« As legislative session winds down, Atlantic Yards governance bill moves forward in Assembly, but not in Senate | Main | Parking Permits for Atlantic Yards Area Still a Big ‘Maybe’ »
June 21, 2011
Third Avenue Shuffle
Atlantic Yards Watch
by Danae Oratowski
The biggest change last announced last week as part of the traffic plan developed by Sam Schwartz was the re-engineering of the intersection of Fourth, Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, which seeks to untangle the knot of traffic that regularly forms when three of Brooklyn’s busiest traffic arteries converge. Sam Schwartz’s plan removes the northbound lanes of Fourth Avenue between Atlantic and Flatbush, the shortest side of the triangle. Cars going north down Fourth to Flatbush will now get diverted west on to Atlantic and will then turn right on to Third Avenue in order to reach Flatbush - to get to Lafayette. The changes are intended to keep cars moving, prevent them from getting stuck in the intersections and increase pedestrian safety. But in the estimation of many living on or around Third Avenue in Boerum Hill, the plan solves one set of problems by creating another.
Residents in the area believe that a significant number of cars will try to cut over to Third Avenue south of Atlantic, driving through smaller, residential streets along the way and increasing already dangerous conditions for pedestrians. They have reason to be concerned. Third Avenue just south of Atlantic already has high traffic volumes, a history of speeding and has been the scene several pedestrian and bicycle fatalities over the last several years. (Three of the children fatally struck are depicted with ghost-like transparency on a two-story mural that looms over Third Avenue and Butler Place.) According to the 2006 FEIS, there were 610 vehicles in the single northbound lane during morning rush hour. By comparison, there were 1217 vehicles in three lanes of northbound traffic on Fourth Avenue (FEIS, Figures C1-a and b). One resident of the neighborhood described the area as a “ring of fire,” where turning cars and cars stuck in intersections make crossing the street a frightening experience for pedestrians.
Posted by eric at June 21, 2011 10:40 PM