PARK(ing) Day Sidewalk (Photo by Elisabeth Deogracias)

September 17 2010: PARK(ing) Day

PARK(ing) Day is an annual and international event that SF has participated in since 2007. Along with thousands of other individuals spread throughout the globe, on PARK(ing) Day we reclaim the 120 square feet of space, which is labeled every other day of the year a parking spot, into a small but powerful public place for the community to enjoy. With so many families and young children in the Flatbush neighborhood, SF’s “Cortelyou Road Park” was a place full of child’s play. From puppets, to painting, to percussion, PARK(ing) Day 2010 entertained the young and young at heart while sending a clear message about the need for increased usable public space in Flatbush.

Bike Decorating Activities at the Traffic Calming Block Party

July 18 2010: Traffic Calming Block Party Organized by SF and executed with the help of local volunteers, the Traffic Calming Block Party raised awareness about the importance of ensuring that our streets are safe for pedestrians and bicyclists. With live music, bike decorating, sidewalk chalk drawing, and tasty food and drinks provided by the late (and lamented!) Vox Pop Café, this event had all the fixins’ of a summer block party. Helpful NYC biking guidelines provided by Transportation Alternatives and a pedestrian survey engaged guests in a discussion of street safety, particularly on Cortelyou and Stratford Roads. These surveys will be compiled to create a study that can be used to advocate on behalf of the community’s needs for safer streets.

Spring and Fall Street Tree Walking Tours

Fall 2010 Street Tree Walking Tour

This spring we held our fourth Street Tree Walking tour, now a semi-annual event. Local horticulturists Chris Kreussling (aka Flatbush Gardener) and Tracey Hohman led residents around Victorian Flatbush by foot, while giving a thorough account of the diverse local canopy. This event reminds us that streets are not separate from nature, but can in fact be places where one can connect to foliage. In addition to increasing knowledge and appreciation of the local environment, the walking tour impresses upon residents the important role street trees play in absorbing stormwater runoff, as well as filtering air pollutants released into the atmosphere. More recently we hosted the fall complement to the Street Tree Walking Tour series in late October. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and participants were guided along the streets of Flatbush by Chris and special guest Sam Bishop, Education Director at Trees New York. Sam and Chris described the identifying features of various tree species as well as some of the urban planning history that has shaped the current canopy. With over forty participants total, the fall walking tour was certainly a success!

It’s been quite  a busy year for SF, but the advocacy continues on without a doubt! Keep an eye out for our upcoming events and in the meantime consider these words from the NYC Department of Transportation’s May 2009-released Street Design Manual:

“The streets of New York are often seen as permanent fixtures of city life, and in some ways, they are. But our streets are also dynamic, and their character and uses can change as the city continually evolves and reinvents itself.”

And as residents, we have the right to a voice in how that evolution transpires.

Washington State DOT Hot lane visualization

On December 17th, in a seminar put on by the University Transport Research Center, Associate Professor of Transportation Engineering at Washington University Yinhai Wang explained how HOT lanes could be a potential solution to that problem. HOT lanes are a combination between an HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane and a toll lane.  Either high-occupancy vehicles or single-occupancy toll paying vehicles could make use of the lane. The argument for installing HOT lanes is to make more use of HOV lanes. Studies found that the HOV lane is underutilized by drivers unless it is in the morning peak hour.

In his lecture, Wang discussed what the best HOT lane design and rate would be. Some in the audience question the validity of the argument that it would decrease congestion. If you build more lanes and decrease travel time, it would attract more drivers and therefore create congested driving conditions. I would suggest that an implementation of HOT lanes should include using the toll revenues to fund public transit along the same traffic corridor in order to encourage more people to use public transport and other alternatives to driving.

Check out more information about HOT Lanes here!

Open House participants and storyboards (photo by Ernest Skinner)

I was very pleased with how knowledgeable and open about the process representatives were. One of my major concerns was that in one section of the route on Bedford Avenue the SBS bus and bicycles run in the same lane. One representative explained that the thought behind this portion of the design was that a wider bus lane would be able to accommodate both buses and bicycles. Within the bus lane there would be lines dividing the spaces that the bus and bicycle would use. The representatives also acknowledged the problem with the design and openly admitted that it is still being discussed and possibly reworked.

