Brooklyn – Councilman David G. Greenfield is requesting that the city Department of Transportation install larger, clearer signage along the southbound Prospect Expressway to alert drivers that the speed limit drops north of Church Avenue, which has led to complaints from drivers about NYPD speed traps that result in unfair tickets and causes them to speed unintentionally. In order to bring greater fairness to the situation, Councilman Greenfield is asking the city DOT, which is responsible for the maintenance of this stretch of state-owned highway, to install larger signs at several locations before the speed limit drops. This will help prevent drivers from unfairly being ticked as soon as the speed limit drops, and will also improve safety by encouraging drivers to slow down to a safe speed before reaching Ocean Parkway.
“This is an inexpensive step that the city can take in order to improve safety for pedestrians and reduce the number of drivers who unfairly receive speeding tickets along the busy stretch of the Prospect Expressway heading towards Church Avenue. I have heard from many drivers who did not even realize they were speeding because of the lack of clear signage indicating that the speed limit drops sharply at that location. By simply installing new, larger signs, we can help reduce the speed of traffic while at the same time preventing drivers from going through the frustrating experience of receiving a ‘gotcha’ ticket,” said Councilman Greenfield.
The speed limit along the Prospect Expressway is 45 miles per hour before suddenly dropping to 30 miles per hour just north of Church Avenue, currently with little warning or signage. With that in mind, better signage would help reduce incidents of speeding through the busy Church Avenue intersection, which is one of the most dangerous crossings in the entire borough for pedestrians and is slated for safety upgrades following the death of a 73-year-old woman in June.
Councilman Greenfield previously requested that the state DOT investigate the possibility of installing a High Occupancy Vehicle lane along the Prospect Expressway in order to speed up travel times for Manhattan-bound drivers headed north to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
“This is one of the busiest and most frustrating stretches of road for drivers and pedestrians, so we need to continue investigating ways to make it safer and less congested. This request to the DOT for better signage would help make the situation fairer for drivers while clearly informing them of the reduction in the speed limit, which is critical to keeping pedestrians safe in the area where the expressway turns into Ocean Parkway. I will continue to work with the city and state agencies on simple, common-sense upgrades like this on behalf of everyone who travels along the Prospect Expressway and Ocean Parkway,” added Councilman Greenfield.
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