New York's Slow Zones Haven't Made Streets Safer

Paris, Iceland, and London are among the jurisdictions worldwide to adopt traffic-slowing strategies in the interest of safer streets—much of the time with success. But New York's slow zone program, launched in 2011, is a different story. Researcher Jonas Hagen found that weak implementation of the city's 28 slow zones have led to a failure to reduce traffic injuries.

New York's slow zones feature largely low-impact interventions, Hagen's report notes—like speed bumps, signs, and pavement markings. Other jurisdictions have seen success with more robust measures, as David Meyer writes for Streetsblog:

The London program, which included more physical street design changes, led to a measurable reduction in severe traffic collisions … London added raised crosswalks, raised intersections, curb extensions, pedestrian refuges, traffic diverters, mini-roundabouts, and other traffic-calming measures as part of its 20 mph zone program. And these interventions are installed at five times the rate per mile of street as New York’s speed humps.