Traffic on Dean Street: Documentation of three intersections, by Tracy Collins, shows congestion and challenges

I've been using a camera as a rather wobbly tool to document traffic and street conditions in and around the Atlantic Yards footprint. Below, Tracy Collins, who's a far more able photographer, has produced some videos with far more clarity.

Dean Street will be the main (only?) route to the massive interim surface parking lot on the southeast block of the project footprint. It's already backed up, both in the morning (as I showed), and in the afternoon (as Collins shows below in the first video).

Some of that is related to the closure of the Carlton Avenue Bridge, which should reopen in two years, but more some is related to the permanent closure of parts of Pacific Street, given that the increase in traffic didn't begin until those streets closed in March.

And the presence of double-parked vehicles could compound congestion; a vehicular accident would make it worse. There's not a lot of leeway.

So perhaps the workers counting traffic for the city (Department of Transportation, presumably) will recommend some fixes.

Dean and Carlton

Dean Street at Carlton Avenue
looking west toward Vanderbilt Avenue
Prospect Heights
Brooklyn, New York
April 9, 2010, 4 pm

Dean at Carlton from tracy collins on Vimeo.

Dean and Sixth

Dean Street & 6th Avenue
Prospect Heights
Brooklyn, New York
May 27, 2010
1:10 pm

Facing west along Dean Street [just east of Sixth Avenue, on the north side of the street]. Flatbush Avenue is in the background.

Note that the traffic is manageable, but that, at about 33 seconds into the video, a fire truck from the firehouse on the south side of Dean (just east of the view) goes the opposite direction (as shown in screenshot) on a one-way street to get to Sixth Avenue. That's caused by the closure of the Carlton Avenue Bridge, a condition that will persist for at least two years.

As demolition and construction ramps up on the arena block, in the northeast quadrant of the screen, the potential for congestion increases markedly.

Dean & 6th from tracy collins on Vimeo.

Dean Street and Vanderbilt Avenue

Dean Street at Vanderbilt Avenue
Prospect Heights
Brooklyn, New York

May 24, 2010
5:15 pm, facing west along Dean Street

This was shot from the southeast corner of Dean and Vanderbilt, pointing at the block destined for construction staging and interim surface parking, with some 1100 cars. There doesn't seem to be gridlock, but it's already pretty lively.

Dean at Vanderbilt from tracy collins on Vimeo.