NYC DOT recently unveiled its Pedestrian Safety Action Plan for Brooklyn, along with action plans for each borough.  Under the Vision Zero policy championed by traffic safety advocates and adopted by Mayor de Blasio, the report identifies dangerous streets and lays out actions to improve safety.

Using KSI (pedestrians Killed or Severely Injured), the report ranks all intersections, corridors, and areas (see Brooklyn Priority Map below).  According to the report, Myrtle Avenue (from Flatbush to Wyckoff) is the 6th most dangerous corridor in Brooklyn with 11.1 KSI/mile.  As a comparison, Flatbush Avenue, from Fulton Street to Grand Army Plaza, is the most dangerous in Brooklyn with 20.8 KSI/mile.  The report also identifies the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Flatbush Avenue as a priority intersection.

What does this mean for Myrtle Avenue?  According to the report:

• DOT will install Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) at every feasible school crossing crosswalk on all Brooklyn Priority Corridors by 2017.
• DOT will install LPIs at every feasible Brooklyn Priority Intersection by the end of 2017.
• To better control speeds, DOT will modify off-peak signal timing on all feasible Brooklyn Priority Corridors by 2017.
• In 2015, speed limit signage will be expanded so the speed limit will be posted at a higher frequency along Brooklyn Priority Corridors.
• NYPD will focus enforcement on Priority Corridors, Intersections, and Areas.
• DOT’s Safety Education team will focus their programs at or near Priority Corridors, Intersections, and Areas.

The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership welcomes DOT’s efforts to improve pedestrian safety and we will work with the agency, as needed, to make Myrtle Avenue safer for everyone.  After years of advocacy by MARP, DOT designed and installed safety improvements to Park Avenue in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.  The city has also begun construction of Myrtle Avenue Plaza, which was requested by MARP and includes various pedestrian safety upgrades.

A coalition of neighborhood groups, merchants associations, and elected officials representing Downtown and Brownstone Brooklyn are hosting a town hall meeting to discuss how to address crumbling transportation infrastructure, growing congestion, and rising tolls and transit fares.

The town hall meeting is open to the public and will be held on Thursday February 19 at 6:00 PM EST at Brooklyn’s 3^rd Avenue YWCA, at Atlantic Avenue.

The focus of the town hall meeting will be a plan put forward by Move NY, a transportation policy group. “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz – a former NYC Traffic Commissioner – will present the Move NY plan, a leading proposal to address New York City’s numerous transportation needs in a comprehensive fashion. Members of the community will have the opportunity to discuss the plan during break out sessions to take place after the initial presentation.

Community Boards 2, 6 and 8, and nearly a dozen community groups are convening the town hall meeting. The groups hosting the forum include the Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District, Boerum Hill Association, Brooklyn Heights Association, Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association, Cobble Hill Association, Myrtle Avenue Partnership, Park Slope Civic Council, and the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council.

To RSVP, click here.  This event is free and open to the public.

It’s no doubt that we have some of the cutest office visitors (see pic above!).  And we suspect that this won’t end anytime soon, considering our recent, um, expansions.  BIG CONGRATS to three of our MARP colleagues and their families on the births of Timoteo (born in August), Ida (born in October) and Roslyn (born in November).

So, to all our recent adult visitors who’ve expressed fear of drinking the water at our office, it’s safe again (!), at least for now.     😉

We are now past November 7th, which means the speed limit in New York City is 25 MPH, unless otherwise posted.  DOT’s efforts so far have led to a high level of awareness of the change.  But, this being New York, we need to continue to get the word out.

Please click here to access the 25 MPH web portal which contains updated information, including an FAQ about the new 25 MPH speed limit as well as fliers and informational text.

After years of advocacy work by MARP, NYC DOT completed its own safety plan for Brooklyn’s Park Avenue in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

Following the release of MARP’s Park Avenue Pedestrian Safety Plan, DOT released its official plan to improve safety.  Last month, DOT began to implement that plan with the installation of bollards along select parking area exits to reduce conflicts with pedestrians.  Over the past two weeks, DOT completed the plan, including the:

• “Rationalization” of eastbound Park Avenue from two lanes to one to reduce speed and calm traffic (pictured above)
• Reconfiguration of the awkward 3-to-2 merge where westbound Williamsburg Street turns into westbound Park Avenue
• Re-timing of traffic lights along Park Avenue to give pedestrians more (north-south) crossing time (pictured below)

The above changes follow previous improvements, also completed by DOT:

• Installation of daylighting regulations at 7 locations
• Installation of a temporary “skeleton board,” alerting drivers to their travel speed
• “Strip repaving” along sections of the parking areas under the BQE
• Installation of 9 new streetlights

In addition to MARP, many groups played a part in this victory for street safety. We would like to thank Architecture for Humanity, Pratt Institute, the Design Trust for Public Space, the Park Avenue Safety Advisory Committee, Greene Hill School, Brooklyn Community Board Two, and the 1,100 people who signed our petition. This work would not have been possible without strong community support.

