Photo by Stacie Joy
The Department of Transportation is inviting residents to share feedback and ideas on the future of Avenue B.
The DOT "is proposing a street improvement project on the Avenue B Open Street between East 14th Street and Houston Street."
The Avenue B Open Street Project Proposal has the following goals:
• Build on the success of the Open Street, provide permanent public space and ease operations for larger events
• Improve safety on the corridor, focusing on schools
• Create safe cycling connections
• Calm traffic on the corridor to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists
• Replace Open Street barricades with design treatments.
A copy of the survey is here.
Here are a few of the ideas from the proposal...
There is an item on the docket related to preliminary findings for the Avenue B Open Street.
The hybrid meeting starts at 6:30 at the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. You can also take part via Zoom.
This stretch debuted as an Open Street during the spring of 2020.
Per the program overview:
New York City's Open Streets program transforms streets into public space open to all. These transformations allow for a range of activities that promote economic development, support schools, facilitate pedestrian and bike mobility, and provide new ways for New Yorkers to enjoy cultural programming and build community.
12 comments:
This is a great starting point. DOT should implement the proposal and add the same sidewalk extensions to the 11 st and 13 street corners as well.
What this proposal lacks is adding loading zones on every block: right now every time a food establishment receives their staples, the delivery truck stops smack in the middle of the road and blocks it completely: the maneuvering around and the honking can be eliminated easily. Same thing happens with every UPS, FedEx or USPS truck that delivers packages to residents.
Yes, who will enforce this while in use? Could be good. Could be trouble. Currently, cars drive through blocked intersections on B all summer. Some blocks have hapless resident "enforcers" with hand-made signs and pleas.
Don't think we want cops on every corner either.
This looks a fantastic improvement!
There is def a deadline on sharing thoughts. DOT wants to implement this proposal August/September they recently shared, and it is already July. This seems more like a last step, so speak up now about what kind of amenities you want in the areas they are removing parking from on each block. Tables? Benches? Loading zones?
There are many wonderful groups that give meals/resources on the sidewalks and the pathways in the park on various days. Maybe they could all use the public expanded space on Ave B between 8th & 9th st. So on any given day if anyone is providing these meals/resources, recipients know that there’s one place to go, “Abundance on B”.
I filled out the survey and basically told them everything looked great.
There is currently two bikes, the ones with carriages attached to them on 11th st between 1st and 2nd ave. They have accumulated garbage through out the years and the owner just dumps the garbage on to streets. If you don’t like free parking for cars why do bikes get free parking when locked up around a tree.
Bad idea. Maybe on the weekends make it public space but during the week people including cars need to get around and go about their business. This is not Disney Land.
Loitering on Ave C & D has been a large source of crime, violence, murder, hard drug dealing & vandalism for decades. This plan will add Ave B to that list — and cause more spillover into the park as well as disturbances for area residents. DOT, Carlina & Open Plans proposes this plan almost every year. Then fills the community board with paid shills who try to shut down residents who repeatedly voted NO. This is a bad idea
God DOT is so bored. Just leave a street a street a street and stop trying to think of dumb shit like putting boulders and paint in the street. These bike activists really must be slidin them some good bills.
I agree…leave Avenue B alone…close it near the park on certain Saturdays like you have been doing if need be and don’t forget to take down the 50 ugly plastic notices you stuck up on the street signs. AND If you really wanna Improve Tompkins Square Park pave the walkways paint over all the graffiti on the walkways and limit the number of death metal bands that play there every summer weekend. I like punk music, but most of those bands are well past their expiration date.
Now is the time to give feedback to the decisions makers at DOT and community board 3.
Public can give feedback:
bit.ly/avebproposal
Public can view plan
bit.ly/aveb2025
Timeline:
-Tues July 8th 6:30pm
Community Board 3 Presentation
Transportation, Public Safety, Sanitation & Environment Committee
Tuesday, July 8 at 6:30pm -- Community Board 3 Office - 59 East 4th Street (btwn 2nd Ave and Bowery)
This is a Hybrid Meeting. Members of the public can attend in person and also attend by Zoom.
Online: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1600080327
By Phone: +1 646 828 7666, +1 551 285 1373 - Webinar ID: 160 008 0327
1. Approval of previous month's minutes
2. NYSDEC/NYSDOH: Brownfield Site Remediation at 181 Ave D
3. DOT: Preliminary Proposal for Ave B Safety Improvements between E 4th - 12th Sts
-August/September
Implementation of Plan
Traffic calming features are always welcome! They help to make the neighborhood more pedestrian friendly. However something seems to be off with the design proposal. 1) While its stated goal is to create a corridor prioritizing “pedestrians and cyclists”, the improvements are only from 4th Street to 13th Street. Why not extending this project further south? The proposed one-way traffic will be coming from Houston St. Also, LESPFCU is neighborhood bank used by many on a daily basis. It is on 3rd St. And there are community gardens on 2nd and 3rd St. 2) If DOT is interested in investing in Ave B, why not use the opportunity to also look into improving surface drainage? Ave B is within the FEMA floodplain and we can remember what Storm Sandy did to the neighborhood. Look into including some green infrastructure while redoing the sidewalks. 3) I understand that this is a draft proposal but the scope proposed focuses a lot on the stretch between 8th and 9th St. It also includes a teaser for what might come in the future – closing the Ave and putting a plaza there. Why? This proposed plaza is not directly connected with the Park. Who is it for? Who benefits from it? Use the money and energy to put in better traffic calming features and plant some trees! 4) Who will be maintaining this plaza? Will it become what the southwest corner of Tompkin Sq Park used to be? Will it become gated and made exclusive to the few buildings on the block? It is not connected to TSP. Think Gramercy Park. No!
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