{"id":842,"date":"2014-09-14T23:54:36","date_gmt":"2014-09-15T03:54:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/?page_id=842"},"modified":"2014-09-15T02:22:37","modified_gmt":"2014-09-15T06:22:37","slug":"kid-engineers-traffic-study","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/kid-engineers-traffic-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Kid Engineers Traffic Study"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Kid Engineers Traffic Study was an educational project that\u00a0involved students in documenting conditions that impact traffic safety in their neighborhood as part of the <a title=\"Safer Greener Streets Fair\" href=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/safer-greener-streets-fair\/\">Safer Greener Streets Fair<\/a> in Jackson Heights, Queens on September 13, 2014.\u00a0 Our engineers were students from I.S. 230, P.S. 69, P.S. 212, P.S. 280, the Academy for Careers In Television and Film, the Baccalaureate School for Global Education, McClancy High School, and Voice Charter School.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_848\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10704364_10152858894915579_3178886289144559491_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-848\" class=\"wp-image-848\" src=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10704364_10152858894915579_3178886289144559491_o.jpg\" alt=\"Make Queens Safer - Kid Engineers Traffic Study\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10704364_10152858894915579_3178886289144559491_o.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10704364_10152858894915579_3178886289144559491_o-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10704364_10152858894915579_3178886289144559491_o-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10704364_10152858894915579_3178886289144559491_o-619x464.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-848\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Noah Beadle<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The study examined a stretch of 34th\u00a0Avenue in Jackson Heights, between 74th\u00a0and 80th\u00a0Streets.\u00a0 This area is of interest and concern to the Jackson Heights community for a number of reasons:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is adjacent to three schools.<\/li>\n<li>It is adjacent to Travers Park, the 78th\u00a0Street Play Street, and Staunton field, which comprise one of the only playgrounds and recreation spaces in the area, as well as its busiest Greenmarket.<\/li>\n<li>It is host to the only major bike route in the area.<\/li>\n<li>In addition, 34th\u00a0Avenue parallels Northern Boulevard, one of the most dangerous throughfares in Queens in terms of pedestrian injuries and fatalities. At some times of day, 34th\u00a0Avenue flows faster than Northern Boulevard, and many drivers use it as an alternate route.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What is the speed limit here?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The current speed limit on 34th\u00a0Avenue is 30 miles per hour, the default citywide speed limit.\u00a0 We expect that to be reduced to 25 miles per hour later this year, when the citywide speed limit drops to 25 mph.<\/p>\n<p>Speed limits on streets surrounding 34th\u00a0Avenue are actually lower.\u00a0 One avenue to the north, the much wider and busier Northern Boulevard is already posted at 25 mph.\u00a0 The streets immediately to the south have just had speed bumps installed and are being converted to a \u201cNeighborhood Slow Zone\u201d with a speed limit of 20 mph.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, there are some speed zones on 34th\u00a0Avenue itself.\u00a0\u00a0 The areas adjacent to I.S. 145 and I.S. 230 are now 20 mph school zones, but those speed limits are only in effect during school hours, and at the\u00a0weekend times when this study was conducted. \u00a0Notably, the day before this survey was conducted, a speeding car crashed and jumped the 34th Avenue median during school hours within a block of I.S. 230.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Field Study #1: Vehicle Speeds<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_847\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10562703_10152858911230579_1796459787695752273_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-847\" class=\"wp-image-847\" src=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10562703_10152858911230579_1796459787695752273_o.jpg\" alt=\"Make Queens Safer - Kid Engineers Traffic Study\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10562703_10152858911230579_1796459787695752273_o.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10562703_10152858911230579_1796459787695752273_o-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10562703_10152858911230579_1796459787695752273_o-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/10562703_10152858911230579_1796459787695752273_o-619x464.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-847\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Noah Beadle<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The engineers conducted field measurements of traffic speeds using radar guns at two locations: westbound on 34th\u00a0Avenue at 75th\u00a0Street, approaching I.S. 230, and\u00a0eastbound on 34th\u00a0Avenue at 79th\u00a0Street, approaching I.S. 145. \u00a0 At both of these locations, cars have just passed the busy Travers Park\/Play Street area and are just about to enter 20 mph school zones. (Measurements were taken on a weekend, so school zone speed limits were not in effect.\u00a0\u00a0 But in both locations, drivers would still see signs warning them of the presence of the school and the need for caution.