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By Chabadinfo Reporter

NYC’s Vision Zero initiative has found a new target, as the Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed a “road diet” by adding bike lanes and other pedestrian-friendly proposals on Brooklyn and Kingston Avenues between Empire Blvd and Winthrop St.

The DOT says that the proposal comes amid concerns from “neighborhood schools and Community Board 9 about speeding and dangerous driver behavior on Brooklyn Ave and Kingston Ave.” They added that drag racing is frequent at Kingston and Winthrop.

To be fair the area has wider streets than most in the shechuna, which the DOT says causes “speeding in an area that has a high volume of schools.”

In the proposal, the DOT outlines plans to add protected bike lanes (between parked cars and the curb) along Brooklyn and Kingston. The lanes would connect with existing bike lanes on Empire, East New York, and Maple.

Also proposed are standard bike lanes on Rutland and Fenmore which would feed into the new protected bike lanes.

The DOT wants to add pedestrian islands to the intersections, which would eliminate about 2-4 parking spots at each corner or a total of 54 spots. (This has been done before in other ways, for example by Empire and Albany).

The aim is to shorten the distance to cross and add visibility to pedestrians. And add “turn calming treatments (that would) slow drivers and tighten turn radiuses.”

This is not the first “road diet,” the DOT has done to Crown Heights. In the past, the agency added pedestrian islands to Empire and Eastern Pkwy, as well as many bike lanes in the community as well, such as on Kingston Avenue. Recently the DOT implemented “delayed green” lights at many intersections.

A Crown Heights resident told Chabadinfo, “If the city wants to fix the roads, they should do it by doing it without adding these bike lanes that no one wants.”

In the Community Board’s hands

Last week, the DOT plan was addressed to Community Board 9 (which covers the area of the proposed area and is responsible for advising the DOT), based on the minutes of the Community Board.

At the meeting, the DOT said that they contacted schools in the area and met with some. “They also want to talk further with local yeshivas & the hospital.”

When asked if it would cause issues for first responders they stated “DOT said they’ve had conversations with and ran their numbers through all needs known for FDNY, NYPD, DSNY and they meet with the Mayor’s office of people with disabilities.”

The Community Board instructed the DOT to come back to our committee with a revised version of their June proposal that incorporates their feedback and anything else the DOT receive from local stakeholders.

Other proposals

In May, the Community Board asked the DOT to propose bike lanes along Empire Blvd. The Community Board is also pushing for the DOT to reconsider moving bike racks to wide sidewalks.

Chabadinfo has reached out to the DOT for comment but hasn’t received a response.

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DOT Report:

375