Taking the Cross Out of Crosswalk
The New York Daily News
By Lenore Skenazy

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Sometimes, dreams come true - without even having to punch your fist through the driver's window to bang his head against the steering wheel until he learns his lesson.

I'm talking about pedestrian dreams, of course. Mayor Bloomberg seems to understand them, bless his bunions. With any luck, his breakthrough traffic plans could make this city a better place to walk and drive.

Consider the two initiatives his Department of Transportation is implementing. The first is called "Through Streets." As of Tuesday morning, 10 specially designated midtown streets will become no- turn zones. That is, drivers will be allowed to turn onto them, but not off, between Third and Sixth Aves.

What's so great about yet more traffic regs to learn or - worse - forget and get ticketed for violating? This: Crosstown-cruising cars that normally would get stuck behind turning vehicles, which, in turn, would normally get stuck behind street-crossing pedestrians, can now go full speed ahead. In the words of Gene Russianoff at the New York Public Interest Research Group, "You get on the street, and the next thing you know you're in Singapore."

That was meant as an endorsement. As anyone who has tried to cross town by four-wheeled conveyance knows, usually you get on the street, and the next thing you know, you're in cardiac arrest. You cannot believe how slow the traffic is (4.8 mph on average, if you must know). Now drivers will have something sort of like a freeway to take them across midtown. Wow!

As exciting as all this must be for drivers, however - even the Automobile Club of New York considers the plan, "in theory, good," said its traffic engineer, Mark Kulewicz - yes, as happy as most drivers will be, happier still will be people like me, the 78% of Manhattanites who don't own a car and hate everyone who does.

Any intersection that cars are prevented from entering is an intersection the rest of us can scurry across with a good chance of our souls remaining attached to our bodies.

At most city intersections, alas, this is not the case. The majority of New York drivers seem to have forgotten Rule of the Road No. 1: Pedestrians have the right of way.

How many times have I shouted that rule - with helpful color commentary - to vehicles that I would cheerfully have demolished, just to bring the point home. Barreling into the crosswalk fast and furious, these are the cars that have taught my children their one and only swear word, learned from mom at the top of her lungs. (Luckily, they think it's "LASSO!")

That's why Bloomberg's second traffic initiative is even more thrilling to me: split-phase traffic signals.

Split-phase signals separate pedestrians from the cars that would kill them. How?

When the light turns green, pedestrians get a "Walk" signal, as do cars going straight. But cars that want to turn get a red arrow for two-thirds of the crossing time. Then pedestrians get a "Don't Walk" sign while the car's turn arrow goes green for the rest of the interval.

"While overall pedestrian crossing times will be reduced by a third from their current length," conceded John Kaehny, executive director of the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, "pedestrians will not have to face turning motor vehicles, which are a major safety problem." This initiative puts pedestrians first - literally.

I tried the new split-phase signal at 53rd St. and Sixth Ave. and practically danced my way across. Even seeing "Hairspray" that same night could not compare to the joy of crossing a midtown street in complete and utter safety.

And I was not alone. "Normally I feel I'm trying to cross the raceway at the Indy 500," said an investment banker named Claudia. "Maybe this will keep us from being run down."

"It's also better for the drivers because they get so pissed off at the people walking right in front of the cars," said Carla Benetatos, an executive assistant.

The city plans to put split-phase lights in another 37 midtown intersections. Great. It can't happen soon enough, and I'd vote for about 1,000 more.

Meantime, a toot of the horn for a mayor who realizes that New York is a walking town. And if cars can get around it a little easier, well - I guess that's okay, too.

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