Curb Your Enthusiasm: The DOT’s Traffic Study is Out

Two years ago, the NYC Department of Transportation began conducting a Traffic Study to assess street safety conditions in North Brooklyn. The study focused on issues like street design, traffic flow, public safety and environmental impact, and was funded by Councilman Stephen Levin’s office. To complete their findings,  the DOT solicited community input, and received over 400 unique comments and suggestions from North Brooklyn residents. Now, the DOT is back in our part of town with suggestions gleaned from the study. The agency presented its findings to BK Community Board 1 on April 10th. 

Many of the agency’s recommendations dealt with street safety, an issue that has plagued this community. For its part, the DOT suggests removing some corner parking spots within the neighborhood’s Industrial Business Zone in order to give trucks a wider breadth to move, hopefully resulting in fewer dangerous and tricky multi-point turns.

More controversial is the DOT’s recommendation to turn some of our narrower streets into one-way thoroughfares. For example, under the DOT’s plan, traffic on Eckford Street would run exclusively north-bound. According to the DOT, this would have a calming affect on traffic patterns. Other safety measures include 40-foot curb extensions and marked crosswalks at the intersection of Eckford and Manhattan.

This is straightforward enough, but the DOT’s recommendations get a little more murky on North Henry street, where the agency suggests one-way traffic patterns that would result in north-bound and south-bound traffic meeting at a head-on intersection at Norman Avenue.

Luckily, these are non-binding recommendations. What changes are actually made still remains to be seen.