Community Board 2 Approves Clinton Hill Slow Zone

Community Board 2 voted to approve enacting a slow zone in the area bounded by Washington Avenue, Lafayette Avenue, Bedford Avenue and Fulton Street at its general meeting last night.

Speed limits in the area will be lowered to 20 miles-per-hour and new speed bumps will also help calm traffic flow. The CB 2 Transportation Committee signed off on the proposal on Jan. 23.

“Slow zones are very popular, people like them,” said Hemalee Patel, chair of CB 2’s Transportation Committee. “They’re meant to slow cars down and make things safer for pedestrians.”

The slow zone area includes four schools and averages 62.4 injuries a year and six severe injuries or fatalities per road mile, according to the New York City Department of Transportation. The DOT did not provide information on how many speed bumps would be installed.

The vote came two days after Community Board 3 struck down a slow zone proposal that would have included parts of Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The Department of Transportation plans to install the speed bumps in March, and the new signage and street markings in April, said Community Board 2 District Manager Rob Perris. He said did not know if the negative vote from Community Board 3 would affect the timing of the slow zone installation in Clinton Hill.

“There were concerns that it would increase traffic,” he said of the negative vote from Community Board 3.

“The DOT has informed me that they will continue to have conversations with Community Board 3,” said Perris. “It remains their intention to make a Clinton Hill/Bedford-Stuyvesant slow zone if possible.”