Jewel Avenue & 164th StreetTraffic Calming for Complete Streets

June 25, 2007Presentation to CB 8 Transportation Committee, Queens

Division of Street Management & SafetyTraffic Operations Bureau

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Why are we here?• 140+ signature petition from school

community• Letter from Assemblywoman Mayersohn• PlaNYC 2030 initiative to add 200 miles of

new bicycle lanes by 2009• Community input to improve designs

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Timeline

• 11/06: A/M Mayersohn contacts DOT with parents’ petition requesting safety improvements in front of PS 200

• 12/06: Initial DOT response to A/M Mayersohn; DOT study of location begun

• 12/15/06: Fatal crash• 12/06: Input received from DOE• 4/07: Design finalized; initial signal

improvements made

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Project Area

Long Island Expressway

Long Island Expressway

Jewel Avenue

Jewel Avenue

164th

Street164

thStreet

Grand Central ParkwayGrand Central Parkway

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Jewel-164th Intersection

PS 200 Site of fatality

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Major Issues

• Speeding– Jewel Ave– 164th St

Jewel Ave (looking west)

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Major Issues

• Turning conflicts at 164th St/Jewel Ave– Poor alignment

JEWEL AVE

164T

HST

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Major Issues

• Turning conflicts at 164th St/Jewel Ave– Poor alignment– Multiple

conflict points JEWEL AVE

164T

HST

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Major Issues

• Turning conflicts at 164th St/Jewel Ave– Poor alignment– Multiple

conflict points– Left turns

• Multiple focuspoints forturning vehicles

• Wide arc3) ID’ing gap in right lane

3) ID’ing gap in right lane 4) ID’ing pedestrians

in crosswalk4) ID’ing pedestrians

in crosswalk

JEWEL AVE

164T

HST

2) Identifying gap in left lane

2) Identifying gap in left lane

1) Vehicles approaching from behind

1) Vehicles approaching from behind

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Major Issues

• Pedestrian Crossing Times– Long distances– Turning vehicles

South crosswalk (looking west)

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Crash History

Non-Ped Crashes

Pedestrian Injuries

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

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1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Num

ber o

f Cra

shes

• 82 crashes from 1998-2006• 8 included pedestrian injury or fatality

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Goal: Safe Streets for All Users

• First Priority: Safety• Other Objectives:

– Improved connections between schools, parks & greenways

– Road Diet: Manage excess roadway capacity• Reduce high speeds• Organize vehicle movements

– Provide quality bicycle routes

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Project Highlights

• Safety Improvements at Jewel Ave/164th

St Intersection– One-way conversion of Jewel Ave– Increased pedestrian crossing times– Improved school crossing signage

• “Road Diet” on Jewel Ave– 4 2 lanes– Striping to widen median

• Bicycle Lanes on Jewel Ave & 164th St

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Traffic Calm 164th St

• Bike lanes added; no lane removal

Existing Proposed

Bike lanes added

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Traffic Calm Jewel Ave

New Marking Plan• Auto lane removed in each direction• Buffered

bike lanesadded

• Medianwidenedw/ markings

Existing

Proposed Bike lanes added

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Traffic Calm Jewel Ave

• Jewel Avenue has excess capacity:– Jewel Ave: 9,100 vehicles per day (vpd)

• 2 lanes per direction

– 164th St: 16,300 vpd• 2 lanes and left turn bays per direction

• Thru Lane Removal – 1 Lane: lead vehicle sets pace– Past successes

• e.g. – Shorefront Parkway

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Jewel Avenue Traffic Volumes

0

200

400

600

5-6a

7-8a

9-10

a

11-1

2a

1-2p

3-4p

5-6p

7-8p

9-10

p

11-1

2p

Veh

Per H

our

Traffic Calm Jewel Ave

Eastbound

Westbound

• One lane of traffic can accommodate >500 Vehicles

AMPeak468

PMPeak443

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Traffic Calm Jewel Ave

• Roadway width unchanged• MTA buses accommodated

Stopped vehicles can be passed

MTA bus stop

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New Bike Lanes

• Create a Queens network:

Connection toKissena Park

Greenway

Connection to73rd Avenue

bike lane

Queens College

St. John’s

University

Futureconnection toJamaica hub

Connection toexisting Jewel Ave

bike lane Flushing Meadow

Corona Park

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Bike Lanes

• Jewel Avenue

Oriental Boulevard, BrooklynJewel Avenue (Existing)

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Bike Lanes

• 164th Street

Cross Bay Boulevard164th Street (Existing)

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Jewel Ave One-way Conversion

• Turning conflicts eliminated

JEWEL AVE

164T

HST

BEFORE

23AFTER

Jewel Ave One-way Conversion

• Turning conflicts eliminated

JEWEL AVE

164T

HST

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Jewel Ave One-way Conversion

• Between 164th and 168th St– Low vehicle volumes (300 WB in peak hour)– Narrow road (30’)– No Standing Anytime regulations

• Parking could be added if made one-way

30’ street width 40’

No Standing Anytime(both sides) BEFORE

25AFTER

Jewel Ave One-way Conversion

• Between 164th and 168th St– Low vehicle volumes (300 WB in peak hour)– Narrow road (30’)– No Standing Anytime regulations

• Parking could be added if made one-way

30’ street width 40’

Add parking(both sides)

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Jewel Ave One-way Conversion

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Increased Pedestrian Crossing Time

• Pedestrian crossing times increased at Jewel Ave/164th St intersection

• Implemented in April

40 sec27 sec164th St

50 sec33 secJewel AveAfterBeforeCrossing:

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Summary

• Pedestrians –– Substantially safer with slower vehicle speeds,

reduced conflicts with vehicles, and longer crossing times

• Motorists –– Safer operations with minimal impact– Potential for added parking

• Cyclists –– Improved experience– New connections to schools and parks

Project Goal: A Safer and More Comfortable Jewel Ave & 164th St for ALL Street Users

Next Steps: Refine Plans Based on Community Input

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P.S. 200 – Jewel/164th

Summary of Safety Improvements1. Signalization –

– Additional crossing time to cross both streets

2. Jewel Ave – Main St to 164th St– Lane removal with buffered bike lane and median widening

3. Jewel Ave – 164th St to 168th St– Conversion to one-way westbound

4. 164th St – Oak Ave to 84th Rd– Bicycle lane

5. School Signs & Regulations– Signage restoration– Monitoring curb regulations

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End of Presentation