Photo above: Office of Senator Andrew Gounardes Years of advocacy on the part of our local elected officials, the BHA, and community partners at the Atlantic Avenue BID, the Cobble Hill Association are paying off! It was great to take part in this morning's press conference on Atlantic Ave celebrating the common sense street safety changes being made to this deadly corridor. The suite of safety enhancements includes expanded pedestrian space, upgraded traffic signals, and new vehicle travel lane markings to reduce turn conflicts at Court Street; two new concrete pedestrian islands to be constructed at Columbia Street; new mid-block crosswalks between Court Street and Clinton Street and Henry Street and Clinton Street; and curb enhancements such as loading zones to be potentially implemented along the corridor in consultation with the community. These efforts are part of NYC DOT’s larger work to enhance safety along Atlantic Avenue. Here's the DOT full press release with the details. In remarks at the press conference this morning, BHA Executive Director Lara Birnback invoked the memory of Martha Atwater, a beloved Brooklyn Heights resident, Emmy-award winning television writer and producer, and BHA Governor who was tragically killed when a truck jumped the curb at Atlantic & Clinton in 2013. Sadly, Martha was not the last person to be killed or injured in the time since, most recently local resident Katie Harris in 2023. We will continue to push for additional measures, such as daylighting of all intersections with hardened barriers such as planters, bike racks, or boulders to keep cars from blocking them and additional concrete curb extensions. The BHA also believes that closing the Queens-bound entrance to the BQE at Atlantic Avenue is one of the ways to make the biggest impact on street safety. DOT announced last month that they are studying this as part of the on-going traffic analysis being done for the BQE reconstruction project. We will keep you informed as we learn more.
|
