In May 2013, the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council plans to submit an application to the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) for a "Prospect Heights Neighborhood Slow Zone". The streets to be included in the slow zone are shown in blue on the map above. PHNDC submitted a similar applicaiton to DOT in 2012 which was not accepted. The streets included in the current proposal have been reduced in number due to change in DOT guidelines.

Neighborhood Slow Zones (NSZ) are a DOT program that reduces the speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph and adds safety measures within a select area in order to change driver behavior. The ultimate goal of the Neighborhood Slow Zone program is to lower the incidence and severity of crashes and to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Slow Zones also seek to enhance quality of life by reducing cut-through traffic and traffic noise in residential neighborhoods. 

PHNDC believes that the safety and quality-of-life of Prospect Heights would be greatly improved by a NSZ. Most streets within Prospect Heights experience a significant amount of cut-through traffic, and the number of automobiles in the neighborhood has increased following the opening of the Barclays Center arena in September 2012. A NSZ in Prospect Heights will not only reduce the speed of traffic, thereby increasing safety and reducing traffic noise, but may also encourage drivers to circumvent the neighborhood altogether and remain on major arterial roadways.

In 2012 PHNDC gathered more than 1,300 petition signatures and received 35 letters of support for the proposed NSZ from elected officials, civic groups, schools, daycare centers, residential facilities and houses of worship.

If your organization would like to provide a letter of support prior to May 28, 2013, you are encouraged to use our contact page.