Pol rips killer traffic
The New York Daily News
By Chrisena Coleman

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Increased truck traffic is choking Canal St. and making it difficult for lower Manhattan residents, particularly the elderly, to cross safely, a City Council member said this week.

Councilwoman Kathryn Freed (D-lower Manhattan) said three senior citizens were hit by trucks while trying to cross Canal St., and two of them died, since Sept. 9. She blamed the deaths and injury on traffic lights that change quickly to keep traffic moving.

At Canal St. and the Bowery, where an 80-year-old man was killed Sept. 24, Freed said, the light changes in 23 seconds.

"That's not enough time for senior citizens to cross the street," said Freed. "Canal St. is a very wide intersection and it is very busy. There are a lot of fast-moving trucks in the area, and people are afraid to cross."

The other fatality occurred at Canal and Mott Sts.

Freed said the root of the problem is the increased truck traffic between the Manhattan Bridge and the Holland Tunnel. She said truckers are trying to avoid paying tolls on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge by using Canal St.

At a press conference this week, she called for additional traffic enforcement and increased timing of crosswalk lights.

"People live down here," said Freed. "There is too much traffic congestion and pollution along the Canal St. corridor. Our safety should be just as important as it is in other parts of the city. We must return Canal St. to the people of lower Manhattan."

DOT officials did not return calls for comment.

John Kaehny, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, agreed that Canal St. is one of the most dangerous streets in the city.

"It is almost impassible," said Kaehny. "The gridlock almost prevents pedestrians from crossing. If I had to grade it, Canal St. rates an F for safety."

Kaehny said Canal St. is a death zone for pedestrians and a disaster zone for motorists. He said the city should change the tolls in order to stop the trucks from using it as a shortcut to New Jersey.

Freed said she hopes another person doesn't have to die in order for the city to correct the situation. "We need help down here," she said. "Our seniors should not have to die in the streets at the hands of truck drivers."

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