There’s a lot to say about last night’s Traffic Town Hall — 175 neighbors, five elected officials, DOT officials and engineers all getting together to address the problem made for a successful meeting. But nothing’s fixed yet, the problem is growing, and we need to keep the pressure on. So we’ll have more to say later.
Get Ready for the 2018 Women’s March
Protest Poster Party
Saturday, January 13
1:30 – 4:00 pm
Seward Coop (Apartment TBD)
In 2018, Grand Street Democrats is teaming up with Sister District to help shape elections outside our immediate neighborhood, leveraging our strong Democratic advantage to swing districts where the outcome is in doubt and the balance of power in state government is decided.
To kick-off our partnership, we’ll be preparing together for the January 20 Women’s March in NYC with a protest poster-making party on Saturday, January 13.
This is a family-friendly event — kids are more than welcome, they are great artists and natural protesters!
Traffic Town Hall to address Grand/Clinton jam
Traffic Town Hall
Thursday, January 11
6:30 pm
Manny Cantor Center
197 East Broadway
Our residential neighborhood is being turned into an on-ramp for the Williamsburg Bridge. The intersection of Grand and Clinton is the main center of the problem, creating a honking backup for several blocks in both directions. Despite a resolution from Community Board 3 and letters from our local elected officials, the Department of Transportation has not adequately addressed the situation. In fact, it’s gotten worse.
Councilmember Margaret Chin has helped us secure the DOT Manhattan Commissioner for a town hall on Thursday, January 11. Other elected officials will be participating, and several community groups are co-sponsoring the event because this is a matter that effects the quality of life of everyone in the neighborhood.
Seward Coop resident Matt Marello filmed the intersection last winter to illustrate exactly why the traffic pattern is causing such a problem.
We will be presenting two short-term solutions to keep cars moving more efficiently and safely, while pushing for long-term changes that would keep this traffic out of our neighborhood entirely.
Please join us to show DOT how important this issue is to all of us.
Start the new year with Committee-palooza!
Committee-palooza
Wednesday, January 3
7:00 pm
Seward Coop Community Room
266 East Broadway
At our regular meeting in November our members outlined a half dozen committees that will help us direct activities for Grand Street Democrats. So we’re not going to waste any time — let’s start 2018 with a Committee-palooza!
What’s a Committee-palooza? Honestly, we just made it up. But here’s how we think it works: You and your neighbors (and the friend you bring with you) break out for the GSD committee you care about and brainstorm specific goals and actionable steps for the new year. Then each committee shares those ideas with the whole club, so we can align our priorities and get to work.
For example, let’s say you care about helping Democrats across the country pick up seats during the 2018 mid-term elections. You sit down at the Big D table to decide what projects will be most effective — fundraising, phone banks, out-of-state canvassing — then make a plan to identify candidates to support or outside organizations to partner with.
Or, you’re dismayed by the massive new skyscrapers going up on the waterfront combined with the new developments closer to home. So you join the Political & Social Action Committee and start coming up with a plan to support zoning changes on the Lower East Side or pressure the MTA to increase access to public transportation.
The idea is to do some talking … and then chart a path from talking toward action. We want to find real opportunities for progress, and deputize club members (you!) to make change happen.
Are you ready?
12/6 Traffic meeting recap & next steps
Department of Transit Manhattan Borough Commissioner Luis Sanchez took questions for an hour at Wednesday night’s meeting of the 7th Precinct Community Council from residents concerned about the increased traffic on Grand and Clinton Streets.
Sanchez said DOT has looked at a bunch of different options — traffic signal timing, changes in signage on the FDR, banning a right turn onto Clinton from Grand — to alleviate congestion in this residential corridor, but has not settled on any solution. Construction, said Sanchez, at Essex Crossing and the Houston Street on/off ramps has caused major headaches and make any analysis subject to change as soon as the construction zones shift.
Bottom line: DOT does not yet have any recommendations to alleviate congestion on Grand and Clinton.
Here’s a live view of traffic in our neighborhood from Waze:
But the hundred or so neighbors who came out Wednesday were not ready to take “no” for an answer.
Several community members asked if there is nothing to do about the number of cars, can the police do anything about the honking, often late at night? Honking tickets, it turns out, are particularly difficult to issue — and create even more congestion while drivers are pulled over.
How about cameras at East Broadway and Clinton to fine drivers who block the box? It turns out there is state legislation about how many traffic cameras can be installed in New York and in what areas.
Many people had specific suggestions about how to re-route traffic to the Williamsburg Bridge. How about opening Suffolk Street northbound so there are three ways to get from Grand to Delancey? Or turn Delancey Street under the bridge into the main access point, bypassing Grand Street altogether? What if the whole neighborhood were blocked off from through traffic so that cars are pushed up Essex or even Allen? Each option got a lukewarm response from DOT’s Sanchez, with assurances that every option is still on the table.
So what will it take to get the DOT to make some real changes? We plan to continue putting pressure on DOT officials to make sure they know just how disruptive this problem is to our residential community. Right now we are working with Councilmember Margaret Chin to hold a Traffic Town Hall on Thursday, January 11, where we’ll have a chance to make clear to DOT officials that the traffic madness has to stop.
Can we stop the traffic madness?
The Department of Transportation has been dragging its heels on the traffic problem on Grand & Clinton. That’s why showing up at the NYPD 7th Precinct Community Council on Wednesday at 7:30 pm is so important.
7th Precinct Community Council
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
7:30 pm
19½ Pitt Street (between Broome and Delancey)
Our local NYPD Community Council has gotten DOT Manhattan Commissioner Luis Sanchez to attend its monthly meeting this week. These Community Council meetings are a great neighborhood resource but are usually lightly attended. We urge you to attend on Wednesday to make sure Mr. Sanchez knows how important this issue is to our quality of life.
We also continue to work with Councilmember Chin to get a larger public meeting in January. We need to push this from as many angles as possible to get DOT to address this problem.
Great first meeting!
Grand Street Democrats had its first regular meeting Monday night with about 100 neighbors in Seward’s community room.
Thank you to Councilmember Margaret Chin and Councilmember-elect Carlina Rivera for kicking off the meeting (and for sticking around!).
We heard from a number of you about what issues you think GSD should be standing up for, and, importantly, what we can all do to help. Those comments encouraged us to set up several initial committees, including Political & Social Action, Outreach, Big D (electing Democrats everywhere), and our Student Committee.
What’s next?
We are already working on organizing a public meeting in December to take our concerns about Grand Street & Clinton Street traffic directly to local elected officials as well as the NYC Department of Transportation and our local 7th Precinct of the NYPD.
And we will be in touch after Thanksgiving with dates for initial meetings of our different committees, so that each group can start to set its own priorities.
Daffodil Flash Mob! for Election Day
DAFFODIL FLASH MOB!
Tuesday, November 7
11:00 am
Meet at Seward Co-op Courtyard
Grand Street just west of Pitt Street
Our friends from Corlears Hook Park have donated hundreds of daffodil bulbs to brighten up the neighborhood. And with school out on Tuesday for Election Day, we thought it would be a good time to get these bulbs in the ground.
If you are free for a couple hours of gardening along Grand Street, please join us! We will have some tools and gloves available, but not for everyone — if you have any tools of your own please bring them. Kids are more than welcome but not required!
Guide to 2017 Ballot Proposals
For many people, the most important items on Tuesday’s ballot are the three ballot proposals. You’ll need to flip your ballot over to vote Yes or No for these three items.
Here is some information prepared by Grand Street Democrats for voters in the neighborhood.
