Op-Ed | Bringing daylight to our intersections

Photo courtesy of NYC DOT

New York City pedestrians know the unfortunate drill. You arrive at a corner to cross the street with a stop sign or a traffic signal giving you the right of way, but the vehicle parked closest to the intersection blocks you from seeing oncoming traffic. While it may be perilous, you must step into the traffic lane to see around and confirm whether it is physically safe to cross the street. And if you as a pedestrian cannot see a vehicle, that vehicle’s driver almost certainly cannot see you. When drivers and pedestrians cannot see each other, the likelihood of a crash increases — and here in New York City, more than 50 percent of pedestrian deaths and injuries happen at intersections.

The Adams Administration has been working hard to make intersections safer. State-of-the-art improvements include changing signal timing so that pedestrians — especially more vulnerable children and seniors — can get a jump start into the crosswalk to be seen by turning drivers as well as raising crosswalks to increase visibility.

We’re not stopping there. Even one death is one too many – and we must do even more to make intersections safer. This is why the Adams administration and advocacy groups united recently for a major traffic-safety announcement, with plans to dramatically expand daylighting here in New York City.  

“Daylighting” is exactly as it sounds; with cars parked right up to the crosswalk, pedestrians and drivers do not have sufficient “daylight.” On a daylit corner, usually about 15 feet of space adjacent to the crosswalk is instead cleared, allowing all street users to see each other better. To its great credit, the New York City Council earlier this year enacted Transportation Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers’ bill mandating new daylighting benchmarks. Now Local Law 66 of 2023, it requires the Department of Transportation to annually daylight 100 intersections, starting in 2025.

Mayor Eric Adams…