One aspect of the DOT plan that proved contentious, but was not addressed in the resolution, is the proposed re-routing of city buses, which would no longer discharge and take on passengers at the foot of Atlantic but would be routed onto a loop of roads to the north, discharging and loading directly next to the park. DOT’s representative, Ted Wright, argued that this was safer than having people cross a road to get from bus to park or vice versa, and having buses make u-turns at the foot of Atlantic. A representative of One Brooklyn Bridge Park residents argued that this routing would be more hazardous because the buses would cross several pedestrian crosswalks on the new route. He also said that adding city buses to the already heavy tourist bus traffic would increase the safety problem, and would also make worse a noise and air pollution problem.

A major focus of concern was the problem of getting pedestrians safely across the entrance to the BQE on-ramp at the south side of Atlantic. At present, drivers are allowed to make a right on red from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. on weekdays. Mr. Wright explained that this is because many drivers exit the BQE at Hamilton Avenue and take Hicks Street to Atlantic, where they re-enter the expressway, to avoid traffic jams. Many of those present urged that this exception to the no right on red rule be ended, but Mr. Wright said DOT was reluctant to do something that could have serious effects on traffic flow. Asked why DOT has only proposed to study installing a red light camera there to enforce the no turn rule during the times when it is in effect, he said that the state has allowed the city only a certain number of such cameras, and that it presently has the maximum number allowed.

Improving the Atlantic Avenue/Furman Street intersection by rerouting the bus turnaround, and adding pedestrian space and crosswalks.
Improving signal timing and the “no right on red” sign at the BQE entrance on Atlantic Avenue, to make it safer for pedestrians to cross.
Removing the greenway/bike path from the sidewalk on the west side of Columbia Street.
Adding a crosswalk across Columbia Street at the stop-light near the BQE entrance, and simplifying south-bound traffic on Columbia.

Details and illustrations of the existing and proposed traffic, bike and pedestrian routes and signals can be seen here. These proposals will be discussed at a meeting of the Community Board 6 Transportation Committee this Thursday evening, beginning at 6:30, in Room A at Long Island College Hospital (enter at 339 Hicks Street); members of the public are invited to attend and offer comments. If you can’t attend the meeting but want to make a comment, you may do so on Council Member Lander’s web page.

The Brooklyn Paper: The city is considering reversing the direction of a Cobble Hill Street make it easier for cyclists to pedal to Brooklyn Bridge Park — but critics say the move will be more hazardous than helpful.

In recent weeks, officials quietly contacted a small group of community leaders, advancing an idea to reverse traffic flow westbound on Congress Street between Court and Hicks streets.

The article quotes Cobble Hill resident and community activist Roy Sloane as objecting to the move because it will divert traffic so that it passes the LICH emergency room entrance and the Cobble Hill Nursing Home. Other local residents are quoted as criticizing the City’s “high-handed” and “autocratic” approach to the matter.

Earlier today, work on Court Street between 1st & 2nd Place caused a partial street collapse, closing the block off to traffic. A water line was ruptured, causing flooding in several basements. One lane for traffic was cleared at 6pm and will remain open until 7am tomorrow. At that point, the street will close between President Street and 2nd Place so that Con Ed and National Grid can fix the problem. After their work is complete, city agencies will begin discussions on resurfacing the roadway and sidewalk. Traffic Agents will be on hand to control the flow of traffic tomorrow.

From the tipster:

Photo of Con Ed’s interminable street work on Congress St between Court and Clinton Streets (since at least July 6th, but I forget the actual start date, which I think was before July 4th) doing who knows what.  In addition to blocking street parking with orange cones, and signs warning of no parking, there is also a person present at all times (sometimes in a car, sometimes out as shown in one photo) watching the street.  There are big electrical cables on the north side of Congress St that protrude out of one person-hole cover and into another down the street.  Someday it will end, but it also seems that no work is going on.  Has Con Ed forgotten to finish this project?

Well? Have they? Con Ed, what’s the story?

