Skip to main content

Featured Post

Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park infographics: what's built/what's coming/what's missing, who's responsible, + project FAQ/timeline (pinned post)

Can sidewalks on residential Dean Street handle (some of) 3000 pedestrians coming from arena parking lot? "Sidewalks are expected to be sufficient," asserts ESDC

The Empire State Development Corporation has posted (also embedded below) 68 questions and responses from the 6/14/11 public meeting on traffic issues.

Over the next days, I'm going to highlight some of the issues raised.

Sidewalks on Dean

This one jumped out:
31. Are sidewalks on Dean between 6th and Carlton sufficient to handle crowds coming from parking lot?
Pedestrians will use Pacific Street, as well as Dean Street. Sidewalks are expected to be sufficient.
Unlike in the rest of the document, the ESDC did not fall back on statements like "As disclosed in the FEIS [Final Environmental Impact Statement]," "The FEIS did not recommend," or "The FEIS did not assume."

Why? Because they never studied it.

Dean Street, not Pacific

Also note that Dean Street, not Pacific, has been considered the prime route, since there is an arena entrance on Dean Street, but not one on Pacific Street.

As stated in the FEIS:
sidewalks adjoining the project site along Atlantic Avenue, Flatbush Avenue, Dean Street, and Vanderbilt Avenue... [are] serving as the primary pathways for general pedestrian access between the project site and the surrounding street system
Tight fit

As I wrote in June 2010, he parking lot will be located between Carlton and Vanderbilt avenues. The arena will be located west of Sixth Avenue

Between Carlton and Sixth avenues, however, the route would get very tight, given that the sidewalk narrows to less than six feet in places, as shown and in the photo at left.

(That's Peter Krashes of the Dean Street Block Association with the tape measure, on the north side of the street.)

070811 Response to Questions re Traffic from June 14 Public Meeting


Comments