Of course, there is still more to do to help make Park Avenue safer. We will continue to advocate for additional safety enhancements that require capital funds, such as reconfiguring the “Crossover” at Grand Avenue and repairing the areas under the elevated BQE.

Effective November 7th, 2014, the default New York City speed limit will be reduced from 30 MPH to 25 MPH.

According to NYC DOT, drivers who drive 25 MPH or slower are better able to avoid crashes.  Pedestrians who are struck by vehicles traveling at 25 MPH are half as likely to die as pedestrians who are struck by vehicles at 30 MPH.

This change will improve traffic safety throughout the entire city, including Brooklyn’s Park Avenue, where DOT is making safety improvements after years of advocacy from MARP.

NYC DOT has begun to implement its Park Avenue Corridor Safety Improvements.  Changes include: reducing eastbound travel lanes from two to one to calm traffic, simplifying access to the parking areas under the BQE to reduce conflicts, and improving lane designations on the westbound approach at Ryerson to eliminate the dangerous 3 to 2 merge.  Parking spaces and parking regulations under the BQE will not be impacted.

These changes are a direct result of our Park Avenue Pedestrian Safety Plan, published after years of advocacy by MARP . We produced the Safety Plan in collaboration with Architecture for Humanity, building upon ideas gathered at community workshops, input from an Advisory Committee of local stakeholders, and guidance from DOT.  Over 1,000 people signed a petition in support of the plan.  This work was supported by the Brooklyn Community Foundation and the NYC Department of Small Business Services.

Statistically, Park Avenue is a “high crash corridor” (top third in crashes) where up to 75% of drivers exceed the speed limit.  Therefore, these changes signify a great step forward for Park Avenue, especially its residents and visitors, which include a large number of school-aged children. There is much more to be done, and we will continue to advocate for additional Park Avenue safety improvements and upgrades to the areas under the BQE.

DOT’s official “What’s Happening Here” flyer is below.

Following years of advocacy and community organizing by the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project (MARP), the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) presented plans to improve traffic safety on Brooklyn’s Park Avenue between Navy Street and Flushing Avenue.  DOT officials unveiled their plan at the Transportation Committee meeting for Brooklyn Community Board 2 on Tuesday May 20, 2014 and the committee voted unanimously to support the proposed plans. Implementation is expected to occur in the fall of this year.

In 2012, MARP and Architecture for Humanity (AFH) released the Park Avenue Pedestrian Safety Plan, a set of proposals to improve pedestrian safety and calm vehicular traffic on Brooklyn’s Park Avenue between Navy and Steuben Streets.  The recommendations in the plan were developed over several years using information gathered at six public meetings, site surveys, and research.  There was also guidance from Community Board 2 and an Advisory Committee made up of representatives from local block associations, tenants associations, residential developments, community-based organizations, and city agencies, including DOT.  After the release of the report, MARP started a petition to enable a larger cross-section of the community to show their support for this plan.  Over 1,100 people signed.

DOT’s proposals include the following safety enhancements:

• Reduce eastbound Park Avenue from two lanes to one lane, which will lower speeds and reduce merging conflicts.  Eastbound traffic volume is significantly lower than westbound and can therefore be accommodated by one travel lane.  This proposal was adapted from MARP’s plan.
• Add stop signs to the exits of the parking areas under the BQE to reduce vehicle-pedestrian conflicts.  This proposal was taken directly from MARP’s plan.
• Add bollards to select parking entrances, which will eliminate vehicle-pedestrian conflicts at those locations.  All parking areas will remain accessible by at least one entrance.  This proposal was adapted from MARP’s plan.
• Reduce westbound Williamsburg Street from two lanes to one, which will reduce merging conflicts after Williamsburg Street turns into westbound Park Avenue.
• Prior to this proposal, DOT implemented two minor safety improvements suggested by MARP and AFH.  DOT added 9 street lights along Park Avenue and added “daylighting” regulations to 7 locations.  Both improved visibility for drivers and pedestrians.