-“Stop Here on Red” sign on Atlantic Avenue at the eastbound approach to the on-ramp, to communicate to drivers that they do not have a free left turn when the light ahead is red and the pedestrian indication across the ramp is WALK.

-“Turning Vehicles Yield to Pedestrians” sign on Atlantic Avenue at the westbound approach to the on-ramp, to emphasize  to drivers that  they must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

-Conducting a traffic study to determine if further signal or regulation changes that will reduce vehicle-pedestrian conflicts at this location are feasible.  Additional recommendations will be shared publicly in near future.

- Evaluating medium term opportunities for more significant reconfigurations to the street network around Pier 6 that will assist with bicycle and pedestrian park access, including the intersection of Columbia Street and Atlantic Avenue, and Atlantic Avenue west of  Columbia Street.

Will it be enough? Let’s just hope the changes take effect before a dreadful accident takes place.

Photo courtesy of Cobble Hill Association

How have the cuts affected you?

Flickr Photo by threecee

Yesterday afternoon, local residents took part in a rally to save the B71 bus, which will be eliminated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority on June 27th as part of the agency’s cost saving measure. The B71 connects this community to Park Slope and is used by many school children, the elderly and handicapped…

The B71 will stop running on Monday. It is unlikely that the MTA will change its mind before then. However, it was impressive to see such a large group come out to protect the elimination of a bus route. And maybe, as Councilman Brad Lander told the protesters, it may not be a done deal yet.

Read the full story with more pictures and video here.

Approaching the pier along Atlantic Avenue is particularly formidable, as pedestrians must cross exit ramps to the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway, encountering eastbound vehicles on Atlantic turning left to get on the highway, along with right-turning cars and trucks.

And at the northern terminus of Columbia Street, a right-on-red signal that allows cars to turn east onto Atlantic is virtually ignored, as vehicles roll through what has now become a major crossing nexus.

With cars and trucks coming from every direction, park-users are befuddled.

With the vuvuzelas of the community buzzing, it shouldn’t be long before the NYC DOT puts safety measures in place. God forbid something awful should happen in the meantime. Shouldn’t they think of these things BEFORE they open a $55 million playground?

Flickr photo by CaptainKidder

Come out and let the MTA know that they can’t take away our bus!

The Cobble Hill Association has long supported a completely public park with active recreation, and delights seeing neighborhood children using the brand new Pier 6. However, there have been many concerns from the community regarding access to the park. The Atlantic Avenue – Columbia/Furman Street intersection has long needed traffic-calming measures, and now the situation is severe.  Children dart across the swath of asphalt without any pedestrian refuge islands, and stroller moms must wheel carriages hurriedly to avoid speeding traffic from Furman’s excessive road width, while also contending with entering/exiting traffic on the BQE.

…Workshop participants were assigned a small-group station and asked to consider the many photos attached to one wall labeled “Inspiration Board.” The photos ran the gamut from ancient pedestrian bridges to modern highways softened by green planted buffers. Sustainability elements included sponge greenery intended to soak up storm water and a highway surrounded by solar energy panels.

Read the full story here.

‘Sponge greenery?’ Sounds lovely, and much more appealing than what we have at present…

Download the informational flyer here.

Workshop Details:
Tuesday, May 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Long Island College Hospital, Avram Conference Center
339 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201

Join your neighbors at our first design workshop so we can work together to improve the connection between the Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, and Columbia Street Waterfront neighborhoods.

Please RSVP to bqe@nycedc.com

Project Sponsors:
Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (12th District, NYS)
New York City Department of Transportation
New York City Economic Development Corporation

The F train will completely shut down for at least seven different weekends this year in large stretches of trendy Brooklyn, between Jay Street-Borough Hall and Church Avenue. As happened for six weekends last year, commuters will be forced to cram into slow-moving shuttles that will cross Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Park Slope during those time periods. Even yoga instructors are rattled! “People are going to totally freak out,” yoga guru Laura Stryjewski told the Post. “Taking the shuttle is a royal pain.”

