DOT’s Park Slope Proposal: Is this Atlantic Yards Planning?

flatbush.jpg

Last week, DOT quietly revealed that it was planning to narrow Fourth Avenue and transform Park Slope, Brooklyn’s Sixth and Seventh Avenues in to one-way streets. Agency officials say that the the changes are being proposed for no reason other than "to make it safer for pedestrians crossing the street."

Fourth, Sixth and Seventh Avenues — the streets that DOT wishes to redesign — all terminate at the edge of the Atlantic Yards development. Naturally, many are wondering if DOT’s plan has anything to do with Forest City Enterprises’ basketball arena and 16-skyscraper mega-project.

Adding fuel to the fire is the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Atlantic Yards project (Chapter 19-11) which proposes closing off the northbound side of Fourth Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush to motor vehicles (which, actually, could be a really nice thing to do regardless). Could it be that DOT’s Park Slope plan is aimed at shunting Fourth Avenue’s Manhattan Bridge-bound morning traffic jam over to Sixth and Eighth Avenues?

We put the question to DOT. We’ll let you know the answer when they get back to us.

Here is the relevant excerpt from the Atlantic Yards FEIS:

  • d’OH! When I heard, in passing, about the avenue change just a couple days ago it didn’t even occur to me that it was AY-related. I actually thought it was a *good* idea because, at least in my stretch of 7th ave (carroll/union-ish) its all doubleparkers and delivery trucks forever throwing things into chaos and hornblowing. Hmmm. you’ve opened my eyes to blatant bureaucratic subterfuge!!

  • Clancey

    Funny, it never occurred to me that the proposal WASN’T related to Atlantic Yards.

    To anyone who thinks this is a great idea: I live on Prospect Park West (aka Speedway). If you want a great perspective on how one-way streets make drivers behave, c’mon by for coffee sometime at rush hour — or some evening or weekend during motorcycle season. Depravity on wheels.

  • Aaron:

    Great post. The DOT may not get back to you, but The Brooklyn Paper did a great story on what we called “the Fourth to Flatbush Two-Step.” Check it out at http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/29/32/29_32nets4.html

    It even had a great graphic! Hope you enjoy it.

    GERSH

  • Clancy, et al.: You’re so right! I was really dim on this… Passing this post on to the friend who mentioned to me, originally.

  • Clancey

    No, Angela – you aren’t being dim. You just had a momentary lapse of cynicism. DOT is skilled at putting things over on the public, especially when it’s acting on behalf of interests like Bruce Ratner, who count on government to do their bidding (and usually win).

  • Tim

    So let’s see, they want to make 4th SB only from Flatbush to Atlantic, make 6th one way NB even though it’s one way SB from Atlantic to Flatbush, make 7th one way SB even though Carlton and Park Pl are one way NB and EB, AND demap 5th Ave between Flatbush and Atlantic. This is going to be the biggest traffic clusterfuck ever.

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