The highlights of the event were the delicious snacks and a working SBS bus outside of the event!

SBS bus! (photo by Ernest Skinner)

Bus Rapid Transit is a cost effective, efficient and easy way to improve speed and reliability of bus service for commuters along major traffic corridors. The New York City Department of Transportation in conjunction with MTA New York City Transit is looking for public input about the design of the Select Bus Service plans on Nostrand and Rogers Ave. The open house allows the public to speak with the project’s staff individually and provides a venue to promote community engagement in the planning process.

(For more information and summary of the design and progress of the project check out this link!)

When
Monday, November 15, 2010
From 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm

Where
Brooklyn College Student Center (Campus Road and East 27th Street)
Bedford Lounge, 2nd Floor

Directions:
2 or 5 to Flatbush Ave/Brooklyn College, Q or B to Avenue H

Dress up yourself, dress up your bike and come to our next Ditmas Ride this Friday (10/29) at 7:00 pm. Of course you can join us if you or your bike are not dressed up. We will meet in front of the Qathra Cafe on Cortelyou Road between Stratford and Westminster.

Please spread the word to other bicyclists who might be interested in cycling together. If you or your friends like to be kept in the loop then you can add yourself to the Ditmas Rides email list here. You can also subscribe to our RSS newsfeed.

The purpose of the Ditmas Rides is for us to have fun and to celebrate and spread a way of getting around we already enjoy. There is no planned route and we the participants will decide where we would like to go shortly before the ride starts. Ditmas Park has a lot of small streets so hopefully we can have a joyful and stress free rides. I myself am planning to bring my daughter Nona Lily along and hope that other parents will bring their children as well.

I am really looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

Thanks, Rene

P.S.: It would be nice if some of you could RSVP so we can wait for you if you end up a little late and be encouraged doing it since we know that there will be other people showing up as well.

WHAT: Ditmas Rides Costume Bicycle Ride
WHERE: Meet in front of Qathra Cafe, 1112 Cortelyou Road (between Westminster and Stratford)
WHEN: Friday, October 29th at 7pm

Bike helmet decorating (photo by Keka Marzagão)

Throughout the day, passers-by stopped in to chat, listen to various live music acts, decorate their bikes and helmets, pick up helpful NYC biking guidelines provided by Transportation Alternatives, decorate the sidewalks with chalk, get food and drink from Vox Pop Café, and most importantly, fill out our pedestrian survey requesting their opinions about the safety (or lack thereof) of Cortelyou and Stratford Roads. Everyone from toddlers to the elderly stopped by and took part in our party, which lasted from 10AM to about 6PM.

Along with the approximately 60 surveys that were filled out in person on Sunday, at least 40 more have been filled out online. Hopefully these can serve as further testament to the Department of Transportation that permanent action at this intersection is necessary, be it a four-way stop sign or a traffic light or some other design from their toolbox. As Cortelyou Road accrues more businesses and development, the number of pedestrians, cars and bicycles will only increase, which will make it that much more of a concern. I think that our Block Party was a great demonstration of a fun and creative way to take on issues on a community level that affect the whole city. Now if only we can have a block party for Queens Boulevard!

(UPDATE: We now have 140 surveys! Thanks to everyone who participated!)

I Love Brookln from our 2008 Newkirk Block Party (photo by Anne Pope)

Can’t make it to the party? Fill out our survey online and make your voice heard! Survey results will be shared with Community Board 14 and the NYC Department of Transportation, with the goal of bringing traffic calming infrastructure to Cortelyou Road.

Funding for this event provided by Citizens Committee for New York City’s Love Your (NYC) Block campaign

Flatbush Avenue (photo by wallyg)

This coming Monday night, June 28th, presents a great opportunity for local Livable Streets advocates to have some input on what the future design of Flatbush Avenue will look like!

See the invitation below (received from Assemblymember Rhoda Jacobs’ office) for a Public Input Session to discuss the Department of Transportation’s Flatbush Avenue Study, part of DOT’s Congested Corridors Project. The study area encompasses Flatbush Avenue from Empire to Nostrand Avenues, including the Flatbush/Nostrand Junction near Brooklyn College. (Apparently this study was initiated some time ago, since it refers to the Target store at the Junction as being “under development”.)

