Photo by Stacie Joy
The city is starting to publicize a street-improvement project for Avenue B, with notices recently posted along the corridor.
The plans aren't new. The Department of Transportation has been discussing changes to Avenue B for several years. Last summer, DOT officials presented the proposal to the Community Board 3 Transportation, Public Safety, Sanitation & Environment Committee and later to the full board, while also seeking feedback from residents through an online survey (flashback).
Among the planned changes:
• A northbound one-way conversion on Avenue B between Seventh Street and 10th Street
• Painted curb extensions along the corridor, with a focus on intersections near schools
• A contra-flow bike lane between Seventh Street and 10th Street
• Additional bicycle shared-lane markings ("sharrows")
• New truck-loading and no-standing regulations
The DOT says the project is intended to expand public space, add bicycle infrastructure and update curb regulations.
According to the posted notice, implementation began this month.
The sign includes a rendering of a proposed streetscape treatment modeled after changes made on Berry Street in Williamsburg.
We'll see what residents make of the changes once they begin taking shape on B.
As with any change involving traffic, bicycles and parking, expect opinions.
12 comments:
This sounds good to me. During Covid, I was one of the volunteers setting up barricades every morning to make Avenue B an “open street” and with some ongoing traffic-calming barricades, it’s maintained a calm vibe. I look forward to these more permanent enhancements.
Thank you to the neighbors who volunteered and created this push, and to those who carried it forward. 💐 Yes, to more permanent enhancement…. Hopefully it goes even further after this.
DOT has become so obnoxious and never listens. Nobody needs or wants this except maybe bike activists which also doesn't really make sense. All you're doing is taking parking away from residents and making it incredibly annoying when I'm in a cab trying to get home and they have to make a maneuver to C and around costing me more money and time. Leave the grid and the Manhattan hustle alone! What is the point of this.
Also, due to light changes or whatever a few years ago, traffic southbound on A gets backed up a lot, so this will make it worse, having a random blockade in the middle of one of our main avenues. So weird.
No complaints here. Ave B is so narrow it's kind of wild to have two-way traffic, especially with all the deliveries and such.
Here's a thought: Get out of the cab and walk, assuming you don't have a disability.
This makes good sense and sounds good to me!
Love to see it!
I commend your good heart, but those barriers inflamed and enraged the drivers. They speed up and drive recklessly around the barriers which funnels and aims the traffic at terrorized pedestrians.
More traffic. All we need are three speed bumps, instead.
Oh no, not the parking, won't somebody think of the cars! Take the train.
Yeah we should pedestrianise Avenues A through D. Take the FDR if you want to drive.
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