Reminder: Vote for a safer Hicks Street

Make sure you've got next week's voting times and dates on your calendar as Participatory Budgeting is right around the bend. This is your chance to decide how $1.5 million will be spent in the 39th District Council and a great way to ensure a long planned, much-needed safety improvement on Hicks Street comes to fruition.

It would continue upon past efforts in which we worked with the Councilman and Department of Transportation to install painted curb extensions on Hicks as part of a traffic calming treatment. Those changes have increased safety but are not yet permanent. We hope to see that paint turn to concrete and need your vote to make it happen.

Four Safer Intersections on Hicks Street
$300,000
Augment an existing project to make painted curb extensions permanent with concrete, at four high-crash intersections: Kane, Sackett, Union, and Summit Streets. Improve pedestrian & traffic safety.
Location: Hicks St b/w Kane & Summit Sts (Cobble Hill & Carroll Gardens)

Expo and Vote Kick-Off
Tuesday, April 14, 6:30 – 8:30 pm339 8th Street, Brooklyn, NY
Those in attendance will be able to cast their ballot at the event.

Local Voting Location

Tuesday, April 14th – Thursday, April 16

8 am – 7 pm
@ Brad Lander's District Office
456 5th Avenue, 3rd Floor, between 9th and 10th Sts

Saturday April 18
10 am – 6 pm
Carroll Gardens Library, 396 Clinton St at Union St

Sunday April 19
10 am – 6 pm
Carroll Park House, Smith St between President and Carroll Sts

Even if you are not a registered voter you can vote in the PB elections. You need either an ID, a utility bill, or some other documentation stating your address.

Councilman Brad Lander & members of the CHA stand in a painted curb extension on Hicks Street

Vote for a Safer Hicks Street during Participatory Budgeting

The Participatory Budgeting process gives New Yorkers the power to decide how to spend tax dollars in our neighborhoods. Over the past three years, thousands of have given ideas, researched needs, developed proposals, and come out to vote. This year 24 different Council Members have opted in to the program. Local Councilman Brad Lander was an early supporter of this process and already funded 22 projects throughout the 39th Council district. This year, he is increasing his commitment from $1 million dollars to $1.5 million dollars. 

The Cobble Hill Association hopes some of that money comes to our area to fund a much needed street safety improvement to Hicks Streets. It would continue upon past efforts in which we worked with the Councilman and Department of Transportation to install painted curb extensions on Hicks as part of a traffic calming treatment. Those changes have increased safety but are not yet permanent. We hope to see that paint turn to concrete and need your vote to make it happen. 

Please see the project summary and voting calendar below. With your help, Cobble Hill & Carroll Gardens can give Hicks Street the safety treatment it needs.

Four Safer Intersections on Hicks Street
$300,000
Augment an existing project to make painted curb extensions permanent with concrete, at four high-crash intersections: Kane, Sackett, Union, and Summit Streets. Improve pedestrian & traffic safety.
Location: Hicks St b/w Kane & Summit Sts (Cobble Hill & Carroll Gardens)

Expo and Vote Kick-Off
Tuesday, April 14, 6:30 – 8:30 pm339 8th Street, Brooklyn, NY
Those in attendance will be able to cast their ballot at the event.

Local Voting Location

Tuesday, April 14th – Thursday, April 16

8 am – 7 pm
@ Brad Lander's District Office
456 5th Avenue, 3rd Floor, between 9th and 10th Sts

Saturday April 18
10 am – 6 pm
Carroll Gardens Library, 396 Clinton St at Union St

Sunday April 19
10 am – 6 pm
Carroll Park House, Smith St between President and Carroll Sts

Even if you are not a registered voter you can vote in the PB elections. You need either an ID, a utility bill, or some other documentation stating your address.

Councilman Brad Lander & members of the CHA stand in a painted curb extension on Hicks Street

Hicks Safety Fix

The Cobble Hill Association has been working in tandem with the NYC Department of Transportation to blanket our neighborhood with small, but significant street enhancements over the last few years. These additions improve pedestrian quality of life and make our area safer for all road users. Recently, State Senator Daniel Squadron announced another small step forward  along the lines - a leading pedestrian interval (LPI) at Hicks and Atlantic. This change will give pedestrians an extra few seconds to cross before turning cars get the green light and will reduce potentially dangerous conflicts between those on two feet and those behind the wheel.

See Senator Squadron's press release link below for further details.
http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/squadron-announces-safety-measures-two-busy-intersections

Thanks for the Hicks Street enhancements

The Cobble Hill Association would like to give a big, resounding 'thank you' to our local City Councilman Brad Lander, The NYC Department of Transportation's Downtown Brooklyn Coordinator Chris Hrones, and Bonafide Deli owner Kameel Kassis for their efforts in helping create a safer Hicks street.

L-R, Jerry Armer (CHA), Councilman Brad Lander, Roy Sloane (CHA), Kameel Kassis (Bonafide Deli), Dave 'Paco Abraham (CHA), Chris Hrones (NYC DOT)

Pictured above, you can see each of these key players standing beside the sidewalk bulb-out that began transforming the dangerous intersection Hicks and Kane Streets, as well as the very recently installed painted neckdown with flexible bollards that have expanded the pedestrian space.

Advocates, Engineers, Electeds, and Deli Owner looking down along the safer street.

This helps daylight the corner, giving drivers and pedestrians alike more visibility of one another while also helping slow vehicle traffic on what has far too often simply been a speedway. The Cobble Hill Association has long fought for these types of changes and is grateful both NYC DOT and Councilman Lander helped make it happen along the entire Hicks Street roadway, and that Bonafide Deli owner Kameeel Kassis has agreed to be the maintenance partner at this Kane Street corner. He'll be sweeping the area of any debris and watering planters filled greenery that will arrive in the coming weeks to help beautify the neckdown.

