Coming (eventually): a pedestrian refuge on Atlantic Avenue at hazardous Sixth/South Portland crossing
Also see coverage of the Atlantic Yards CDC meeting regarding project timing and the explanations for the giant green fence on Dean Street.
Neighbors and visitors instantly see the problem: the blocked travel lanes on Atlantic Avenue from the Barclays Center going east to Sixth Avenue/South Portland Avenue, in combination with
construction at Sixth Avenue, forces northbound traffic from Sixth Avenue to swerve.
That also means southbound traffic from South Portland turning left on Atlantic threatens those crossing, and flummox pedestrians and bicyclists.
As shown in the screenshot at right, from a video below, the striped pedestrian path is at a sharp angle. Not only does that conflicts with the metal lane barrier, it comes dangerously close to the path for northbound drivers. Neighbors are understandably unsettled.
Now there are plans--with no specified timetable--to ultimately add to pedestrian safety with a new median.
See map posted below from April 2017; note that the projected reopening of the crosswalks in June (this month) has not been confirmed; indeed, planned work at the corner scheduled for this weekend has been postponed indefinitely.
A plan, with no details yet
At the Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation meeting 6/6/17, Ashley Cotton, representing Greenland Forest City Partners, said (at 1:28:30 of the video): "We are going to extend the median on Atlantic Avenue to create a pedestrian refuge at the intersection of Atlantic and Sixth, in partnership with DOT [NYC Department of Transportation], which I think is a really great safety improvement, at corner that I think we all watch nervously."
Cotton didn't specify timing or any details, and wasn't asked. Indeed, the nonspecific plans for construction on two sites on the southern border of Atlantic Avenue--the B4 site at the southwest corner of Sixth Avenue and the B5 site and the southeast corner--could encroach on travel lanes or otherwise affect the placement and extent of the pedestrian refuge.
As shown in the videos I shot below, the crossing can be dicey, especially for pedestrians and bicyclists, who do not have a legitimate place to gather if they cross going south from the west side of the intersection of South Portland.
Also, vehicles going north regularly encroach on the striped, angled pedestrian path, leaving a much smaller space for those crossing on foot.
Neighbors and visitors instantly see the problem: the blocked travel lanes on Atlantic Avenue from the Barclays Center going east to Sixth Avenue/South Portland Avenue, in combination with
 |
| Pedestrians and vehicles dangerously close |
That also means southbound traffic from South Portland turning left on Atlantic threatens those crossing, and flummox pedestrians and bicyclists.
As shown in the screenshot at right, from a video below, the striped pedestrian path is at a sharp angle. Not only does that conflicts with the metal lane barrier, it comes dangerously close to the path for northbound drivers. Neighbors are understandably unsettled.
Now there are plans--with no specified timetable--to ultimately add to pedestrian safety with a new median.
See map posted below from April 2017; note that the projected reopening of the crosswalks in June (this month) has not been confirmed; indeed, planned work at the corner scheduled for this weekend has been postponed indefinitely.
A plan, with no details yet
At the Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation meeting 6/6/17, Ashley Cotton, representing Greenland Forest City Partners, said (at 1:28:30 of the video): "We are going to extend the median on Atlantic Avenue to create a pedestrian refuge at the intersection of Atlantic and Sixth, in partnership with DOT [NYC Department of Transportation], which I think is a really great safety improvement, at corner that I think we all watch nervously."
Cotton didn't specify timing or any details, and wasn't asked. Indeed, the nonspecific plans for construction on two sites on the southern border of Atlantic Avenue--the B4 site at the southwest corner of Sixth Avenue and the B5 site and the southeast corner--could encroach on travel lanes or otherwise affect the placement and extent of the pedestrian refuge.
As shown in the videos I shot below, the crossing can be dicey, especially for pedestrians and bicyclists, who do not have a legitimate place to gather if they cross going south from the west side of the intersection of South Portland.
Also, vehicles going north regularly encroach on the striped, angled pedestrian path, leaving a much smaller space for those crossing on foot.
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