At the moment this major thoroughfare that cuts through so many of Brooklyn’s neighborhood’s is dangerous territory for pedestrians and bikes (a cyclist was killed at the intersection of Flatbush and Beverley only two months ago), and crossings are hazardous enough to effectively cut neighborhoods off from each other. Although street design appears to be a permanent and unchangeable part of the urban infrastructure, this is not actually the case, and the fact that DOT is studying this part of Brooklyn shows that they recognize the need for change.

Let’s dare to imagine and advocate for a Flatbush Avenue design that is welcoming to people instead of acting solely as a conduit for automobiles!

WHAT: Flatbush Avenue Congested Corridors Public Input Session
WHEN: Monday, June 28th from 7-9 pm (registration begins at 6:30)
WHERE: Erasmus Hall High School, Bedford Avenue between Church and Snyder Avenues

Bus Rapid Transit

The B44, which runs from Williamsburg to Sheepshead Bay, has repeatedly been rated the least reliable bus line in all five boroughs, receiving the dubious honor of  Schleppie Award from Straphangers’ Campaign and Transportation Alternatives. Fortunately, this line has been chosen for major improvements: the DOT plans to upgrade the B44 to Select Bus Service, aka Bus Rapid Transit, which has been a hugely successful strategy for public transportation throughout the world. In New York City, Select Bus Service has already been implemented on the Bx12 route in the Bronx; these buses now run 20% faster than the Limited stop buses they replaced, and are attracting close to 5,000 additional daily riders.

Sustainable Flatbush was contacted by the DOT to help mobilize neighborhood residents’ participation in the Community Advisory Committee… so we are inviting YOU to be part of this process. The Community Advisory Committee will meet regularly to provide a venue for Community Boards, elected officials, and other stakeholders and institutions to provide input on how the project will be implemented. Let me repeat: public transit riders are usually under-represented at these meetings, so come and make your voice heard!! As difficult as it may seem to imagine, New York City buses can be efficient, attractive, and dependable… show your support for B44 Select Bus Service and be part of making the dream a reality! Here are the details:

WHAT:
Department of Transportation’s Community Advisory Committee meeting on B44 Select Bus Service

WHEN:
Tuesday, December 8th at 6:30 pm

WHERE:
Brooklyn College Student Center State Room (5th floor)
Campus Road and East 27th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11210
2 or 5 subway to Flatbush Avenue/Brooklyn College (last stop)
view MAP

A PDF of the B44 proposal can be downloaded here.

Bus Rapid Transit has the potential to substantially upgrade Brooklyn’s public transportation system, particularly in areas that have limited or no subway access. It could also vastly improve travel between the boroughs, currently a time-consuming and frustrating experience on public transit.

Here is the DOT’s invitation:

Bus Rapid Transit Phase II Workshop

MTA New York City Transit and the New York City Department of Transportation are looking for ways to continue to dramatically improve transit service through a comprehensive Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network across New York City — complete with links to subways, ferries, and major destinations. NYCT and DOT invite the public to take part in interactive workshops that will lay the groundwork for the next phase of a BRT program for New York City. Given the magnitude of the MTA’s current fiscal constraints, it is even more imperative that we work together to expand this high performance bus service – an approach that will allow for cost savings realized from improving bus speeds, attracting more customers, and providing more efficient bus operations.

Brooklyn’s B44 bus line is under consideration for conversion to Bus Rapid Transit. BRT systems typically consist of all or a combination of seven main elements, which include the following:

* System identity and branding which bring a unique and distinguished visibility to the BRT service
* Bus ways where the road is dedicated to the exclusive use of buses
* High capacity vehicles
* High visibility stations
* A service plan that provides an easily understandable route map and schedule
* Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that provides information on next arriving bus at the bus stations, and the next stop on-board buses
* Traffic Signal Priority (TSP) which gives buses priority at traffic lights

NYCT and DOT invite your feedback on where new BRT routes should be established and how they should operate.

This event will take place in the Brooklyn College Brooklyn College Student Center (East 27th St. and Campus Rd.), Jefferson-Williams Lounge, 4th floor

More info available at:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/selectbusservice.shtml