Hicks Street, as it was last year without pedestrian enhancements

As part of this package, alternate side of the street parking regulation have been returned to the neighborhood which removes the 'No Standing' restrictions and gives local residents approximately 100  new parking spaces to use more regularly. Without question, these collected improvements have made the roadway safer for all users; but is not yet done. We are aware the crossings from west to east are still problematic and that there are still too few overpasses across the BQE trench. Thankfully, all parties involved continue to work together seeking other means to enhance the travel through Cobble Hill here and hope to one day utilize more ideas brought out by the community in our 'Fix the Ditch' workshops.

Hicks Street gets new neckdowns

With Cobble Hill Association advocacy, support from local Councilman Brad Lander, and NYC Department of transportation.... the safety improvements continue along Hicks Street. The rush hour highway that dangerously cut through our neighborhood has been tamed by returning alternate side of the street parking regulations to Hicks Street Northbound, and now each crossing has been vastly enhanced with painted neckdowns as pictured below. Is it just paint on the ground? Yes. But does it help pedestrians? Absolutely. And when funds are available, it can be expanded because these are essentially perfect blueprints for concrete build-outs in the future. Residents and Hicks Street visitors should all be pleased with these additions to our neighborhood.

Eyes on Hicks Street Re-Stripings

As we announced last week, the Department of Transportation has begun some long awaited safety enhancements to Hicks Street. Fresh stripes on the ground improve crosswalks, delineate a parking lane that will soon return alternate side of the street parking to Hicks Street in the Northbound direction, and at two notoriously dangerous corners - both Kane Street & Congress Street - fresh paint marks off neckdowns that give pedestrians a bit more space and better sightlines. Stay tuned for more updates as DOT's progress continues. (and please excuse these photos being night time shots).

Hicks Street at Congress Street

Hicks Street new parking lane striping

Hicks Street at Kane Street

Hicks Street Traffic Calming project to begin May 13th

The Department of Transportation reports that the Hicks Street Northbound Traffic Calming project presented to our Transportation Committee at their June 2012 meeting will be installed beginning the week of May 13th. Among other measures, this project will restore parking in the east lane along the length of northbound Hicks Street adjacent to the BQE Trench during the morning rush hour as a way of narrowing the street to calm speeding traffic making it safer, especially for crossing pedestrians.

Participatory Budgeting in Cobble Hill

Streetsblog recently noted that "eight city council members have put a portion of their discretionary capital funds up for a vote as part of an exercise in participatory budgeting, which allows residents to decide how the money will be spent in their own neighborhoods." One of those councilmembers is our very own Brad Lander, who will be hosting an expo this Thursday, March 21st, where residents can learn more about the projects that have been suggested to receive some of the $1 million in discretionary capital funds he has offered up to a public vote. 

The Cobble Hill Association is very pleased that one item on the upcoming ballot will be the addition funds to an existing DOT project on Hicks Street. This will include concrete curb extensions that greatly improves visibility at the dangerous intersection with Congress Street. It is a concern brought up by locals time and time again, and we urge resident to attend the science fair-style expo to learn more details.  It takes place this Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Park Slope branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.

Actual voting dates and times are listed on Councilman Lander's Participatory Budgeting page and pasted below.

Early Voting: 
Tuesday, April 2nd – Thursday, April 4th 7:30 AM – 8 PM daily
@ Councilmember Lander’s District Office 456 5th Avenue, 3rd Floor, between 9th and 10th Street

Regular Voting: 
Saturday, April 6th
@ Carroll Gardens Library, 396 Clinton St (at Union St) 10 AM – 7 PM
@ Old Stone House, 336 3rd Street (Washington Park) 10 AM – 7 PM
@ Kings Bay Y at Windsor Terrace, 1224 Prospect Avenue (at Vanderbilt Street) 10 AM – 7 PM

Sunday, April 7th
@ Beth Jacob, 1371 46th Street (at 14th Avenue) 10 AM – 5 PM
@ PS 230 Lower School, 425 McDonald Ave (bwn Church Ave & Albemarle Rd) 10 AM – 5 PM
@ Park Slope Armory YMCA, 361 15th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenue) 10 AM – 5 PM
@ Carroll Park House, Carroll Street and Smith Street (in Carroll Park) 10 AM – 5 PM

Slowing Hicks street Speedway

Is this sign needed next on Hicks Street?

 

Unless otherwise noted, the speed limit on all NYC streets is 30mph. However, many drivers routinely break that speed and evade ticketing by our police department so in recent years the Department of Transportation has changed the approach to ensuring safer streets. From striping new lanes, narrowing certain streets, and installing many bike lanes, new techniques have been added to the city's toolkit, the Street Design Manual.
 
One Cobble Hill street sorely in need of such traffic calming is Hicks Street, the road adjacent to the BQE trench that was the recent site of tragic fatality. Last week the Department of Transportation installed a digital speed sign to put drivers on alert. DNAinfo has more on the issue...

"The speed sign is a simple, but smart way to put drivers on alert," said Dave 'Paco' Abraham, vice president of the Cobble Hill Association. "But it’s just one small step forward."

For years the Cobble Hill Association has joined with other civic groups asking our elected officials to Fix the Ditch with both traffic calming and landscaping on Hicks Street as well as bike/ped pedestrian bridges that would link the streets cut in half by Robert Moses' trench so many decades ago. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez secured federal transportation funds to develop The BQE Enhancement Study and hundreds of residents came to workshops to help create a series of potential improvements that are a piece-meal, but practical approach. Its imperative upon residents and local civic groups to continue demanding improvements, and with the Enhancement Study now laying out a clear path to that goal, its imperative upon all of our local elected officials to secure the funds to make a safer Hicks street a reality.