“It was one of New York City’s deadliest streets, a combat zone where one pedestrian after another was mowed down trying to get across,” writes Winne Hu for The New York Times. “Cars and trucks hurtling down Queens Boulevard left a rising death toll in their wake, including 18 pedestrians killed just in a single year, in 1997. Overall, since 1990, a total of 186 people have been killed on this one street, of whom 138 were pedestrians.” “Before long, the street earned lasting notoriety in tabloid headlines as the ‘Boulevard of Death.'” “But today, the Boulevard of Death is no more. Not a single pedestrian or cyclist has been killed on the seven-mile long thoroughfare that slices through Queens since 2014. ‘The Boulevard of Death has become the Boulevard of Life,’ declared Mayor Bill de Blasio in an interview. ‘We’ve turned the corner.'” “Queens Boulevard has become the poster child for Mr. de Blasio’s ambitious Vision Zero campaign to eliminate traffic deaths citywide through a host of enforcement measures and safety improvements, including redesigning streets and re-timing walk signals to give pedestrians a head start in crosswalks.” “His administration has faced criticism from some transportation advocates and community leaders that the campaign has stalled. While the overall number of people killed in traffic crashes declined last year to 231, pedestrian deaths—the largest share of those fatalities—rose to 148, up from 139 in 2015.” “This year’s numbers are more promising, with 198 overall traffic deaths as of Nov. 21, or 11 fewer than the same time last year. Of those, 92 involved pedestrians, or 41 fewer than the year before, while 19 involved cyclists, or two more than the year before.” “Caroline Samponaro, deputy director of Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group, said that while the transformation of Queens Boulevard showed that Vision Zero was progressing, there were plenty of other dangerous streets that needed to be tamed.” “‘Their immediate fix must happen as soon as possible and on a clear public timeline if Vision Zero is to be realized,’ she said. ‘This will mean making the changes that have happened on Queens Boulevard the norm, not the exception.'”
A bicyclist along Queens Boulevard in Queens, which became known as the “Boulevard of Death.’' But since Mayor Bill de Blasio made it a focus of his plan to make city streets safer, not a single pedestrian or bicyclist has been killed on the roadway since 2014. (Photo credit: Michelle V. Agins / The New York Times)
A bicyclist along Queens Boulevard in Queens, which became known as the “Boulevard of Death.’' But since Mayor Bill de Blasio made it a focus of his plan to make city streets safer, not a single pedestrian or bicyclist has been killed on the roadway since 2014. (Photo credit: Michelle V. Agins / The New York Times)
