Second look: fire truck going the wrong way on Dean Street; clarification: congestion caused more by closure of Pacific Street than of bridge
Yesterday I pointed to Tracy Collins's time-lapse photography of congestion on Dean Street adjacent to the Atlantic Yards footprint.
In the very brief segment below, he's pulled out the sequence in which a firet ruck leaving the station at 494 Dean Street (just out of the frame on the left) travels west against traffic on Dean Street before turning right, north, on Sixth Avenue.
Yesterday and in previous coverage of congestion on Dean Street, I suggested that it was caused both by the closure of the Carlton Avenue Bridge, which should reopen in two years, and the permanent closure of parts of Pacific Street.
But the bridge closed in January 2008, and the increase in traffic didn't accelerate until parts of Pacific Street closed in March. So the latter deserves most of the blame.
Below, an excerpt from a video of the corner of Carlton Avenue and Dean Street shot on May 25 at about 9:15 am, during the later part of the morning rush hours.
In the very brief segment below, he's pulled out the sequence in which a firet ruck leaving the station at 494 Dean Street (just out of the frame on the left) travels west against traffic on Dean Street before turning right, north, on Sixth Avenue.
Dean & 6th - Firetruck excerpt from tracy collins on Vimeo.
A clarification on cause of congestionYesterday and in previous coverage of congestion on Dean Street, I suggested that it was caused both by the closure of the Carlton Avenue Bridge, which should reopen in two years, and the permanent closure of parts of Pacific Street.
But the bridge closed in January 2008, and the increase in traffic didn't accelerate until parts of Pacific Street closed in March. So the latter deserves most of the blame.
Below, an excerpt from a video of the corner of Carlton Avenue and Dean Street shot on May 25 at about 9:15 am, during the later part of the morning rush hours.
The congestion on Dean Street is mostly located between Vanderbilt and Carlton Avenues. It takes place from mid-to-late afternoon into early evening. It also occurs Saturday afternoons, and can develop to a lesser extent weekday mornings as well.
ReplyDeleteThe best guess for the primary source of the congestion is the closure of 5th Avenue. Traffic used to use 5th Avenue to avoid the Atlantic/Flatbush intersection, and in an effort to do the same now, they get stuck in congestion on Dean Street instead.
If the Carlton Avenue Bridge were open now as Forest City Ratner and the Empire State Development Corporation originally promised, or if Pacific Street between Vanderbilt and Carlton Avenues were still open, then there would be additional options for cars to get back to Atlantic where it is likely many are heading. At the same time traffic is not moving on Dean between Vanderbilt and Carlton, Atlantic Avenue between Vanderbilt and Carlton is generally moving smoothly. The traffic just can't reach that spot.
As for the route of the fire trucks, it is worth noting that every route out of the fire station on Dean Street has now been made more difficult to take or is closed due to Atlantic Yards related construction.
oh give me a break. always looking at some excuses for the AY to be at fault for everything that goes "wrong". First of all, if you have lived in this neck of the woods for a long time, there is always traffic. Traffic is a part of life in the city and ifyou own a car in Brooklyn you are part of the problem. The "traffic" you speak of is never more than a few cars longer than usual. And it is during rush hour only. During the day, the cars move along smoothly especially since there is a left turn ban on Flatbush Avenue.
ReplyDelete