BILL NUMBER:S3166

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to
the establishment of specific criteria for the evaluation and placement
of traffic control signals

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To require the New York city Department of Transportation to consider
specific criteria not currently considered when determining the
placement of traffic control signals.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
This bill requires the Department of Transportation to examine its
current policy and establish a new process to evaluate the need for
traffic control signals. The evaluation would include consideration
of criteria that expands upon the department's current evaluation
process.
The criteria include, but are not limited to, the likely presence of
school children and bicyclists, considerations of any unique
characteristic relevant to location in question, average vehicular
speeds, and the frequency and types of accidents involving motor
vehicles and pedestrians, including property damage, based upon
information and statistics provided by the police department and
insurance companies.
              

The bill also requires that if a request for a traffic signal is
denied, the Department of Transportation provide a written
explanation within ten business days to the individual, group or
organization that made such a request. The Department of
Transportation would be required to send copies of the written
explanation to the state assembly member and state senator in the area.

JUSTIFICATION:
Pedestrian safety has become an increasingly important issue in New
York city where pedestrian deaths are not uncommon. On April 12,
2003, ten year old Stefan Trajkovski was struck by a speeding SUV in
Queens while riding his bicycle. The community had known for years
that the corner needed a traffic signal but a light was not installed
at that location until months after the Stefan's fatal accident.
unfortunately, Stefan's story is only one of many pedestrians and
bicyclists crossing intersections that the community has declared
dangerous but DOT's criteria determined that a traffic signal would
be unwarranted. Current policy is reactive rather than preventative
and needs to be changed.

This bill would adjust the current evaluation process for traffic
control signals to allow additional considerations to be used when
determining if a traffic control signal is warranted for a particular
intersection. The current process is based upon federal guidelines
for determining the need for traffic control signals. These
guidelines are helpful, but limit the considerations the Department
of Transportation might use in appropriate situations. The Federal
guidelines were designed for use by transportation officials
throughout the country including rural and suburban areas such that


the process does not include criteria that are unable to traffic
conditions in large cities.
This legislation supplements the federal guidelines to tailor the
evaluation process more specifically to conditions in New York city.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
01/11/07 Referred to Cities
01/09/08 Referred to Cities
S.734S/A.5281 - 2010 - Referred to cities

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

EFFECTIVE DATE:
On the ninetieth day after becoming law.