Sure to make one of the noisiest blocks of Cobble Hill even louder, it appears that the DOT is finally extending the sidewalks at the southern side of Atlantic Ave at Clinton St. I can’t wait for the honking that’ll come with slowed cars making sharp turns!
Perhaps we can at least score some sidewalk corn in the deal?
Sidewalk Extensions underway at Clinton & Atlantic
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12 Responses to Sidewalk Extensions underway at Clinton & Atlantic
WTF?? These “neckdowns” are proving to be the safety hazards and nuisances that common sense would have predicted. I personally have witnessed 2 accidents and been in 2 near misses myself due to them in just the past year.
Why can’t they be stopped? Or do we spend the $ putting them in and then after years of accidents and slow downs, pay again to have them removed?!
I’ve been at dozens of presentations by DOT and read lots of data showing the neckdowns many benefits. It may take some drivers, especially impatient ones, a while to adjust but they visually narrow the road making it more of a residential, livable street rather than a wide open highway. It also shortens the crosswalk for slow walking elderly people or children whose little legs can’t take large strides. And the larger sidewalks simply help promote street life more than cars barreling through. I’ve yet to see any incidents result from these neckdown, and god forbid, there is one… at least it separates cars from the rest of the sidewalk more and will reduce the chance of passersby getting hurt.
Actually the “safety hazards and nuisances” are the people who drive recklessly. This is a long overdue correction of priorities on the streets. Every once in a while I see a driver who actually bothers to follow the law and respect pedestrians’ safety. But there are just too many drivers who act like spoiled little tyrants behind the wheel, happy to endanger someone to shave a split-second off their trip. A few days of noise is a tiny price.
Great news !
Only annoying the car nazis…
Annoys way more than the drivers, I can assure you.
I’m assuming that you guys don’t live on or near this block? The honking, which has always been a headache, has only gotten significantly worse in the past few days.
Paco, you’ve been to dozens of DOT hearings and read their studies “showing the many benefits”? Wow ,Did you expect the DOT to show you data or presentations illustrating the many possible problems with the neck downs? You can justify anything by slanting a study in whatever direction you want.
Let’s just apply a little common sense here.
1. The side walk protrusions put pedestrians CLOSER to the moving auto’s. As soon as they step off the curb they are now directly in the cars path and the cars have little maneuver room to avoid them due to the new narrow passage.
How does the neck down put MORE distance between pedestrians and cars? If someone is standing in the now protruding part of the sidewalk waiting to cross they are CLOSER to both oncoming and turning traffic (just picture it in your head).
2. I’ve seen cars and especially small trucks trying to make the sharp turns necessitated by the necdowns and it’s scary. We just had a car crash into the building on the corner of Atlantic and Hicks due quite possibly to the new neckdowmn there.
3. I’ve been at intersections on 2 occasions in the last 6 months where a small truck almost rammed me head on trying to make the tight turn caused by these.
4. They put 1 in on Hicks near the firehouse and almost immediately had to remove the damn thing for the obvious reason. (obvious to all except the DOT evidently)
Oh and Larry, “car nazis”?? Someone’s watchin’ a little too much Glen Beck….
UGH!!!!! There were two incidences 2 weeks ago… both on the corner of atlantic and henry, both resulted in teh car ending up on the sidewalk. One crashed into the building leaving a GIANT hole and the other took out and entire tree. Not to mention the numerous times that garbage can has been knocked around. The left hand turn that the cars on atlantic have to make is a lot sharper and more dangerous plus there is also a bike lane there so the road is even narrower than expected. I too have seen people step off of the curb and into oncoming traffic w/o them even realizing it. i have lived in the neighborhood my entire life and crossed that same intersection almost everyday of it especially now that i live on that block and i have seen many more near misses and accidents since that curb was changed. they have had 2 warning already… i just hope no one waiting for the bus stop gets hit or even worse a child coming from the park.
Whatever the benefits or problems with these sidewalk extensions, why on earth do the curbcuts direct strollers into the intersection instead of into the middle of the crosswalk area?
@ “Neighbor Hood”
- “Car nazis” was more a reference to Seinfeild…
@ “CharlieSahadi”
I agree with you the honkings is so annoying, but so difficult to enforce, most of the honkers (which is difficult to prove) are the cabs guys, they are so stressed out going through Clinton…
@Larry – I don’t give a damn about their stress level. They intentionally choose Clinton for the return fare – they should be respectful. Calling 311 occasionally gets an officer standing under the “no honking” sign. I might get back on that…
@ CharlieSahadi
I agree with you, the 311 call is a good idea!
I agree with Charlie. The honking is already close to intolerable on Clinton Street from Atlantic back to Congress, and this will only make it worse.