I have some GREAT news: I complained about this to DOT and they have fixed the problem, as you can see from the before and after photos. The Top image is BEFORE. The bottom, AFTER.

Special thanks goes to DOT's Manhattan Borough Commissioner Margaret Forgione who I met at a community board meeting. She invited me to email her with details, told me she would look into this, and followed up quickly .

Here's how the intersection looked before we took action. If a person were in a wheelchair next to that first black car by the intersection s/he would be invisible to southbound cars making a right hand turn. Many cyclists also come out of Riverside Park and into the intersection at the exit/entrance where the dog-walker is standing, as this is an egress point to the West Side Hudson River Greenway.

Southbound cyclists and right-turning cars share the same green light. So before the remediation it was difficult for motorists to see the cyclists emerging from the park through the cars, even if they were riding at moderate speeds, a set-up for an accident:

DOT sent traffic engineers to inspect the intersection, agreed with our assessment, and removed parking near the intersection -- all within 6 weeks. Now cars making a right hand turn onto the Miller Highway/Westside Highway can see pedestrians and cyclists that are about to cross the intersections:

Thanks to everyone at DOT who responded so quickly. Here's the original post I created on this wiki in November, 2007:

"This intersection is also the entrance/exit to the Miller Highway. The problem is that cars parked on the NW corner near the intersection prevent right-turning motorists from seeing pedestrians and cyclists who are crossing the street southbound to where Riverside Park continues. To make matters worse, the green light for cars and walk signs are timed together, so cars also tend to speed up in order to catch this light. The other week my wife was just starting to cross the street with the walk sign when a car making the turn nearly hit her.

I would suggest that parking be prohibited on the west side of Riverside Drive at least 50 feet from this intersection. This would make it easier for drivers to see if there are pedestrians or cyclists waiting to cross the street or entering the intersection.

My parents, who live in this neighborhood, tell me that the southbound M5 bus used to stop near this intersection but that the stop was moved north to about 80th or 81st street. My father believes that the parking signs were redone at about the same time the bus stop was relocated. Given the need for visibility at this intersection, moving the bus stop was a good idea, but the parked cars are the new hazard at this location."

-- pfrishauf