Dear Parents and Caregivers:
As our children return to school this week I strongly encourage you to drive slowly and safely on our City streets. I’d also like to take this opportunity to share some tips for getting your children to and from school safely.
The Department of Transportation has a program called Safe Routes to School and we regard it as a top priority. We have created safety maps for each elementary and intermediate school with 250 students or more, which you can use to plan a safe walking route to school with your child. Download the maps in the Safe Routes to Schools section of the DOT’s website.
The DOT has also begun to make safety improvements around schools Citywide including fixing sidewalks and installing speed reducers. We have also identified an initial 135 priority schools that had larger safety issues and started to install improvements including:
- New crosswalks
- New signal timing to give children more time to cross the street
- Sidewalk extensions (such as neckdowns and bulb outs) that slow cars and also shorten the distance children have to cross
- Realignment of intersections to improve visibility and reduce the chance of crashes
- And more
We hope to expand this program to address more schools in the years ahead. These improvements alone are not enough. We also need your cooperation.
Drivers:
- Obey the speed limits and traffic regulations
- Use special caution when driving near schools and look out for young children who might dart into the street
- Turning vehicles must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks. No matter how great your hurry, it is not worth injuring a child.
- Stop for school buses with flashing red lights, they are dropping off or picking up children. School bus stop signals are identical under the law to a red light.
Parents and Caregivers:
- Teach your children to use the crosswalks and stop, look and listen before beginning to cross the street
- Remind your children to watch out for turning vehicles while they cross
- If you drive your child to school, do not double park to drop them off. You are putting your child and other children at risk by doing so.
- Do not make abrupt maneuvers like U-turns on streets heavily used by students.
Together we can help to safeguard our children’s health and well-being. Please remember to share the road safely wherever and whenever you drive and walk on the streets of our City.
Sincerely,
Janette Sadik-Khan
Commissioner
NYC Department of Transportation
