A spate of traffic deaths around Canal Street, including a 59-year-old Canadian man struck by a private sanitation truck last month, has prompted a local lawmaker to demand a study into truck traffic on the congested corridor.
Councilwoman Margaret Chin said Monday she will draft a bill requiring the city Department of Transportation to study the city’s truck routes and pedestrian safety.
“As tourism increases and the population of lower Manhattan increases, the number of pedestrians walking across Canal Street isn’t going down anytime soon,” Chin said. “The city needs to consider the benefits of keeping trucks off Canal Street.”
The DOT said it would work with Chin’s office on safety improvements and review dangerous locations along Canal Street.
