1. 44 people have signed on to the TWG, 12 since last GSD meeting. We are building an ‘Action Volunteer’ list – 15 people so far. We need more folks – this is really a non-partisan organizing opportunity
2. The CB3 Transportation, Public Safety, & Environment Committee met a second time on Tuesday, February 8th to hear the DoT’s proposed plan for Grand/Clinton Street;
-DoT claims changes would be ‘self-enforcing’There were no provisions for bus lanes or pedestrian / bicyclist safety;
-DoT said the plan could increase traffic throughput by 13%
-The centerpiece of DoT plan is a ‘no right-hand turn” from w/b Grand onto Clinton, and sends w/b traffic down to Norfolk to get to Delancey.
-The proposal was mostly small tweaks but still keeps Grand Street as an on-ramp to the Williamsburg Bridge.
-We are discussing how to best address this proposal: Ideas range from pushing CB3 to not endorse it to pushing DoT to clarify a lot of the vague details in the plan;
-The Transportation Committee rejected the proposal;
-The full CB3 also rejected the DoT proposal on 2/22;
-Thanks goes to Michelle Kuppersmith and Lee Berman, who are on the CB3 Transportation Committee, and lots of TWG and neighbors who showed up at the CB3 meetings;
-It is entirely possible that the DoT will ignore CB3’s position
The Working Group Proposal:
Based on participants’ feedback, the TWG has developed a clear set of goals (aka ‘wants’) that IPP Jeremy Sherber has put together in a handout
-The basics:Essex Crossing becomes primarily a pedestrian mall;
-A bus lane for the westbound M14A;
-Two-way bike lane on the south side of Grand Street to consolidate the bike lanes and allow more space for the proposed bus lane;
-Consistent but random traffic & parking enforcementAmending current NYS Traffic Light laws;
-Making the Essex / Delancey subway stop fully accessible
There has been some progress:
-DoT has put up more safety barriers along the Clinton Street bike lanes from South Street to Delancey;
-The pedestrian signal at the corner of Delancey and Clinton was askew so that it wasn’t viewable, but a couple of calls to 311 got DoT out to fix it;
-Capt. Barcia of the 7th Precinct has found some funding for part-time traffic enforcement agents (TEAs) on the corner of Grand and Clinton
-Relentless 311 reports have started to have an effect on truck parking in the pedestrian crosswalk and bike lanes on Clinton Street, although there are still offenders;
-Katie Archer from Essex Crossing community affairs is interested in our efforts because of our pedestrian-friendly orientation.
