NYC to improve intersection visibility with ‘daylighting’ mandate; program starts with 100 crossings in 2025

Street intersections citywide should be brighter and easier to see under a City Council bill that will require more so-called “daylighting” measures across the five boroughs.

The bill passed Thursday will require the city’s Department of Transportation to improve visibility at 100 intersections per year starting in 2025.

“Daylighting increases visibility to oncoming traffic and reduces danger for pedestrians and drivers alike,” said Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Queens), chair of the council’s transportation and infrastructure committee and sponsor of the daylighting legislation.

“Daylighting is a proven safety measure that expands sightlines at intersections, where traffic violence often takes place,” she said.

The bill was passed along side two other pieces of legislation aimed at curbing traffic violence — one that seeks to speed up the city’s reporting on pedestrian injuries and deaths, and the other requires the installation of traffic-calming devices like speedbumps in neighborhoods with lots of senior citizens.

Daylighting refers to any strategy meant to keep the space adjacent to crosswalks and street corners free of parked cars and other large obstructions.

While some daylighting is accomplished simply through parking restrictions and street markings, other strategies use physical features, such as bicycle parking or large planters.

“I believe daylighting, especially when implemented with physical features, can prevent injuries and deaths in New York,” Brooks-Powers said.

The bill will require the Transportation Department to conduct a study on the widespread implementation of daylighting by May 2024.

The department will also be responsible for annual reports on intersection visibility as it daylights 100 or more intersections each year.

There were 255 traffic fatalities in NYC last year, including 16 children — making it the deadliest year for children since the city’s Vision Zero effort to get rid of vehicular deaths began in 2014.

To date, there have been 67 traffic-related deaths in New York City this year, according to DOT data.

A department spokesperson welcomed the legislation Thursday.

“Through Vision Zero, DOT has driven traffic deaths to historic lows—and we’ll continue taking our data-driven approach to traffic safety, which has helped New York City buck national fatality trend,” a department-issued statement read. “We look forward to partnering with the Council to implement our life-saving projects across the city.”