Stay tuned for more information about the implementation of these safety upgrades.

Image Credit: NYC.gov

Over the past week, Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams each hosted Vision Zero Town Hall meetings in Brooklyn.  The At each meeting, officials from the New York City Department of Transportation, Taxi and Limousine Commission, and the Police Department provided details about how each agency will be working eliminate traffic fatalities on the streets of New York.  Members of the public were also given an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

From the Vision Zero Website:

“This status quo is unacceptable. The City of New York must no longer regard traffic crashes as mere “accidents,” but rather as preventable incidents that can be systematically addressed. No level of fatality on city streets is inevitable or acceptable. This Vision Zero Action Plan is the City’s foundation for ending traffic deaths and injuries on our streets.”

What does this mean for Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Wallabout?  We are optimistic that DOT will use recommendations from our Park Avenue Pedestrian Safety Plan to propose safety improvements to Park Avenue between Navy and Steuben Streets.  We can also look forward to the safety features of Myrtle Avenue Plaza, including curb extensions and a reconfiguration of the service road entrance.

To see details about upcoming Vision Zero events, click here.

Image Credit: City of New York

Yesterday, Mayor de Blasio released the Vision Zero Action Plan, a strategic plan to eliminate all traffic-related deaths in New York City.  This is great news for all New Yorkers.  But what does it mean for the Park Avenue Pedestrian Safety Project?

Let’s take a look:

• The Mayor’s plan recommends reducing the citywide speed limit to 25 mph (which will require cooperation from Albany).  We know that speeding is rampant on Park Ave: as much as 74% of drivers speed.  And we know that speeding is the leading cause of injury and death.
• NYPD is called on to improve speeding-detection equipment and increase enforcement.  We’ve been in touch with the 88th Precinct.  They know that speeding is a problem on Park Ave and have already stepped up enforcement.
• The action plan reiterates the Mayor’s call for DOT to “implement safety engineering improvements to 50 intersections and corridors.”  The plan also says DOT will create “25 new arterial slow zones.”  It’s unclear where Park Avenue fits in here.  However, we’re hopeful that DOT will use the work that we’ve done and propose changes to Park Ave.
• The action plan says that DOT will “conduct extensive community outreach” for major safety projects.  We have already done outreach and are available to assist DOT when the time comes.

Most importantly, the Mayor clearly says that all traffic-related fatalities are unacceptable and preventable.  We look forward to continuing to work with DOT and NYPD to improve traffic safety on Park Avenue and all of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

In a little over a month since the release of the Park Avenue Safety Plan, nearly 600 concerned citizens have already shown their support by signing the petition, in hard copy and online . If you haven’t signed already, please add your voice.

Today we look at one of the core proposals to calm traffic and improve safety on Park Avenue: Intersection Treatments. Most crashes occur at intersections. The intersections on Park Avenue are especially awkward due to the parking area under the elevated BQE. In essence, each intersection has three intersections: eastbound Park Avenue, the parking area, and westbound Park Avenue. Proposals at most intersections include: stop signs at exits of parking areas; raised crosswalk/driveway at entrances/exits to parking areas; curb cuts at pedestrian islands; neckdowns (temporary or permanent); and “No Parking” markings along the cross street under the BQE. We also propose left-turn lanes at high traffic intersections, as well as fully pedestrianized areas of key crossings.

Stay tuned for more updates and spotlights…

It’s been almost a month since we released the Park Avenue Safety Plan. Over 500 concerned citizens have already shown their support by signing the petition, in hard copy and online . If you haven’t signed already, please add your voice.

Today we look at one of the innovative (and inexpensive) ideas to calm traffic on Park Avenue: Median Parking. Each side of Park Avenue has three lanes: one for parking, one center travel lane, and a travel lane adjacent to a median. During rush hour, traffic volume is significant. However, during off hours volumes are low. What do you think drivers do with wide open space and green lights? They speed. Allowing median parking during off hours will narrow the roadway and calm traffic. It will also provide parking for residents who use their cars during the day but park overnight.

This idea is similar – but not identical – to what DOT recently did on Hicks Street .

Stay tuned for more updates and spotlights…