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July 29, 2010

Atlantic Yards Construction to Make Downtown Brooklyn Less Dangerous?

The L Magazine
by Benjamin Sutton

Not sure how to feel about this one: city-financed and -facilitated Brooklyn gentrification real estate megadevelopment Atlantic Yards is moving along full steam with construction of the Barclay's Arena, which will require the closure of one lane on Flatbush Avenue between Dean Street and Atlantic Avenue for two years beginning August 1st. The Brooklyn Paper is quick to point out what a terrible inconvenience this will be for drivers, reducing the number of lanes from six to five—to ease the blow, buses are being rerouted and traffic officers will be on call at all hours; but for cyclists and pedestrians this is unexpectedly great news.

Almost anything to slow the highway-speed traffic in that area where so many walk and ride on their way between north and south Brooklyn is worth it, except, for instance, the destruction of an entire neighborhood. But, since we apparently have no choice but to let Bruce Ratner make billions, a little incidental and much-needed traffic control will be a tolerable side effect.

link

NoLandGrab: We're all for traffic calming, but there's little about this street reconfiguration that will be beneficial to pedestrians or cyclists. Peds have been reduced to squeezing onto a sliver of sidewalk along the arena site, and Flatbush will likely be nearly impassable to those brave enough to tackle it on two wheels. Traffic will surely be moving more slowly, however — if at all.

Posted by eric at July 29, 2010 10:10 AM