Eyes on the Street

Last month, Queens Community Board 1 voted down DOT's proposal for a pedestrian plaza at the intersection of 30th Avenue, 33rd Street and Newtown Avenue, opting instead for curb extensions that will keep the block open to vehicle traffic.

Jeff Prant sent in this photo from last Sunday's Summer Space, which just wrapped another season, on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights.

Late last week, DOT completed the installation of gravel epoxy sidewalk extensions in the Financial District along Broadway and Whitehall Street, from the area surrounding the famous bull statue south to an existing plaza between Pearl and Water streets. The additions feature planters and flex-post to keep drivers out, but no seating.

The reconstruction of Eastern Parkway between Washington Avenue and Grand Army Plaza is wrapping up. A big benefit of the project is the completion of a widened median, including a path for bicyclists, between the main traffic lanes and the service road.

Riders in the NYC Century Bike Tour last weekend might have noticed a recent upgrade on the bike/pedestrian path on the Northern Boulevard bridge as they navigated from Flushing to Willets Point.

Clarence snapped a photo of the construction sign at Northern Boulevard and 82nd Street in Jackson Heights, which earlier this week displayed the wrong speed limit. Motorists should no longer be under the impression that they should drive faster through the work zone.

Hats off to @J_uptown, who spotted this bit of temporary bike infrastructure in Midtown. He writes:

It hasn't been open a week yet, and Corona Plaza is already a popular gathering spot. In the next few days, Streetfilms will be posting a video about the new plaza featuring Council Member Julissa Ferreras. In the meantime, enjoy some more photos of the plaza getting lots of use over the weekend courtesy of Clarence. "It was almost like a mini Summer Streets," he said.

Here's a screenshot from a snippet of video taken by an eagle-eyed reader at Northern Boulevard and 82nd Street in Queens. The construction workers who programmed this display look to be unknowingly putting themselves in danger by allowing motorists an extra five miles per hour. They have company at the top: None other than NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly flubbed a question about the city's speed limit while testifying before City Council in 1993.