by David Cruz 

The Concourse of Death may now become the Concourse of Caution.

To prevent the more fatalities along the Grand Concourse over the years, the city has rolled out new traffic calming measures to keep traffic flowing for drivers without making a hard stop or causing an accident.

Officials unveiled the second in a series of 25 so-called Arterial Slow Zones, which would be installed along the 5.2 mile stretch of the Grand

Concourse. That includes Mosholu Parkway, where pedestrian deaths have happened in the past. Most recently a woman had been run over by a car in broad daylight last year as she was crossing the street.

At a news conference April 16, city Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg announced the new measure for the Grand Concourse,

“where long crosswalks and high speeds have been a fact of life for too many residents in the Bronx.

New anti-speed measures include improved signal timing, extra signage and speed reduction along the thoroughfare. Drivers so used to driving at 30mph will now have to go at a max speed of 25mph. The NYPD will also keep more eyes out for speeders, as part of the new initiative.

The new measure is aimed at curbing traffic fatalities that have been known to happen along the concourse, where drivers often pick up the speed through the sequence of lights. Twelve deaths have happened along the boulevard between 2008 and 2012, according to NYPD stats the DOT revealed.

“This slow zone along the Grand Concourse will undoubtedly save lives,” said to Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

The Grand Concourse cuts long the west Bronx, often serving as a link to several highways and institutions in the Bronx. Certain areas, particularly the Fordham area, have a large number of pedestrians that crisscross the freeway.

The measure is tied with the de Blasio Administration’s Vision Zero Plan, where the city aims to reduce traffic fatalities to none within the next decade.

Reach editor-in-chief David Cruz at 718-324-4998 or email dcruz@norwoodnews.org.