The Transformation of Fourth Avenue
Watch out, 4th Avenue. Marty Markowitz has a dream: “I have imagined this bleak stretch of road transformed into something reminiscent of the beautiful, tree-lined portion of Park Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. And my hope is that this community-based process will lay the groundwork for a stunning thoroughfare reaching from Atlantic Avenue to…
Watch out, 4th Avenue. Marty Markowitz has a dream: “I have imagined this bleak stretch of road transformed into something reminiscent of the beautiful, tree-lined portion of Park Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. And my hope is that this community-based process will lay the groundwork for a stunning thoroughfare reaching from Atlantic Avenue to the Atlantic Ocean.” The Borough President enlisted urban planning students from NYU Wagner to help create the Vision Plan for the Fourth Avenue Corridor, which involves “traffic-calming measures, streetscaping, placemaking and wayfinding improvements, and community partnerships” — that could eventually transform the industrial avenue into “Brooklyn Boulevard.” Any thoughts on this?
Vision Plan for the 4th Avenue Corridor [Brooklyn Borough President’s Office]
Brooklyn Steve – did not see anyone talking about doing away with the commercial businesses – I’d certainly agree that they are important to my neighborhood and I’d welcome additional smaller local businesses – but the double, and sometimes triple parking in front of some of them is probably a larger contributor to problems with traffic flow than the lights are.
And a high five to Minard. Very true. Ya know, lipstick, pig, etc.
You can rename it the Champs Elysees and it would still be what it is.
Well said, BrooklynSteve. And exactly right IMO.
4th Avenue is a truck route. We need that truck route running from the VZ bridge all the way to Atlantic Avenue in order to make deliveries to all the stores we patronize possible, as well as deliveries to our homes. This notion that traffic needs to be slowed down on 4th Avenue is ridiculous. Have you ever tried driving on 4th Avenue heading toward the city in the morning or away from it in the afternoon? No one is doing 55 MPH at those times. They’d be lucky to be doing 30. The lights are timed well. In fact, they are computer coordinated and switch throughout the day in order to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic toward the city in the morning and away from the city in the afternoon at 30 MPH. It is the only contiguous truck route between 65th street and Atlantic Avenue. 3rd Avenue has a diversion at the Prospect Expressway and becomes confusing when it turns onto Hamilton Avenue.
Also, why is there a desire to do away with the commercial businesses on 4th Avenue? Society needs car part stores, flat fix-it shops, auto glass replacement businesses, low end cheap super-markets, dry cleaners, gas stations, independent construction supply companies, cheap take-ut food joints, etc. How far do they want me to go to fill up my car, to get my windshiled fixed, to repair a flat tire? Stop doing away with the businesses necessary for maintaining a convenient community life in Brooklyn! 4th Avenue is a shining example of a successful, community supported mixed commercial and residential use boulevard. Don’t change it! There’s plenty of available new housing to go around, already. Just plant a lot of trees to make it more visually appealing, please.
Chicken — when did they remove the Verrazano tolls? Last time I checked it costs $10.
Looking at the “plan,” it’s basically landscaping with trees on the side and planted medians in the middle. There is some noise about traffic calming, but as was said above, 4th Avenue is presently a truck thoroughfare. And since Verrazano and East River tolls are not being added any time in the future, a truck thoroughfare it will continue to be. So, how nice can it become?
Too bad the subway is beneath and can’t be hidden like park avenue tunnel.
This needs to be as massive thoroughfare as possible to keep the AY, commercial and other traffic from clogging our residential streets. We all know when there’s gridlock everybody’s a genius for finding “secret” shortcuts through residential neighborhoods.
I’d love trees and flowers on 4th, but not if it means taking a few lanes away and scattering the traffic. Lets please wait till we see what peak AY/Nets traffic will look like….
“it is still REALLY surprising to me that no one turns right on red. Blowing through “stale” red lights and stop signs, driving 2x the speed limit, cutting people off like nutjobs…. but no one turns right on red. It’s amazing.”
I do all this, including right on red, along 4th avenue. And I kick it up a notch on 3rd ave. But I have Mass plates, so i’m certainly entitled :-p