STATEMENT OF BASIS AND PURPOSE

The Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) is authorized to promulgate rules regarding highway operations in the City pursuant to Section 2903(b) of the New York City Charter.

The purpose of the proposed rule is to provide pedestrian and cyclist safety around large construction projects.

The proposed rule will achieve this goal by:

·         giving the Department of Transportation Commissioner discretion to require the use of pedestrian traffic managers at selected construction sites.

·         providing experience and certification criteria for pedestrian traffic managers.

Background

DOT permittees already provide staff to control vehicular traffic around large construction projects. However, with the increase in bicycle ridership and pedestrian volume throughout the city, it is important that permittees also place trained pedestrian traffic managers, who will focus on bicycle and pedestrian safety, in and around major construction projects. Permittees have recently deployed pedestrian traffic managers successfully at large construction sites, such as the World Trade Center site and the reconstruction of Peck Slip in Lower Manhattan.