<\/p>\n<p>At the 75th\u00a0Street\u00a0location, the engineers\u00a0recorded 197 measurements, with a mean speed of 25.4 miles per hour.\u00a0 The maximum observed speed was 41 mph.\u00a0 About 17% of vehicles were exceeding the current speed limit by traveling 31 mph or faster, while 49% were exceeding the soon-to-be implemented speed limit by traveling 26 mph or faster.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/34-79.jpg\"><br \/>\n<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/34-75.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-844\" src=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/34-75.jpg\" alt=\"34-75\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/34-75.jpg 911w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/34-75-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/34-75-619x449.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>At the 79th\u00a0Street location, the engineers recorded 166 measurements, with a mean speed of 23.4 miles per hour.\u00a0 The maximum observed speed was 34 mph.\u00a0 About 7% of vehicles were exceeding the current speed limit by traveling 31 mph or faster, while 32% were exceeding the soon-to-be implemented speed limit by traveling 26 mph or faster.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-843\" src=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/34-79.jpg\" alt=\"34-79\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/34-79.jpg 911w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/34-79-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/34-79-619x449.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Other notes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Traffic was light at both locations, compared weekday traffic.<\/li>\n<li>It would not have been safe or possible to measure the speed of the cars directly in line with their direction of travel. We estimate that the measurements were offset by a 15-20 degree angle, which means that the speeds measured were low by 3.5-6.4%, or 1-2 mph.<\/li>\n<li>Red light running was observed repeatedly at both locations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Field Study #2: Intersection Safety Observations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The traffic engineers also examined driver, pedestrian, and cyclist behaviors at three nearby intersections along 34th Avenue (76th Street, 77th Street, and 80th Street).\u00a0 They collected data on vehicles stopping in crosswalks, drivers using handheld cell phones when they came to stop at a light, and pedestrians crossing the street while talking on cell phones.\u00a0 They also observed general interactions between drivers and other users of the street and discussed ways pedestrians can keep themselves safe when trying to cross a busy intersection.<\/p>\n<p>Their findings were as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Of the 36 vehicles observed stopping at these intersections, 56% ignored the painted stop line and stopped on the crosswalk.<\/li>\n<li>Among the 16 drivers who could be seen clearly, 13% were talking on a handheld cell phone.<\/li>\n<li>Of the 65 pedestrians observed crossing these intersections, 46% were talking on cell phones.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Intersections.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-858\" src=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Intersections.jpg\" alt=\"Intersections\" width=\"550\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Intersections.jpg 911w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Intersections-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Intersections-619x449.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a>Other street behaviors noted by the study team included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Two near-misses: one near-collision between two cars, and one car that nearly sideswiped a bicycle.<\/li>\n<li>Vehicles running red lights, turning without signaling, speeding, and failing to yield to pedestrians<\/li>\n<li>Cyclists running red lights and not using helmets<\/li>\n<li>Pedestrians walking out into the street before checking for oncoming traffic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The Team<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Special thanks to our student engineers: Audau, Brianna, Chloe, Daniel, Diego, Eliana, Isa, John, Justin, Katia, Lainie, Loie, Milo, Nameil, Noah, Paul, Pearl, Pron, Shreya, Sai, and Tristan.\u00a0 And thanks also to our trainers and field supervisors: Peter Beadle, Daniel Dromm, Juliana Dubovsky, Maribel Egipciaco, Todd Goldman, Danielle Lammering, Laura Newman, and Brian Roquez, and Hilary Sedewitch. \u00a0We&#8217;d also like to express our appreciation to Transportation Alternatives, Make Brooklyn Safer and Right of Way for loaning us\u00a0equipment for the study.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Kid Engineers Traffic Study was an educational project that\u00a0involved students in documenting conditions that impact traffic safety in their neighborhood as part of the Safer Greener Streets Fair in Jackson Heights, Queens on September 13, 2014.\u00a0 Our engineers were students from I.S. 230, P.S. 69, P.S. 212, P.S. 280, the Academy for Careers In [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-full-width.php","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-842","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=842"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":903,"href":"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/842\/revisions\/903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/makequeenssafer.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}