Mott Haven & Melrose Get A Little Bit Fancy With New WalkNYC Signs

WalkNYC Pedestrian sign at 149th Street and Grand Concourse.
WalkNYC Pedestrian sign at 149th Street and Grand Concourse.

WalkNYC street signs have finally landed in The Bronx providing residents, employees and visitors of the Melrose and Mott Haven area with a map to the immediate area.  The signs, which debuted last year in Chinatown, Herald Square/34th Street, Long Island City and Prospect Heights and Crown Heights, provide pedestrians with a wealth of information, including average walking distance to various landmarks and subway stations.

New York City is known for its walkability and this is DOT’s way of making it even easier to get around and encourage folks to do more walking or using mass transit by way of these signs.

According to DOT:

“WalkNYC is New York City’s standard for pedestrian wayfinding. WalkNYC provides a clear visual language and graphic standards that can be universally understood, encourages walking and transit usage by providing quality multi-modal information, and provides consistent information across a broad range of environments in the city. 

WalkNYC signs provide valuable information, from basic cardinal directions and street names to mapped details like subway entrances and Wi-Fi hotspots. The maps are rotated “heads-up” or forward-facing to show the street network as it appears in front of you. Research and user testing demonstrate that this method is more accessible for people who are unfamiliar with their surroundings or have trouble reading maps.”

Also installed is a sign at the 149th Street Grand Concourse 2/4/5 station announcing the Grand Concourse Historic District which beckons riders, as they exit the station, to “Explore New York State’s Path Through History.”

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Sign in Melrose in front of Lincoln Hospital at 149th Street and Morris Avenue.  The signs provide all sorts of information, a clear map of the area as well as walking times to key destinations.
Sign in Melrose in front of Lincoln Hospital at 149th Street and Morris Avenue. The signs provide all sorts of information, a clear map of the area as well as walking times to key destinations.
One of the maps at the 149th Street/Grand Concourse WalkNYC Sign.  Each sign displays 4 maps. Two showing a radius of 15 minutes walking distance and two showing 5-7 minute radius walking distance.
One of the maps at the 149th Street/Grand Concourse WalkNYC Sign. Each sign displays 4 maps. Two showing a radius of 15 minutes walking distance and two showing 5-7 minute radius walking distance.
How long will it take to walk to Yankee Stadium?
How long will it take to walk to Yankee Stadium?
Can you tell me how to get to Melrose?
Can you tell me how to get to Melrose?

What do you think about the signs?  Would you like to see more of these throughout the neighborhood and the rest of The Bronx?  Do you think you’d be encouraged to walk more using these guideposts and knowing how long it would take you to get to your destination?  Let us know what you think!

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Ed García Conde

Ed García Conde is a life-long Bronxite who spends his time documenting the people, places, and things that make the borough a special place in the hopes of dispelling the negative stereotypes associated with The Bronx. His writings are often cited by mainstream media and is often consulted for his expertise on the borough's rich history.