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.

The Community Board 3 (CB3) Transportation, Public Safety, Sanitation & Environment Committee met on Tuesday, February 8th to consider a proposal by the NYC Department of Transportation (DoT)  to modify some street directions; ­essentially to create “No Right Turn” from westbound Grand Street onto Clinton, rather having the Grand Street traffic go two more blocks to Norfolk, to turn right to go to Delancey.

 The Traffic Working Group organized opposition to the DoT proposal for several reasons:

1. The DoT was seeking to increase the number of cars going through the neighborhood on Grand Street by 13%;
2. The DoT plan would only slow the westbound M14A bus by keeping it in Williamsburg Bridge traffic for two more blocks;
3. The DoT plan ignored other problem intersections like Madison & Grand and East Broadway & Clinton;
4. The DoT plan did not address Local Law 195 which requires more pedestrian space and an emphasis on pedestrian and cyclist safety;
5. The DoT plan did not include any enforcement measures either for moving violations or for illegal parking, and had not consulted the NYPD on the plan.

Multiple members of the Traffic Working Group (TWG) attended the committee’s meeting by Zoom to express opposition. Michelle Kuppersmith and Lee Berman are on the committee, and they, along with other TWG and GSD members, provided persuasive arguments and video evidence to convince the committee to vote unanimously on NOT endorsing the DoT plan. The committee’s resolutions were:

• Resolved: Community Board 3 does not support in full DOT plans to mitigate traffic and safety at and near the intersection of Grand Street at Clinton Street as detailed above, especially plans to widen Norfolk Street; and
• Resolved: Community Board 3 requests that DOT return expediently with a comprehensive plan that includes traffic re-design and public space study for the area to mitigate traffic and safety that centers residents, pedestrians, and cyclists and does not increase the volume of cars traveling through the neighborhood and includes information about how traffic will be re-distributed around the neighborhood between East Houston Street and South Street.
• Resolved: in addition to DOT’s proposal to increase the number of Jersey barriers protecting the existing Clinton Street bike lane between Grand Street and Delancey Street, Community Board 3 also supports fully protecting the Clinton Street bike lane between South Street and East Houston Street from incursions by vehicles with physical controls that may include: Jersey barriers, static (not plastic) bollards, and/or raising the bike lanes above the street grade.

This is definitely a win for our side, but the full Community Board 3 will have to approve these resolutions, so SAVE THE DATE and come to the CB3 meeting on Tuesday, February 22 to support bringing traffic sanity back to the neighborhood. We’ll provide the meeting details in next week’s newsletter.