On February 3, 2012, the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council submitted an application to the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) for a "Prospect Heights Neighborhood Slow Zone". The streets to be included in the slow zone are shown in blue on the map above. In addition, PHNDC has asked the DOT to include the Eastern Parkway service road from Washington Avenue to Plaza Street as part of the Slow Zone after receiving strong support in a petition from residents living on or near Eastern Parkway.
Neighborhood Slow Zones (NSZ) are a DOT program that reduces the speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph and adds safety measures within a select area in order to change driver behavior. The ultimate goal of the Neighborhood Slow Zone program is to lower the incidence and severity of crashes and to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Slow Zones also seek to enhance quality of life by reducing cut-through traffic and traffic noise in residential neighborhoods.