Will IKEA Be a Traffic Nightmare for Red Hook?
Today’s NY Post has a story that looks at the measures being taken to mitigate the car and people traffic that some believe is going to overwhelm Red Hook when the home-furnishings giant opens next month. First off, there’s going to be a free Water Taxi running between Lower Manhattan and IKEA every 40 minutes…
Today’s NY Post has a story that looks at the measures being taken to mitigate the car and people traffic that some believe is going to overwhelm Red Hook when the home-furnishings giant opens next month. First off, there’s going to be a free Water Taxi running between Lower Manhattan and IKEA every 40 minutes when the store is open. Second, the MTA is extending the B61 and B77 bus lines so they stop directly in front of the store, and IKEA is going to offer a free shuttle between the Borough Hall/Court Street, Smith/9th Street, and 4th Avenue/9th Street subway stops every 10 minutes. The closest subway stop to IKEA, Smith/9th, is more than a mile away from the store. The retailer built 1,400 parking spots and expects 14,000 cars to flock to the store every Saturday. John McGettrick, co-chair of the Red Hook Civic Alliance, believes that number is going to be closer to 20,000, and he says the traffic is going to sink Red Hook’s character. “There’s been no IKEA in this country ever put in a situation like this; most others like the ones in Elizabeth and Paramus in New Jersey have direct access off highways,” says McGettrick. “This is on a tiny peninsula that is basically a dead end.”
IKEA Goes to Se-a in Red Hook [NY Post]
Photo by marko boni.
“Will IKEA Be a Traffic Nightmare for Red Hook?”
Ikea will be a traffic nightmare for Brooklyn! As it is now I get stuck in traffic for a half hour on the BQE every time I hit the stretch along Red Hook. With Ikea opening I have no doubt that I will now be stuck an hour plus.
Better check your map.
At the furthest points (Fairway/Ikea) is a mile from subway station.
Projects and other residential is less than a mile.
I am more interested if the Ikea transports (boats and shuttle buses) can be hacked for free commuting
Agree with 10:30. I think it’ll be great to have an IKEA so close, but I’ll be staying away for a few months. First the novelty will need to wear off, then the back-to-school crowds will need to disperse.
And yes, I do believe that the traffic will be uncontrollable–especially in the beginning. Experience with other openings in IKEA-hungry areas proves that. But eventually the traffic will level out.
Red Hook is the perfect location for this store because it is a commercial zone and it is walking distance from home for many of the employees. I can’t wait for it to open. I and many others will no longer have to drive out to Elizabeth, Paramus or Long Island to shop in Ikea. Sure the traffic will be a pain but there are traffic calming techniques that can be instituted to deal with this.
IKEA is coming and the ensuing traffic snarls will not send the Swedes backing. Can we all stop talking about why this shouldn’t have happened and focus on mitigations? For example, route IKEA away from Van Brunt Street as it is a bus/truck route and one of the major n/s connects in to the neighborhood. Split the B61 into two routes from Fulton Mall so frequency improves. And finally, ask Ikea to stay open until 11:00 PM so prospective shoppers that work during the day don’t feel compelled to drive out to Red Hook during the evening rush hour. Fix up and provide security on the rickety pedestrian that runs beneath the BQE and over the BBT entrance. If the ped bridge was safe, the walk to the F would be decreased by 15-20 minutes.
No more rant, rant, rant…
“The upper east around Gracie Mansion, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city, is further from the subway than many parts of Red Hook.”
in addition to what (the last 10:50 points out, i hardly think people going to gracie mansion are doing much walking out of necessity…
One of the main reasons that Ikea was able to talk (lie) their way into Red Hook was by promising jobs to the neighborhood residents. But now that everyone has been hired they refuse to release the number of people they have hired from Red Hook. Hmmm, sounds like a company you can trust.
No the Gracie Mansion are is approximatley 8/10 of a mile to a Lexington Ave Express stop and is a very easy walk through a residential area (and has plenty of buses)
The Lower East Side (which isnt known for great public transport) in most places is about 7/10 of a mile from the M lines and V lines and about 8/10 of a mile to the IRT Lexington Ave lines – which are also relatively easy walks through residential neighborhoods.
Red Hook is in most places (not even near the water) at least 1M from the F line and it is a horrible walk through industrial district across major roads (like Hamilton Ave) and under the BQE – plus then you got to go all the way to the top of the Viaduct – all for the slowest train around.
I know you all want to tout Red Hook but sorry – the mass transit there is terrible.