2008 Woodie Awards
New Traffic Light to be Added at 187th
Ephraim Tepler
Issue date: 2/15/05 Section: News
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Jeffrey Rosengarten, Associate Vice President for Administrative Services, explained that Yeshiva began actively improving campus traffic patterns fifteen years ago. "YU's concern for terrorism long preceded that of any other institution, many of which are only today following suit," Mr. Rosengarten said. Yeshiva successfully persuaded the city to narrow Amsterdam Avenue to two lanes, allowing for a pedestrian mall.
The university then requested to have the avenue closed to private vehicles. The city agreed to try it on an experimental basis, but found it impractical. There were objections from taxi drivers, who claimed that it unfairly restricted their business, and from the fire department, which claimed that it prevented them from properly responding to emergencies. Furthermore, the police department deemed the avenue to be too difficult to monitor. Most of the violations issued during that period were to Yeshiva students and faculty.
While several other measures have been taken to improve traffic safety in recent years, not all of them have been successful or enforced. Although signs all over the campus restrict the five-block stretch of Amsterdam Avenue to buses and deliveries only, the law regularly goes unheeded. Officer Steve McManus, in charge of traffic safety at the 34th precinct, said, "There's a certain levity about [prohibiting vehicles from the campus stretch] because it is a major artery."
Mr. Rosengarten reasons that the city continues to maintain the signs so that the law should at least remain in writing and perhaps make a difference in the traffic volume. At the same time, he stressed the importance of cooperating with the police department, and not making their job too difficult. He noted that the campaign for this traffic light has taken only about a year and a half, in contrast to the campaign for a no-left-turn sign on 181st street, which took ten years to obtain.
Leaving the avenue void of a traffic light in the past has had consequences. There have been three accidents at the 187th Street intersection, and last year a Yeshiva student was hit at the intersection of Amsterdam and 185th street by a cab as it ran a red light. The student fractured his vertebrate and has had to go through rigorous physical therapy.
Craig Chin, a spokesperson for NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, described the installation process of new traffic lights. A twelve-week study is conducted to determine if the intersection meets the standards listed in the Federal Highway Administration Warrants. An intersection control unit counts cars passing through the intersection either by sending a worker to the site to conduct the count manually or by setting up an electric device. The count takes place during the rush hours of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in order to assess the maximum volume of cars passing through the intersection.
The results are then sent to the Director of Traffic Signals who makes the final decision. The cost of installation of a new set of lights is $50,000.