NYC wants to test anti-car low-traffic zones in latest move that could make commuting hell

The City Council is considering a two-year-long test to “divert” cars from residential streets by using barriers, speed bumps and “extended sidewalks” that jut into street corners to force drivers to hit the breaks.A bill sponsored by Democratic Majority Leader Shaun Abreu would launch a pilot program and require the Department of Transportation to create a “low-traffic neighborhood” in five areas across at least three boroughs in a move New Yorkers said could spark more rush hour chaos.The proposal got a hearing Tuesday.“You can still drive to every address, get every delivery, and an ambulance can still reach your door.But drivers won’t use your block as a shortcut anymore,” Abreu, chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said at a rally on the City Hall steps before the hearing.Kojo Thompson, 81, a former yellow cab driver from the Bronx, told The Post Tuesday he doesn’t like the idea.“This is a fast moving city.

You can’t slow the city down,” he said shaking his head.“It’s going to create more congestion, which we don’t need.”The bill leaves the choice of neighborhoods and most design decisions to the DOT.The city could install speed humps, raised crosswalks, curb extensions that slow turning cars, median barriers and diverters that force drivers to turn instead of cutting straight through. “They are coming up with all kinds of limits. It’s unnecessary,” Kojo said, shaking his head.  The DOT would have to get input from community boards and keep access for emergency and sanitation vehicles, some delivery vehicles and residents whose homes are near one of the changes. To measure the pilot’s success, the city would have to track crashes, injuries and deaths in the pilot areas and bordering neighborhoods, along with noise, honking, illegal parking and 311 complaints.The bill sets no targets for success though and doesn’t require the DOT to count whether fewer cars actually use the streets.The co...