City officials are reducing the speed limit on the West Side Highway between 59th Street and Battery Place. The new speed limit will go down from 35mph to 30mph. The new limit will go into effect on Saturday, Oct. 12.
The change comes amidst reports of several serious accidents in recent months. Earlier this year, a car driving 100 miles an hour collided with several other cars, catching fire. One woman was killed. In May, another woman lost both her legs while crossing West Street after a speeding car made a U-turn and lost control of the vehicle.
Several other changes will also be coming to the west side to increase pedestrian safety and reduce the likelihood of accidents. These include the addition of a right-hand turn signal at six southbound intersections. Crosswalk signals will be also updated at these intersections to give pedestrians more time to cross.
The changes, according to the Daily News, are part of a city official’s efforts to make the West Side Highway less like a highway and more like a regular city street.
Drivers received 13,630 speeding tickets in Manhattan in 2018, according to newly released DMV data. There were more than 10,000 auto accidents in the borough last year as well. Of those, 27 resulted in one or more persons being killed, 18 of whom were pedestrians.
