The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council
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.
PHNDC believes that the safety and quality-of-life of Prospect Heights would be greatly improved by a NSZ. Most streets within Prospect Heights already experience a significant amount of cut-through traffic, and based on conservative estimates, traffic will get worse with the opening of the Barclays Center arena in September 2012. A NSZ in Prospect Heights will not only reduce the speed of traffic, thereby increasing safety and reducing traffic noise, but may also encourage drivers to circumvent the neighborhood altogether and remain on major arterial roadways.
Almost 1,200 people have so far signed a petition calling DOT to implement a NSZ in Prospect Heights. PHNDC's application has also received the support of Councilmember Letitia James, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffires, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, and Community Board 8. You can still show your support by signing our online petition.