Your Nabe: While Bergen Street at one time served express trains, it no longer can, because its lower level station did not receive necessary renovations in the 1990s, Lunden explained. The former express platform now stores lighting, HVAC and mechanical equipment, he added.

One benefit to riders on the local would be a less crowded commute, as longtime express line advocate and Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association member Gary Reilly has pointed out. The hope is that once the MTA completes repairs to the elevated Culver Viaduct, along which the F travels, the set of express tracks that currently sits unused along the F line will be reactivated.

The third and final phase of the sign replacement project in Brooklyn Community District 2 that began earlier this year is now complete, with signs in Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights (south of Joralemon Street), Boerum Hill, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill having been replaced since Sept. 8. The newly posted Alternate Side Parking Regulations will be enforceable starting Monday, Nov. 9. The attached press release was sent on Oct. 26 to give residents two weeks to adjust to the new rules. Alternate Side Parking Regulations are currently suspended in parts of the Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Marble Hill and Kingsbridge sections of Bronx Community District 8 for the first of two phases of sign replacement.

Come join the Cobble Hill Association and Brooklyn Greenway Initiative for the second annual…

COBBLE HILL BIKE RIDE

When: November 8th, 2009, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Verandah Place at Cobble Hill Park
Cost: FREE, simply rsvp to cobblehillbikeride@gmail.com.
Space is limited to 50 riders maximum. Preference will be given to those who register ahead of time, as well as Cobble Hill Association members.

The Cobble Hill Association and Brooklyn Greenway Initiative are hosting a 10-mile casual bike ride that will start at Cobble Hill Park and pass through Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, the Columbia Waterfront District, Red Hook, and Carroll Gardens then loop back to Cobble Hill.

There will be several scenic rest stops as we ride along mostly calm streets with some light vehicular traffic. Several Bike Marshals will travel alongside as well as a mechanic for any urgent bike repairs needed. It may be chilly so please dress accordingly, and know that riders should bring helmets and observe all the proper rules of the road.

The $250-million Culver Viaduct construction project, which is the true source for all the weekend inconvenience, is far from over. The project will have F trains on the fritz between the Carroll Gardens and Fourth Avenue Stations until at least 2012.

That work is expected to help the notoriously poor F train at least achieve parity with the rest of the system. State Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Brooklyn Heights) received so many complaints about the line earlier this year that he got the MTA to conduct an in-depth analysis and commit to improving the little engine that can’t.

Squadron said that riders should start seeing improvements in November, and more significant improvements beginning next year

“With the closing of the 2nd Place entrance for up to a year due to construction and the subsequent increased ridership at the President Street entrance, it is critical for rider safety to have a Station Customer Assistance agent present there in the event of an emergency,” Millman said.

The Second Place entrance will be closed starting September 15th due to construction at 360 Smith Street; however, the entrance at 2nd Street will remain open. The MTA will retain the current hours of SCA staffing (6:00 AM until 9:15 PM, Monday through Saturday) at the President Street entrance until the 2nd Place entrance can be safely reopened.

Update: Sign a petition to keep the station agents here.

Read the letter after the jump.

Dear Neighbors,Recently we learned of the potential closing of the Station Agent booth
at the President Street entrance to the Carroll Street F train stop.
If this booth is closed, it will be a detriment to the neighborhood.
Carroll Street has a high volume of ridership, which will only increase
once the Smith-9th Streets stop will be closed as part of the Culver El
Viaduct Project. Carroll Gardens and its surrounding neighborhoods
need these agents to ensure the efficient operation of the station.
Please join in our support of the project by signing our petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/CarrollStreetAgents.

I have sent a letter to the MTA request[ing] the station remain open. We
look forward to working with all of you to keep this necessary resource
in our neighborhood.

Sincerely,

Bill de Blasio

NY1: “We’ll look into the feasibility of using the city’s old trolley tracks to create new streetcar service in growing waterfront neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn, starting in Red Hook,” said Bloomberg.

Red Hook is a prime candidate because development along the waterfront is growing, and because the area is underserved by mass transit. What’s more, Diamond says, is the fact that trolleys can hold about two busloads of passengers, and have zero emissions.