Six Brooklyn intersections with high traffic fatalities will get a new streetscape design that will help protect pedestrians and cyclists.
New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Wednesday unveiled a new street design to improve visibility and reduce conflicts at the intersection of Ocean Avenue at Church Avenue; Ocean Avenue at Avenue J; Ocean Avenue at Cortelyou Road; Ocean Avenue at Foster Avenue; Avenue J at Bedford Avenue; and Rugby Road and Foster Avenue.
The DOT will implement hardened daylighting designs using barriers, granite blocks, planters and other items to prevent parking nearest the corner. The new designs will be specifically tailored for conventional bike lane routes and will be at locations with a high number of truck turns and other traffic.
The improvements will be site-specific and will differ from one another depending on the layout of the intersection.
“Redesigning our streets under Vision Zero has helped us reduce traffic deaths to historic lows—but we are always looking for new ways to keep people safe,” said Rodriguez. “Using barriers to clear space at the intersection will help ensure pedestrians, cyclists and turning vehicles can see each other and enhance safety. We look forward to rolling out the design at high-crash locations starting this year.”
Cycling ridership in the city continues to soar. There are more than 600,000 cycling trips taken each day, a 158% percent increase from 2008, when 240,000 daily cycling trips were taken in the city.
