Brooklyn Bridges Task Force
T.A. BROOKLYN COMMITTEE
Bridge Access Subcommittee
Report by Michael Cairl, 15 October 1997
- Brooklyn Bridge access
- Other issues
1. Brooklyn Bridge Access
1.1 The Transportation Committee of Brooklyn Community Board (CB) 2 held a meeting on 28 October 1997 to, among other things, review plans for changed traffic flow and bicycle lanes on Adams Street between Fulton Street and Tillary Street.
1.2 Plans prepared by the New York City Department of Transportation (DoT) and Economic Development Corporation were presented to CB2. These address parking on the northbound frontage road (local lanes) of Adams Street, new vehicular access from southbound Adams Street to the Renaissance Plaza development, and bicycle lanes both northbound and southbound on Adams Street.
1.3 Left completely unaddressed are two key issues: competition among motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians at the intersection of Adams and Tillary Streets (terminus of the Brooklyn Bridge foot/bike path); and the forthcoming Downtown Brooklyn traffic calming study. In addition, CB2 was unaware of the proposals put forward for a bicycle/pedestrian "flyover" from the Brooklyn Bridge to Cadman Plaza. (These proposals were reported on in the October subcommittee report.)
1.4 After discussing this with T.A. Executive Director John Kaehny on 5 November 1997, the next actions to be taken will be to contact the Brooklyn Heights Association and Councilman Ken Fisher's office to get them on board with improving bridge access and to address the situation at Adams/Tillary. This will be an issue even if a Brooklyn Bridge flyover is constructed, because it is the main crossing point for residents of Concord Village to Brooklyn Heights. We cannot lose sight of the pedestrian context of this problem.
2. Other Matters
2.1 I have prepared a brief report on an unsafe traffic condition at the Metropolitan Avenue Bridge in East Williamsburg. The bridge is on a route used by a significant number of mostly low-income bicycle commuters in the area. The report details the traffic flow and bicycling conditions, and presents recommendations for remedial action. Anyone who is interested can request a copy of the report by e-mail: they will need Microsoft Word 5.0 or later and a JPEG viewer. Macintosh users with Claris Works 4.0 or later can request the whole report, including graphics, in that format.
UPDATE - 22 January 1998
Good news regarding the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge: DoT is finally repaving Greenpoint Avenue on the Brooklyn side of the bridge. And not just with asphalt fill-ins, either, but taking up all the old asphalt and putting in new pavement. When the work is complete, a safety hazard for cyclists and motorists - several blocks of very rough pavement - will be eliminated.
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