‘Bow Tie of Death’ Intersection One Year Later

NEW YORK—Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthall joined Upper West Side residents at the “bow tie of death” intersection on 71st St. and Broadway, urging the Department of Transportation (DOT) to commit to their planned improvements on Monday.

“We’ve had accident after accident here. This is a very dangerous intersection,” Stringer said. “We’re not looking to come out here when somebody dies. I don’t want to have to be here because we didn’t do something on time.”

The intersection ranks in the 94th percentile for pedestrian crashes and has seen over 34 accidents in the last two years, one of them this March. “One year ago I stood in this exact same spot calling for these exact same improvements. I wish we could stand here today and point to the city’s swift and thoughtful remediation of this site and its hazards.”

DOT spokesperson Seth Solomonow told Streetsblog that work on the intersection "will begin next month now that we’ve resolved the major challenges of building atop a major, active subway station."
The community put together a plan and presented it in August 2010, which DOT reviewed and deemed necessary. However, the only changes that have been made to date are the countdown lights that were installed.

Rosenthall said that in the talks with DOT, they have never mentioned capital being an issue. When she got into office four years ago, Rosenthall put out the Upper West Side Senior Pedestrian Safety Plan.

She says that though the DOT has studied her report and conducted additional studies and come to the conclusion that changes need to be made for safety, “they continue to study, and study more.”

The DOT still plans to implement the changes promised almost a year ago, but has not taken further action. Last October, DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly announced a $150,000 federal grant for a safety redesign on 71st St. and Amsterdam Avenue.

The original changes were a seven-point plan including shortened crosswalks, longer crossing times, expanded walkways, and more direct routes for pedestrians.

“The agency acknowledges the dangers associated with this intersection and publicly says it will fix them, but the pedestrians in this area, especially seniors, have waited a long, long time,” Rosenthall said.

Rosenthall and Stringer wrote a letter to Commissioner Sadik-Khan pointing out that the safety improvement plan was supposed to commence in Spring 2011, but there have been no apparent changes besides the countdown lights. The letter was sent on June 30, but Rosenthall says there has been no response from DOT yet.

“We’re not looking to attack them, DOT’s got a big city to deal with,” Stringer said. “But we’ve got to start showing people from our neighborhoods, block associations, and community boards that when they call 311, not only do you come out here and make promises, but you’ve got to follow through with them so the city’s credibility comes out.”

Senior Bebe Robinson says she has lived in the area almost all her life and has seen a huge influx of tourists, residents, and businesses, which means more pedestrians and traffic around the area.

Robinson says they’ve been told the delays have been due to subway construction, but what they’re asking for are surface changes like lights and detours. She adds that they’ve been asking for these changes and sending in petitions, statistics, and photos for years.