Traffic Tweaks in Fort Greene
The traffic pattern at the commercial center of Fort Greene can get a little crazy, with Fulton Street diagonally cutting a diagonal swatch through Lafayette Hanson Place and Greene Avenue. Community Board 2 is taking steps to make driving in the area a little easier with two proposals up for consideration next week. One is…
The traffic pattern at the commercial center of Fort Greene can get a little crazy, with Fulton Street diagonally cutting a diagonal swatch through Lafayette Hanson Place and Greene Avenue. Community Board 2 is taking steps to make driving in the area a little easier with two proposals up for consideration next week. One is to reverse the section of South Portland Avenue between Fulton and Lafayette from one-way southbound to two-way. In our opinion this would make a ton of sense by providing a normal right-hand turn option for drivers going westbound on Fulton who need to double back towards Clinton Hill on Lafayette; currently they have to do a 300-degree turn at the intersection of Fulton and Lafayette. The second idea is to change South Elliot Place between Hanson Place and South Portland Avenue from one-way northbound to one-way southbound. How do these sound to you? The CB2 hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in the first floor board room at 180 Remsen Street.
After a huge turnout from the South Portland Block Association, the committee voted unanimously to oppose this proposed change.
Very good point greenester. I have also noticed that the MTA doubleparks on the corner by the G train entrance because they have a storage/office there.
I live on that block and I think this will actually INCREASE traffic. The proposal doesn’t take into account the many delivery trucks that park for up to half an hour at a time bringing goods to businesses on the block — Provisions, Cafe Lafayette and Pequena — several times a day, six days a week. Right now passing cars maneuver around them but a two-way street would mean cars backed up either to Fulton or Lafayette as they wait for clearance.
Also, Jake, who commented above, is right, this is a block where people bring their lawnchairs onto the sidewalk and chat with folks sitting across the street. This isn’t a major thoroughfare by any means.
To begin, I don’t understand why South Portland between Lafayette and DeKalb is 2 way. It is not only one way between Lafatette and Fulton, but also between Pacific and Flatbush (even though it has changed names) Why can’t it be one way southbound from DeKalb to Flatbush. All of the other streets parallel to South Portland in Fort Greene are one way, why not South Portland. The argument that it would allow people to turn right from Fulton when they are heading toward downtown Brooklyn (westward) doesn’t make sense to me. If they want to double back, why don’t they turn on S. Oxford, Carlton, Clermont, etc. Giving faster throughways to car and commmercial traffic is not the way to maintain a quiet residential Brownstone Brooklyn. Also, the area is a major PUBLIC transportation hub, (the argument given by Ratner and Markowitz for wanting to place their overscale development nearby), so why all the street traffic? Obviously, people would rather drive, despite Mr. Markowitz.
This is a public hearing, and the last one of its kind resulted in the change not going through because of the opposition of those who showed up. So if you feel strongly about these changes — either positively or negatively — be sure to show up and speak!
The change to South Portland will be a disaster for residents of the street. Unlike all the surrounding streets, the stretch of South Portland between DeKalb and Lafayette is already two way. The only thing keeping the street from becoming the preferred thoroughfare for all the 6th Avenue, Fulton and Dekalb traffic is the status of the stretch of South Portland between Lafayette and Fulton as one way. For the residents of the street this is a zero-sum proposition, either the street remains quiet and residential, pleasant to sit on the stoops and safe for the children, or it is altered to make things a bit more convenient for drivers and far less friendly for residents. I wonder if a Ratner minion proposed the change?
Does this have anything to do with the fact that Ratner & Co. chopped up Carlton between Pacific and Atlantic, so now there isn’t a 2-way street from Flatbush to DeKalb anymore? So, now the idea is that South Portland becomes the 2-way street for through traffic??! What a disaster. It’s a narrow, relatively calm residential street running through a brownstone neighborhood. Reversing the 1-way bit will encourage traffic to funnel through from Flatbush to DeKalb. Take a look at a larger map and a look at larger through traffic patterns. This proposal would invite high-speed traffic and subsequently, more honking and danger to pedestrians. There’s a good reason for South Portland to remain 1-way.
Eric,
I know, I know…I’m against all the traffic too. Just be aware, it is more likely to calm traffic and reduce pointless circulation (at least in our neighborhood in the tight area on the west side of Fort Greene) if streets are two-way.
The confusing pattern as it exists has drivers circling through the neighborhood.
Reducing traffic overall is a much larger issue than changing a one-way into a two-way street or switching the direction of a one-way street. We need disincentives set in place to 1) reduce traffic and 2) eliminate/reduce commercial thru-traffic (if you have a look at the DOT’s map of our neighborhood, streets that are typically used by truck drivers for non-local deliveries…i.e. “thru-traffic”…are not allowed. Meanwhile, enormous tractor-trailers can be seen every day).
Hanson Place is now 2-way between Ft. Greene Place (I think) and South Portland. I have no idea when that happened!