Rampant Harlem Drag Racing Must Be Curbed, Lawmaker Tells City

HARLEM, NY — A Harlem street that has become a magnet for speeding and drag-racing drivers should get a makeover to ensure traffic safety, a local lawmaker is telling the city.

The street in question is Riverside Drive between West 129th and 135th streets in West Harlem. That stretch, which is part of the elevated Riverside Drive Viaduct, includes a five-block-long straightaway with no stoplights — attracting drivers who are in search of a wide-open road, according to City Councilmember Shaun Abreu.

"Drag racing has become a ubiquitous safety issue for our constituents," Abreu and Queens Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers wrote in a letter sent Thursday to Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.

"Regularly, we receive complaints from residents about drivers racing through the streets at dangerously high speeds," added Abreu and Brooks-Powers, who chairs the Council's transportation committee.

Indeed, complaints of drag racing have surged in Harlem ZIP codes since the pandemic began — part of a citywide trend.

After remaining in the single digits for years, 311 complaints about drag racing in Harlem surged to 78 in 2020, followed by 75 in 2021. So far this year, there have been 17 drag-racing complaints in Harlem's ZIP codes — a number that still eclipses every year since 2012.

This year's complaints have been spread throughout the neighborhood, from the border of Central Park all the way up to 145th Street and Riverside Drive. (No 311 complaints this year mention drag racing on Riverside Drive.)

Barry Weinberg, chair of the neighborhood's Community Board 9, said the Riverside Drive Viaduct has had speeding problems for years.

"I think the viaduct lends itself to speeding because there aren’t any intersections for five or six blocks," he said.

Drag racing and other car stunts like wheelies and doughnuts have been more concentrated along 12th Avenue, which runs below the Viaduct, Weinberg said. Seeking a resolution, the board has asked the city to install concrete barriers along 12th Avenue, but the proposal has faced opposition from the Sanitation Department and the MTA due to its potential effect on nearby infrastructure, Weinberg said.

As for Riverside Drive, Abreu and Brooks-Powers are asking the city to study the possibility of adding speed cameras, traffic lights, and street-calming enforcement to the blocks between 129th and 135th streets.

Reached for comment, DOT spokesperson Tomas Garita said that the "safety of New Yorkers remains our top priority.

"We are currently reviewing the council member’s letter and look forward to continuing to work with them to make our streets safer for all New Yorkers," Garita said.