Claremont Declared City's First 'Neighborhood Slow Zone'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Life in the fast lane is going to slow down in the Claremont section of The Bronx.
The Department of Transportation launched its first "slow zone" Monday in the neighborhood as part of a new citywide campaign to protect pedestrians.
The program reduces the speed limit from 30 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour.
1010 WINS' Terry Sheridan gets reaction from residents
Podcast
The entrance to the zone is marked by blue signs, the speed limit is stenciled onto the streets and nine speed bumps have been built.
EXTRA: Bronx Slow Zone Map (pdf)
DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said between 2006 and 2010 there were about 46 people who were killed or seriously injured in the Claremont community.
"This neighborhood is nothing more than a shortcut and it's become a speedway for people to zoom through this area and it has had deadly results," Sadik-Khan said. "We really want to make it clear that our streets are for New Yorkers – they're where we live, where we play, where we shop."
The DOT is also placing radar-equipped signs at locations in all five boroughs alerting drivers to their speed.
According to Transportation Alternatives, 39 percent of motorists drive in excess of the city's 30 mile per hour speed limit.
Other community boards can apply to have their neighborhood declared a slow zone.
The move is all part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's safety action plan which was released last summer.
Do you want a slow zone set up in your neighborhood? Let us know below...
