After the recent death of a four-year-old pedestrian in Brooklyn, Streetsblog took the occasion to dig up a 2004 press release from the NYC Department of Transportation.
The announcement said that the city had a plan to make that area in Downtown Brooklyn safer by Fiscal Year 2006, by which time a $4 million traffic-easing plan was supposed to be put into place. Pedestrian advocate Aaron Naparstek says that so far, that hasn’t happened.
From the website:
The pedestrian safety recommendations were never implemented despite a March 19, 2004 announcement by DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall that DOT would make an “immediate review” of the Third Avenue corridor and accelerate “$4 million in funding for capital improvements associated with the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming… from Fiscal Year 2009 to Fiscal Year 2006.” These funds, according to the commissioner’s statement would “enable DOT to install median extensions, neckdowns and other traffic-calming initiatives.” Fiscal Year 2006 ended on June 30.
I’m waiting for a call back to the DOT, but in the meantime, does anyone know whether the whole $4 million allotted for improvements has been spent, and how close the city has come to meeting the “traffic calming” goals it set in 2004?
— Azi Paybarah
