ped-safety-action-plan-queens

CASE STUDY: Hillside Avenue Corridor
PROFILE
PROFILE
Hillside Avenue separates the bustling central business
district of Downtown Jamaica directly from a string of
lower-density, suburban-style neighborhoods, such
as Jamaica Estates and Briarwood, whose aesthetic
and curving street layout characterize much of eastern
Queens. This area accounts for among the densest
concentrations of pedestrian KSI in the borough (see
Queens Heat Map, page 5). Between 2009 and 2013,
there were 1,071 crashes involving pedestrians in
northern Jamaica and its surrounding neighborhoods,
resulting in 117 severe injuries and 10 fatalities.
Hillside Ave and its environs are home to a markedly
diverse population. While a roughly equal share of
residents are White and Black (about 20% each),
about one-third is Asian, with the largest share from
Bangladesh and India. The area is also home to sizable
communities of South American immigrants, largely
from Guyana. As a result, more than half of the area’s
residents speak a language other than English at home,
and about one-third is not fluent in English. In addition,
Jamaica’s unemployment rate is slightly higher than
in Queens overall, but the median household income
is comparable. Of course, there are disparities within
the case study area as well, with residents located in
the suburban neighborhoods north of Hillside Avenue
representing a more affluent, car-owning demographic
than the less affluent and more transit dependent
residents located south of Hillside Avenue, closer to the
Long Island Railroad tracks.
1,071
Total crashes involving
pedestrians between 2009-2013
These crashes resulted in 127
pedestrian KSI:
117
severe
injuries
10
fatalities
45%
of all traffic fatalities were
pedestrians
22 Queens Pedestrian Safety Action Plan