By George Capsis
I returned from the weekend to see an enormous BUMP sign painted in white just outside my desk window. Soon after, a real, live, Department of Transportation bump appeared on the road. Curious, I asked Jose Bayona of the DOT Press office how it got there.
Here is what he said:
This is our response to your inquiry. Thanks,
On background: DOT installed the speed bump on June 12th, 2015 as part of our West Village Neighborhood Slow Zone Study. For more information about the West Village Neighborhood Slow Zone, please read below.
West Village Slow Zone:
The Manhattan neighborhood of the West Village applied for a Neighborhood Slow Zones in Spring 2013. The application was accepted due to the proposed zone’s high frequency of crashes and injuries, strong natural boundaries and the presence of multiple schools in the area. The proposed treatments will lower the speed limit to 20 mph within the zone, improving safety for all roadway users, reducing traffic noise and cut-through traffic, and enhancing the social quality of the streets.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2015-02-west-village-slowzone.pdf (presented to Manhattan Community Board 2 in February 2015).
Jose Bayona
Deputy Press Secretary
NYC Department of Transportation
Oh, oh, and just before the bump is a large square hole—too bad they didn’t have enough hot asphalt to pave it over but hey, it was not on the work order.