prompt consideration of its effects. Visitors are invited to reflect through a series of games that help the sculpture change throughout the course of the event. Artists were selected through recent open calls from the NYC DOT Art program. Learn more about NYC DOT Art initiatives and open calls at nyc.gov/DOTArt.

SIGNATURE EVENT LOCATIONS

Manhattan:

• Broadway: 17th Street to 46th Street

• St. Nicholas Avenue: 181st Street to 190th Street

• Dyckman Street: Broadway to La Marina/Inwood Hill Park

Queens:

• Woodside Avenue: 75th Street to 78th Street

Brooklyn:

• 5th Ave: 40th Street to 50th Street (expanding from 40th Street to 45th Street)

The Bronx: 

• E 188th Street: E Fordham Rd to Valentine Ave + Creston Ave: E 188th St. to E Fordham Rd + Valentine Ave: E 188th St. to E Fordham Rd (expanding E 188th Street)

Staten Island:

• Port Richmond Ave: Richmond Terrace to Castleton Ave (expanding from Castleton Ave to Post Ave)

“Car-Free Earth Day is an opportunity to celebrate our city’s public space and commit to working together every day to build a greener future for New York. I encourage everyone to spend time on an Open Street, take a free Citi Bike Ride, and check out the public art and community programming in Manhattan and across the city,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “I commend DOT Commissioner Rodriguez for continuing to grow Car-Free Earth Day so that more New Yorkers can envision a more vibrant, sustainable future.”

“I’m thrilled to celebrate the largest Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day ever held in our city,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “This event is a great way to encourage city residents to reduce our reliance on cars and to take other steps that will reduce our carbon footprint and help limit the negative impacts of climate change, which we have already started to feel. I am greatly looking forward to the Car-Free Earth Day festivities that will take place on Woodside Avenue in Queens and at six other locations across the city.”

“Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day is not just about promoting sustainability but also about reclaiming our streets to create a safe space to build community, culture, and joy,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I’m thrilled to see this initiative come to 5th Avenue between 40th street and 50th street in Brooklyn, and I look forward to working with NYC DOT and local communities to bring additional car-free programming to more streets across our borough.”

“I’m proud to celebrate the biggest Car Free Earth Day yet, and I look forward to the return of the Summer Streets program! New Yorkers across the five boroughs will take advantage of this opportunity to walk, bike, and play in a safe environment free of vehicle traffic,” said Congressmember Jerry Nadler. “With nearly 30 blocks set to be free of traffic on Broadway, I look forward to joining our neighbors for this event, which demonstrates how much more connected our neighborhoods can become when we prioritize people over private car travel.”

“As an avid cyclist and vocal advocate for sustainable and equitable urban spaces, I enthusiastically support the New York City Department of Transportation’s historic expansion of Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day,” said State Senator Robert Jackson. “Transforming city streets into thriving centers of community activity, clean transportation, and environmental awareness signals our city’s bold commitment to healthier neighborhoods and a sustainable future. I commend NYC DOT for championing a vision of urban life centered on people, not vehicles, and proudly welcome this milestone event to my district and our entire city.”

“Open streets are a wonderful way to bring neighborhoods together, encourage New Yorkers to step out of their cars, and increase engagement with businesses,” said Councilmember Keith Powers. “This year, we are offering more options than ever, opening new streets to New Yorkers and bringing our community together to engage with one another and enjoy free public programming. I look forward to taking a stroll on the open streets this summer!”

“Car-Free Earth Day is a fantastic event that sparks creativity and brings our communities closer together, making them safer and more lively. Turning streets into pedestrian-friendly spaces encourages us to rethink how we manage public space and promotes awareness of climate change and sustainable transportation,” said City Councilmember Carlina Rivera. “I applaud the Department of Transportation for its ongoing dedication to transforming streets and plazas into safe, welcoming spaces for families.”

“Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day is a powerful celebration that showcases how our streets can be transformed into vibrant public spaces, prioritizing people over cars,” said Ken Podziba, CEO of Bike New York. “This event allows New Yorkers to experience a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable city—all while enjoying the freedom and joy of biking. We are proud to support this vision by offering free Learn to Ride classes and, for the first time, free bike repairs at three locations throughout the event, making cycling more accessible to all. We applaud Commissioner Rodriguez, who launched Car-Free Earth Day in 2016, for his dedication to expanding this incredible initiative and empowering New Yorkers to reclaim their streets.”

“We’re so excited to start another year of Open Streets and Car-Free Earth Day,” said Jackson Chabot, director of advocacy and organizing at Open Plans. “People-centered streets are powerful; they create new opportunities for New Yorkers to walk and bike, help us build a sustainable future, and give us new space to gather and connect. We’re thankful to DOT for continuing to expand these vital programs and look forward to celebrating Open Streets all summer long.”

“Car Free Earth Day celebrates the benefits of car-free Open Streets, putting people first on the streets of New York City,” said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. “Not only are car-free streets good for the environment — they’re good for safety and the economy, too. We’re excited to celebrate this year’s Car Free Earth Day and hope to see similar and ongoing investment, support, and resources for Open Streets across New York City.”

Banner Image: Seaview Ave Safety Redesign ribbon cutting. Image Credit – NYC DOT