Crossing the street at 9th Street and Fourth Avenue just got a whole lot less dangerous.

Park Slope City Council Member Brad Lander and other Park Slope and Sunset Park pols and community leaders joined DOT Commission Janette Sadik-ahn to unveil pedestrian countdown clocks, which are set to be installed along the length of 4^th Ave from Pacific to 65^th Streets and on 3^rd Ave from Prospect Avenue to 63^rd Street, display numbers that count down the number of seconds remaining before the “flashing hand” phase turns solid red.

Those signs have proven to be a big help for pedestrians at dangerous crosswalks because they can decide whether there is enough time to cross the street safely and reduce the number of pedestrians still in crosswalks during the “do not walk” phase of the light.

The DOT conducted reviews of 25 intersections in all 5 boroughs. 1,500 clocks will be installed by the  DOT at the city’s busiest intersections.

No surprise: the study conducted by DOT indicated that 3^rd and 4^th Avenues were prime locations for installations as serious pedestrian crashes are about two-thirds deadlier on major street corridors than on smaller local streets.

The commissioner had this to say about Fourth Avenue: “Wide roads like Fourth Avenue can still be intimidating to cross, particularly for seniors and schoolchildren…“Countdown signals provide instant messages of safety, taking the guesswork out of crossing the street and helping pedestrians make an informed decision when they step off the curb.”

Councilmember Lander thinks the change will save lives and I’d agree. He said today: “I applaud the efforts of the Department of Transportation and Commissioner Sadik-Khan to make our intersections safer for all pedestrians. 4^th Ave and 9^th Street has been a site of too many pedestrian-related incidents, and hopefully these new signals will help pedestrians of all ages to stay safe while crossing the street. I look forward to seeing the clocks installed along the length of 4^th Ave in the months to come.”