Streets
April 28, 2008
Clamping Down on Curb Cutting
This should be a crowd pleaser. The Daily News and the New York Times both have articles today about new legislation that will make it a lot tougher to convert front yards into parking lots. The Times notes that legislation to be voted on by the City Council this week will not only make it harder to get approval for a curb cut, it will step up enforcement of curb cuts that have already been made illegally. If all goes well, the DOT will be able to remove illegal curb cuts at the homeowner's expense. If approved, the new bill would also prevent homeowners from paving over their entire front yards. “[Curb cutting] is the bane of many people’s existence,” said Councilman Vincent Gentile, a sponsor of the bills. “It is an issue that is burning in people many times over, especially those that are affected by the curb cut and not able to park anymore.”
New Zoning Rule to Ban Paving Front Lawn [NY Daily News]
The Last Cut Is the Deepest [NY Times]
Landscapers Win a Round Against Cement Trucks [Curbed]
Photo by Tangentialism
April 25, 2008
New Median for Broadway in the Burg
We've never found there to be enough traffic at the western end of Broadway in Williamsburg to merit a mid-way stopping point for pedestrians, but maybe DOT's thinking ahead on this one. Once residents of Northside Piers and the Edge are streaming up Broadway to chow down at Diner and Marlow & Sons, the stretch may be a whole lot busier.
April 16, 2008
Closing Bell: Spring Planting on Front Street
The beautification of Dumbo continues. In addition to the Tom Otterness sculpture at Washington and Prospect, a ton of new blossoming trees have been planted over the last week on Front Street.
April 8, 2008
Closing Bell: South Portland's Very Polite Bike War
A reader sent in this photo-poem shot on South Portland. It is entitled "Indignity MINE!!!" Click through the photos and witness the palpable tension and riveting conclusion.
April 7, 2008
Boerum Place Getting Spruced Up
Downtown Brooklyn's gritty gateway doesn't exactly scream million-dollar condos and boutique hotels...yet. While those things are being built, the city is busying itself with streetscape improvements like the one above, at right, a stretch of Boerum Place between Livingston and Joralemon Streets, which will also include new sidewalks and curb extensions. According to a Downtown Brooklyn Partnership spokesman, by the end of the summer it should look something like the existing Boerum Place streetscape, above left, creating a continuous planted median from the Brooklyn Bridge to Atlantic Avenue. Next, the city plans to begin its Fulton Street Mall, Flatbush and Myrtle Avenue streetscape improvements. "These projects are creating grand entrances, whether it be coming from the bridge down Flatbush or coming down Flatbush from the other direction," said the spokesman, adding that the improvements includes traffic calming measures and safer pedestrian crossings.
March 28, 2008
Adams Street Bike Lane Shenanigans Continue
Riding up Adams Street this week, we realized not much had changed since we wrote about the pervasive illegal parking in the bike lane in front of the Marriott Hotel back in December. This time we were also struck by the number of cars parked one block closer to Tillary. Upon closer inspection, some of the offenders included cars with a handicapped permit, a court officer permit and a NYPD permit. Nice.
No Love for the Adams Street Bike Lane [Brownstoner]
March 24, 2008
Closing Bell: Fading Glory of the Dumbo Triangle
It seems like just yesterday (okay, so it was last July) that the DOT was christening the former parking median in Dumbo with its signature green paint as part of a makeover into a lunchtime park. Eight months later, the paint job isn't holding up too well but we think the aged patina could be considered an improvement. What's next, astroturf?
Dumbo Triangle Gets DOT's Signature Green Paint [Brownstoner] GMAP
Dumbo Pedestrian Plaza Project On Record Pace [Brownstoner]
Less Parking, More Sitting for Dumbo [Brownstoner]
March 18, 2008
Push to Make DeKalb Avenue More Bicycle-Friendly
Per Streetsblog, the DOT is cooking up some changes for DeKalb Avenue that are meant to calm traffic on the thoroughfare and make it more friendly to bicyclists. The department wants to install a dedicated bike lane on DeKalb that stretches from Bed-Stuy to Fort Greene. The DOT, which is currently seeking community input for its plan, is also looking to undertake other initiatives such as improving intersection safety via more lane markings and enforcing time-limited parking during certain hours. Work on the 2.6-mile stretch could begin as early as May of this year. City stats say that seven out of ten households in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bed-Stuy are car-free and many lack convenient subway access, making them ideal neighborhoods to target in terms of introducing more bicycle-friendly features. The plan will be presented to Community Board 2 tonight.
DeKalb Avenue Could Become a More Complete Street [Streetsblog]
PDF: DeKalb Avenue Project [DOT]
March 10, 2008
Closing Bell: Repaving That Will Have to Be Repaved
Biking past the construction work on Flushing Avenue last week, it occurred to us that the sidewalk that was being rebuilt was not being widened to accommodate the Brooklyn Greenway that is planned to run around the outside of the Navy Yard. Seems kinda silly. GMAP
December 19, 2007
Closing Bell: No Love for the Adams Street Bike Lane
When Morton's Steakhouse opens in the Adams Street Marriott, better not try to bring your bike. The bike lane in this part of town is consistently blocked by parked and idling buses and town cars. Why aren't the transit police slapping these vehicles with tickets? You'd think it would be an easy source of revenue for the city.