NYC DOT - Pedestrians

Safer Streets

Street Design

Events

Safer Streets

Safety is NYC DOT's first priority in designing the City's streets and public spaces. NYC DOT's projects work to increase safety by reducing opportunities for illegal speeding and aggressive driving. These measures can also enhance pedestrian comfort and flow.
Learn about NYC DOT's current street safety projects
Learn about NYC DOT's toolkit for slowing traffic for safety

End Street Harassment: A New York City Resource Guide

Help make our public spaces safer and more inviting to everyone – review NYC’s ‘End Street Harassment’ Resource Guide. This comprehensive guide gives New Yorkers tips to prevent and respond to street harassment.

Enhanced Crossings

Enhanced Crossings are marked high-visibility crosswalks on calm streets with low vehicle volumes and a strong pedestrian desire to cross. Although the crossing treatments are standard (ADA pedestrian ramps, pedestrian warning signs and high-visibility crosswalk markings), they improve mobility and accessibility of pedestrians.
Learn more about Enhanced Crossings

Neighborhood Slow Zones

Neighborhood Slow Zones are a community-based program that reduces the speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph and adds safety measures within a select area in order to change driver behavior. The ultimate goal of the program is to lower the incidence and severity of crashes. Slow Zones also seek to enhance quality of life by reducing cut-through traffic and traffic noise in residential neighborhoods.
Learn more about Neighborhood Slow Zones

Pedestrian Ramps

NYC DOT is undergoing a comprehensive inventory and assessment of all pedestrian ramps across the City. This effort will help us prioritize work, deploy crews efficiently following resurfacing operations and other types of work, and report progress accurately.
Learn more about pedestrian ramps

Pedestrian Safety Action Plan

The borough plans establishes Priority Corridors, Intersections, and Areas and outlines a comprehensive pedestrian safety plan for each borough to guide Vision Zero street safety improvement work.
Learn more about Pedestrian Safety Action Plans

Safe Routes to Transit

As part of PlaNYC, NYC DOT is working to improve pedestrian access and calm motor vehicle movement around subway entrances and bus stops to make reaching mass transit easier and more convenient.
Learn more about Safe Routes to Transit

Safe Streets for Seniors

A major pedestrian safety initiative for older New Yorkers, NYC DOT engineers will evaluate pedestrian conditions in targeted neighborhoods citywide from a senior's perspective and make safety improvements.
Learn more about Safe Streets for Seniors

School Safety

NYC DOT’s School Safety Unit implements the agency’s Vision Zero program by developing street safety improvement projects near city schools. School Safety works with units throughout the agency to identify and implement safety projects, and coordinate the implementation of concrete, markings, signals and signage-based safety treatments.
Learn more about School Safety

Turn Calming Program

The Turn Calming program is a citywide effort to reduce left and right turn speeds and enforce safe turning behavior. This program is part of the Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities and reduce severe injuries.
Learn more about Turn Calming Program

Street Design

Seating

NYC DOT installs and maintains benches and leaning bars on sidewalks and plazas. The benches and leaning bars may be used by all NYC residents, workers, and visitors.
Learn more about Seating

El-Space

Space beneath and adjacent to elevated transportation infrastructure, including above-ground subways, bridges, and highways, is called “El-Space.” NYC DOT is studying, evaluating, and testing new treatments and identifying ways to manage these spaces for access, mobility, safety and connectivity.

Learn more about the El-Space Initiative

NYC DOT Art

NYC's public art program partners with community-based nonprofit organizations and professional artists to present temporary artwork on eligible NYC DOT infrastructure throughout the five boroughs.
Visit nyc.gov/dotart to learn more

Open Streets

NYC's Open Streets program allows communities to embrace new public space and support small businesses and schools.

Visit nyc.gov/openstreets to learn more and apply

Outdoor Dining

Dining Out NYC is New York City's permanent outdoor dining program. Eligible food service establishments may apply for outdoor dining in the roadway, sidewalk, or both.

Visit nyc.gov/diningout to learn more and apply
Information about NYC’s Temporary Open Restaurants Program

Pedestrian Mobility Plan

In order to ensure there is space for the movement of pedestrians, NYC DOT developed a holistic pedestrian plan to address pedestrian needs beyond basic safety and accessibility. Learn more about the Pedestrian Mobility Plan

Public Plazas

Plazas are a critical transportation asset, servicing the transfer of social, economic and cultural exchanges and goods at the pedestrian scale. They contribute to a safe, walkable and equitable New York City while continuing to serve as a right of way for utility, building, and public transit access.
Learn more about the Plaza Program

Street Design Manual

The New York City Street Design Manual provides policies and design guidelines to city agencies, design professionals, private developers and community groups for the improvement of streets and sidewalks throughout the five boroughs. It is intended to serve as a comprehensive resource for promoting higher quality street designs and more efficient project implementation.
Visit the NYC Street Design Manual website

Street Furniture

NYC DOT is working on the goal of replacing every news stand and bus shelter in the city with new designs. NYC DOT also regulates the placement of news racks and sidewalk ATMs.

Street Seats

Street Seats is a citywide program where partners apply to transform underused streets into vibrant, social public spaces between the months of March through December. Learn more about Street Seats

WalkNYC

WalkNYC is New York City’s standard for pedestrian wayfinding. While the City has many signs directing drivers these provide very little benefit to pedestrians. The goal of WalkNYC is to remedy this information and navigation gap.

Events

NYC DOT hosts large-scale, annual car-free events to reimagine the streets of New York City as more inviting public spaces for walking, cycling, playing and much more without the noise and congestion of cars.

Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day

Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day is an annual car-free event hosted by NYC DOT. The event is hosted on a Saturday before or after Earth Day. Programming is presented at signature locations citywide, to promote activism and education surrounding climate change, sustainability, and other relevant topics.
Learn more about Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day

Public Realm Programming

The Public Realm Programming initiative connects public spaces, such as pedestrian plazas and Open Streets, with local organizations that bring arts, culture, fitness, and educational experiences to neighborhoods in need.

Summer Streets

Summer Streets is an annual celebration of New York City's most valuable public space — our streets. On select Saturdays in the summer, miles of NYC’s streets are opened for people to play, walk, and bike. Summer Streets provides space for healthy recreation and encourages New Yorkers to use more sustainable forms of transportation.
Learn more about Summer Streets

Trick-or-Streets

NYC DOT partners with Open Streets, plazas, and other corridors on Halloween to add pedestrian space during one of the busiest nights of the year.
Learn more about Trick-or-Streets