Extended Sidewalks on Atlantic
Construction recently started for sidewalk extensions on Atlantic and Clinton Streets in Cobble Hill. This is part of DOT’s larger project to calm traffic in Downtown Brooklyn, in the effort to improve safety and traffic conditions. One of the more recently completed sidewalk extensions was at Smith and Bergen, which was met with mostly positive…
Construction recently started for sidewalk extensions on Atlantic and Clinton Streets in Cobble Hill. This is part of DOT’s larger project to calm traffic in Downtown Brooklyn, in the effort to improve safety and traffic conditions. One of the more recently completed sidewalk extensions was at Smith and Bergen, which was met with mostly positive response from pedestrians, and now that the weather’s nice, a fruit cart has parked in the extra sidewalk space.
Calming Traffic at Bergen and Smith [Brownstoner]
Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Report [NYC DOT] GMAP
The FDNY call box that was on the neckdown at Smith and Bergen was knocked down by a vehicle that jumped the curb, within days of it being installed. Larger vehicles cannot make that left onto Bergen, no matter how slow they’re going. That stretch of Bergen allows commercial and truck traffic. Also, I know in Brooklyn Hts. a newly installed neckdown was removed because the firetrucks from the nearby firehouse could not make the turn.
This stretch of Clinton is a notorious traffic jam (Remember Honking Haikus-the writer lived on that block.) It’s sure to make Clinton delays even worse.
The point of traffic calming is to make it more difficult for cars to speed around, not “improve traffic conditions”. Drivers who wish to zip around might, say, choose another place to drive.
I live in Boerum Hill, and the neckdowns at Bergen & Smith have made that intersection safer for pedestrians. Vehicles definitely drive onto Bergen more slowly, and the corner has more life (I haven’t seen the skateboarders but have seen the fruit cart guy). I’ve never seen what ilikeslices has seen — vehicles driving onto the neckdown — but surely large trucks will have difficulty negotiating the turn. That’s part of the point. Large trucks should stay the eff off Bergen.
Ginjula makes an interesting point. The neckdown squeezes ALL vehicles, not just motorized ones. How does Transportation Alternatives feel about these neckdowns? Could the neckdown have a bicycle lane cut through it?
As for Court & Clinton, maybe the neckdowns will prevent drivers from gunning into the intersection to make a right turn from Clinton onto Atlantic.
Just realized my comment could be read the wrong way round. I meant to say that giving the drivers turning from Clinton more time and those going straight along Atlantic less time would be a good thing (i.e. shorter time intervals between red lights on Atlantic).
Oh — I get it. So these extended sidewalks are so people that can ‘effing stay on the sidewalk can stand EVEN FURTHER in the middle of the road?!
(That was a semi-serious joke — I get how these work for traffic calming. It’s the side-effect with the equally stupid pedestrians — many with baby carriages — that concerns me. You would think, larger sidewalk, better chance of the person waiting ON it… highly doubtful.)
I rode my bike through here over the weekend and found myself a bit squeezed in between the sidewalk extension and traffic. I believe it will eliminate room for cyclists at traffic lights when completed.
Yes it’s serious. Lookup traffic calming. Reduced walk space is not the main reason, it’s to alert stupid drivers (or others) to slow down. Psychologically, any variation in the road surface is unsettling and therefore paid more attention to by drivers. If driveers are going over them, they need bollards.
“I don’t get this either. Creating these extensions is not the solution to calm traffic in downtown Brooklyn.”
That was my exact thought when I read this post. While the extended sidewalks may make it easier for pedestrians, I fail to see how this helps improve traffic conditions. Is there something I’m missing here?
A car turning on Smith can’t stay on the road and the problem is the sidewalk is too wide? The car must have been going too fast. That’s why the extensions are being put in, to slow traffic doww.
The traffic is already ‘calm’ (i.e. at a dead standstill) on that part of Clinton anyway most of the time.
Best thing they could do all round would be to make the lights on Atlantic shorter and that on Clinton longer. Would slow down speeding drivers on Atlantic, maybe ease some of the congestion on Clinton and make it safer for pedestrians crossing Atlantic.