Traffic Calming

Have you ever idled in traffic or waited for a late bus while thinking: "The city government should put me in charge of fixing this mess"?

After a wait that lasted years longer than expected, construction crews are breaking ground on a slate of pedestrian safety improvements for Downtown Brooklyn's traffic-plagued streets.

If you're in Fort Greene tomorrow, drop by 51 St. Edwards Street for some great Livable Streets action. Students from the Community Roots Charter School will be out in the street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., working on a new mural covering the pavement in front of their school, and volunteers are welcome to join in. The mural painting is the joint handiwork of DOT's Urban Art Program, Livable Streets Education, and local artists and teachers. Sound unusual? It is. We're told this may be the first time NYCDOT has ever approved a pavement painting project.

Just a reminder that Community Board 10 will consider a new buffered bike lane for Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard tonight. The lane, from W. 118th to W. 153rd Street, would complete a direct cyclist route between Central Park and the Macombs Dam Bridge, and would serve to calm traffic as well, as bikes would replace one thru lane for cars.

Check out this livable streets story from Ocean City, New Jersey, where a local arts group, high school art students, and the police department teamed up for a street mural installation. The kicker: the project was inspired by Streetfilms (look for the shout-out at the 4:30 mark).

This morning Sarah wrote about the excessive width of many American roads, which makes speeding all too tempting for drivers. So I'm going to bookend the day with this StreetsWiki entry on road diets -- the practice of reducing the number of travel lanes -- from author Andy Hamilton:

The reconstruction of East Houston Street will include wider medians, bigger sidewalks, fewer traffic lanes, and a new bike lane. But instead of installing a physically protected path for cyclists, the city plans to paint a buffered, Class 2 lane. The project, which received funds freed up by stimulus spending, will go out to bid this summer.