The danger at Vanderbllt/Dean, Part 1: traffic backups and poor visibility

Also see Part 2, regarding a potential contributing factor in crashes.

Dean Street, from 12/8/14 video

The "ginormous," "incredibly obnoxious" (to quote Forest City Ratner CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin) 16-foot green wall that extends into Dean Street, Vanderbilt Avenue, and Carlton Avenue to protect residents from construction noise has not only caused significant traffic jams but also continues to pose hazards.

That's an argument for taking additional steps beyond an effort last year to add transparency at the corner of Dean and Vanderbilt, outside the construction site for the 550 Vanderbilt condo tower.

Remember, in late March, more than three months after the wall went up, the Pacific Park Brooklyn developers announced that, after consultation with the Fire Department of the City of New York, they'd add plexiglas windows for drivers going south on Vanderbilt and east on Dean.

However that's helped, it's not enough.

Consider how a construction truck last Thursday Saturday at the intersection both snagged traffic and increased hazards, as shown in the Instagram photos below.

Remember, thought the wall was imposed by the state authority overseeing/shepherding the project, State Development, the wall and its impacts were never disclosed in any public review. Another way, of course, to avoid the noise that prompted the wall would have been be to decrease the size of the project. But that was off the table.

Here's the view of oncoming traffic on Vanderbilt from Dean. To my understanding these plexiglass screens were added to enable fire trucks to see the traffic on Vanderbilt as a means to safely passing through the intersection. We want the fastest emergency response don't we? Clearly this delivery method makes moving through a clear intersection more difficult for fire trucks and ambulances. 2:45pm. #empirestatedev #nyc_dot #fdny #nypd78thpct #bciza #hdr_inc #stv @nyc_dot @nycmayorsoffice @fdny @empirestatedev @hdr_inc @stv @pacificparkbk @550vanderbilt @plaza.construction #plaza.construction

A photo posted by @pplegacy on Feb 18, 2016 at 6:20pm PST

Pacific Park Bk contractors ignore traffic regulations. Here's a driver hooking up a trailer while blocking traffic. No FLAGGERS anywhere to be seen. What's the impact on emergency response? 2:25pm. #nyc_dot #550vanderbilt #pacificparkbk #nypd78thpct #empirestatedev #nypd78thpct #fdny #bciza @nyc_dot @nypd78thpcc #hdr_inc @hdr_inc #stv

A photo posted by @pplegacy on Feb 18, 2016 at 12:26pm PST

Pacific Park Bk contractors ignore traffic regulations. Here's a driver hooking up a trailer while blocking traffic. No FLAGGERS anywhere to be seen. What's the impact on emergency response? 2:25pm. #nyc_dot #550vanderbilt #pacificparkbk #nypd78thpct #empirestatedev #nypd78thpct #fdny #bciza @nyc_dot @nypd78thpcc #hdr_inc @hdr_inc #stv

A photo posted by @pplegacy on Feb 18, 2016 at 12:26pm PST

Tractor trailer juts into street blocking the view at the Dean/Vanderbilt intersection. Southbound traffic and bicyclists on Vanderbilt and eastbound on Dean can't see each other. This clearly makes the intersection less safe. This idea should be rethought. I wasn't here when the delivery took place but obviously the intersection was closed. 1:15 pm. #stv #hdr_inc #empirestatedev #pacificparkbk #550vanderbilt #bciza #nycdot #nycdob #fdny #nypd78thpct

A photo posted by @pplegacy on Feb 18, 2016 at 10:50am PST

Another photo. View north blocked for Travelers on Dean. This has to slow down emergency response too. 1:15pm #nypd78thpct #fdny #nycdob #nycdot #bciza #pacificparkbk #empirestatedev #stv #hdr_inc #nyc311 #550vanderbilt

A photo posted by @pplegacy on Feb 18, 2016 at 10:52am PST

A couple more photos of this unsafe situation. 1:15pm. #550vanderbilt #nyc311 #hdr_inc #stv #empirestatedev #nycdot #pacificparkbk #bciza #fdny #nypd78thpct #ta

A photo posted by @pplegacy on Feb 18, 2016 at 10:57am PST

Now the pick up of the un-safely parked trailer at the Dean/Vanderbilt intersection. The truck just backs up across traffic on Dean. NO FLAGGERS! Not a single person assisting outside the fence. Drivers and bicyclists left guessing. Who approved this? 2:45pm. #nypd78thpct @nypd78thpcc #pacificparkbk @pacificparkbk #550vanderbilt @550vanderbilt #nyc_dot @nyc_dot #bciza

A photo posted by @pplegacy on Feb 18, 2016 at 12:00pm PST