Transportation Alternatives also tells the story of a Bronx community that has tamed traffic with new pedestrian safety installations on some of its streets.

The University West Burnside Neighborhood Association, with Transportation Alternatives and a handful of churches, elected officials from the neighborhood and local business groups, successfully persuaded the NYC DOT to develop a traffic calming plan around new speed humps and mid-block crosswalks. The plan was developed by NYC DOT's Traffic Calming Office, though DOT's Bronx Borough Commissioner, James Kilkenny, had to be pressured into paying attention to community complaints about speeding and traffic noise.

T.A. writes: "The role of the NYC DOT Traffic Calming Office in achieving consensus between the community and DOT is noteworthy. In case after case, the Traffic Calming group has worked to gain a real understanding of neighborhoods' traffic problems, and then proposed solutions. Unfortunately, with a staff of only four and a backlog of 1200 community requests for help, the group is overwhelmed. The DOT needs to quadruple the office's staff and emulate its consensus-based approach throughout the agency."