The Brooklyn Community Board 2 Transportation and Public Safety Committee met Tuesday night at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights. Attendees included committee members, a representative from Letitia James's office, Chris Hrones from the Department of Transportation and a fellow Ft. Greene blogger. There was no mention of the MTA's budget-cutting measures or potential cuts to subway and bus service to Brooklyn.

Manhattan Bridge Plaza

A few items of note were raised during the meeting. Dave "Paco" Abraham of Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn committee made a convincing case to improve access to Manhattan Bridge Plaza on Sands Street.

He said the plaza is difficult to access, forcing pedestrians to hop a fence in order to walk onto the bridge from the Sands Street approach. The committee agreed that the DOT and the Parks Department should study innovative solutions for the access problem, as the park, which was recently renovated and has numerous benches, has the potential to provide the community with outdoor space and bridge walkers a place to stop and rest.

Public Safety

The police department will send representatives to a special community board meeting on Jan. 21 to address the public safety of pedestrians, motorists and cyclists.

The committee members expressed concern that the meeting will turn into a gripe session filled with personal anecdotes, putting law enforcement officials on the defensive rather than engaging them in a productive discussion on how to decrease accidents and other dangerous situations. They listed ways that each of these three groups behaves that violates the safety of themselves and others, and there was no shortage of complaints directed at each group.

The committee concluded that the central concern was how to get police to enforce laws that are in place. The January meeting will be open to the public, though a time and location have not yet been finalized.

Atlantic Yards Traffic Changes

A public notice was released on Monday regarding upcoming changes to traffic patterns in relation to the Atlantic Yards project. Beginning on Dec. 21, 5th Avenue between Atlantic and Flatbush will have northbound-only car access. Southbound cars will be diverted to 6th Avenue, which will temporarily become two ways. The full notice can be seen here.

Mr. Hrones also mentioned that, as AY construction progresses, some streets that are within the project footprint will be eliminated. He assured that traffic diversions and mitigation plans are not arbitrary and that the DOT evaluates their need as the time arises.

Brooklyn Bridge

Mr. Hrones also announced that reconstruction of the Brooklyn Bridge is expected to begin in mid-January with significant public outreach. The DOT has details of the project on its Web site here.