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Margaret Forgione, First Deputy Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation on Intro 542, the proposed bill requiring DOT to issue traffic study determinations within 60 days of requests from Council Members and Community Boards

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Forgione explains DOT's concerns with the proposed 60-day traffic study determination requirement for requests from Council Members and Community Boards.

DOT received over 3,000 traffic study requests last year and completed around 2,000.
Studies take time and need to be scheduled for appropriate times to get representative data.
Requiring prioritization of Council/Community Board requests could lead to them being prioritized over public requests.
DOT is open to discussing improvements to their traffic study processes with the Council.

Margaret Forgione

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Next, intro 542 is sponsored by Council member Brandon.

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This bill would require DOT to issue traffic study to terminations no later than 60 days from the date that a traffic control device is requested by a city council member or community board.

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DOT understands the importance of and shares the council's intent to increase efficiency in traffic studies and communicating such studies determinations.

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However, we have serious concerns about this bill as it is too restrictive and does not consider the many requests for traffic studies that we receive.

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Last year, DRT received over 3000 intersection study requests and completed about 2000.

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Studies take time and resources, and in order to get the most representative data, they are often scheduled so locations can be studied at the most appropriate times.

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For example, intersections adjacent to schools should be studied when schools are in session.

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While being selective in this way increases the average completion time, it allows us to get a more appropriate and accurate representation of activity at a given intersection, which this bill could limit.

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Of the over 3000 traffic study requests DOT received last year, 350 were from council members and community boards.

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By requiring the DOT complete request from counsel and community boards within 60 days, this bill would necessitate prioritizing such requests over those received from the general public, which could lead to more people submitting their requests through their local council member or community board.

0:45:27

We would be happy to discuss our Intersection Studies further with the council and welcome suggestions to improve our processes.

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Margaret Forgione, First Deputy Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation, on Intro 504 and prioritizing sidewalk repairs near senior housing developments

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Margaret Forgione, First Deputy Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation on Intro 663 regarding news rack requirements