City officials want to make the streets safer for senior citizens, starting in Brighton Beach.
The Safer Streets for Seniors program will provide time-adjusted traffic signals at busy intersections to give seniors more time to cross. The city will also study other areas, such as Sheepshead Bay and Midwood, to determine what else needs to be improved.
?We?ll begin by sending out a team of engineers to asses areas and take into account such factors as road and curb conditions, signage and visibility and signal timing and once an assessment has been made, we'll immediately start trying to correct the problems,? said Mayor Bloomberg during a news conference to announce the program.
Senior citizens represent 40 percent of all fatal traffic accident victims in the city, according to officials. The city?s commissioner on aging, Edwin Martinez-Santiago, said that there will be more older adults in the city than children going to school by 2030.
For full coverage of Mayor Bloomberg?s news conference on senior safety, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.