Comments on: DOT’s Park Slope One-Way Presentation http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/ Covering the New York City Streets Renaissance Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:07:22 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: anon16 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/comment-page-1/#comment-29979 anon16 Fri, 16 Mar 2007 18:49:13 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/#comment-29979 TimothyJ, The reason there is no discussion of greening or narrowing 4th Ave is because DOT is not proposing to narrow it or make it greener. The proposal is basically to convert the inside travel lane in both directions to a left turn lane. I couldn't tell whether or not the existing left turn bays, currently cut into the medians, would be striped out or left open. There is no "narrowing" of 4th Ave in any regard, the street will be as wide to cross for all practical purpsoses as it is today. There is no "greening" because the medians serve as ventilation shafts for the subway. No plantings allowed! The "benefit" here is to allow cars NOT turning to progress uninhibited up or down 4th Ave. The "problem" that DOT is seeking to fix here is left-turning vehicles stacking up into the travel lanes due to the perceived inadequacies of the existing left turn bays. By the way, if the stacking is really a problem, then traffic on 4th Ave will move more freely under the proposed redesign than before. TimothyJ,
The reason there is no discussion of greening or narrowing 4th Ave is because DOT is not proposing to narrow it or make it greener.

The proposal is basically to convert the inside travel lane in both directions to a left turn lane. I couldn't tell whether or not the existing left turn bays, currently cut into the medians, would be striped out or left open.

There is no "narrowing" of 4th Ave in any regard, the street will be as wide to cross for all practical purpsoses as it is today.

There is no "greening" because the medians serve as ventilation shafts for the subway. No plantings allowed!

The "benefit" here is to allow cars NOT turning to progress uninhibited up or down 4th Ave. The "problem" that DOT is seeking to fix here is left-turning vehicles stacking up into the travel lanes due to the perceived inadequacies of the existing left turn bays.

By the way, if the stacking is really a problem, then traffic on 4th Ave will move more freely under the proposed redesign than before.

]]> By: P http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/comment-page-1/#comment-29974 P Fri, 16 Mar 2007 17:57:54 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/#comment-29974 <i>"Awareness of Pedestrians (particularly by turning motorists) is Enhanced"?</i> Are they joking? A nice demonstration of why Edward Tufte warns us against <a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html" rel="nofollow">Powerpoint...</a> "Awareness of Pedestrians (particularly by turning motorists) is Enhanced"?

Are they joking?

A nice demonstration of why Edward Tufte warns us against Powerpoint...

]]> By: TimothyJ http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/comment-page-1/#comment-29972 TimothyJ Fri, 16 Mar 2007 17:45:48 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/#comment-29972 I'm completely underwhelmed by the DOT presentation as expected. Unfortunately and surprisingly, I'm also underwhelmed by the Streetsblog failure to address the narrowing of 4th Avenue. I expected to hear more support for the narrowing of 4th Avenue - the potential to develop the Avenue as a pedestrian and retail friendly venue; the opportunity to develop a green median; the possibility of a reduction of traffic flow that could lead to increased public trasportation usage; consideration of protected bicycle lanes to adopt modal equity with the space rather than assume that cars and trucks must reighn supreme. Please tell me more about 4th Avenue - I'm all for shrinking it and leaving 6th and 7th the way they are. A collective I told you so is in order in relation to the Atlantic Yards. While we're at it, keep in mind the politicians that failed to support he community - i.e. Yassky and diBlasio; Markowitz and Bloomberg; etc. I'm completely underwhelmed by the DOT presentation as expected. Unfortunately and surprisingly, I'm also underwhelmed by the Streetsblog failure to address the narrowing of 4th Avenue. I expected to hear more support for the narrowing of 4th Avenue - the potential to develop the Avenue as a pedestrian and retail friendly venue; the opportunity to develop a green median; the possibility of a reduction of traffic flow that could lead to increased public trasportation usage; consideration of protected bicycle lanes to adopt modal equity with the space rather than assume that cars and trucks must reighn supreme. Please tell me more about 4th Avenue - I'm all for shrinking it and leaving 6th and 7th the way they are. A collective I told you so is in order in relation to the Atlantic Yards. While we're at it, keep in mind the politicians that failed to support he community - i.e. Yassky and diBlasio; Markowitz and Bloomberg; etc.

]]> By: mfs http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/comment-page-1/#comment-29969 mfs Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:58:14 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/#comment-29969 What about the 4th ave narrowing? did people talk about that? What about the 4th ave narrowing? did people talk about that?

]]> By: Alice http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/comment-page-1/#comment-29967 Alice Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:18:10 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/#comment-29967 I love slide #16 that talks about traffic moving in "platoons" - yeah platoons of 15 or so cars barrelling trough the nabe at 40 + mph. Hey DOT, check out that video, you are so wrong. I love slide #16 that talks about traffic moving in "platoons" - yeah platoons of 15 or so cars barrelling trough the nabe at 40 + mph. Hey DOT, check out that video, you are so wrong.

]]> By: TG http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/comment-page-1/#comment-29966 TG Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:05:11 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/#comment-29966 Perhaps DOT should be eliminated and its remaining responsibilities folded into DDC, EDC and DCP. This seems like a good time for a transformation of this leaderless agency... the city's major new transportation policy initiatives will be easier to accomplish if we start from scratch with new organization structures. Perhaps DOT should be eliminated and its remaining responsibilities folded into DDC, EDC and DCP. This seems like a good time for a transformation of this leaderless agency... the city's major new transportation policy initiatives will be easier to accomplish if we start from scratch with new organization structures.

]]> By: lee http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/comment-page-1/#comment-29964 lee Fri, 16 Mar 2007 15:53:15 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/16/dots-park-slope-presentation/#comment-29964 this is a pretty typical dot presentation in that it does not even bother to describe a problem. it simply states "here is what we will do." All those slides about the character of the neighborhood and the avenues are pointless. Everyone in the community knows that already, they just want to pad out the presentation so they don't show up with only 5 slides. this is a pretty typical dot presentation in that it does not even bother to describe a problem. it simply states "here is what we will do." All those slides about the character of the neighborhood and the avenues are pointless. Everyone in the community knows that already, they just want to pad out the presentation so they don't show up with only 5 slides.

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