The Department of Transportation is preparing for a major change in traffic patterns at the intersection of Adams and Tillary Streets, at the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge, starting Saturday. This intersection (marked with an orange arrow, above) has been the scene of many devastating accidents.DOT is trying to make the intersection safer by prohibiting left turns onto the Brooklyn Bridge from Tillary Street (heading eastward), and by also prohibiting left turns onto Tillary Street from Adams Street (heading north). The green lines above show that cars will have to take Jay Street or Cadman Plaza West if they need to get to the Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn Heights.
They're giving pedestrians a bit more time to cross, as well.
The Brooklyn Eagle goes into this in detail. Many people concerned with this issue “are in a complete uproar,” said Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association. Some are predicting big traffic jams at Joralemon and Court Street.However, Stanton and others give the DOT brownie points for at least trying to solve the problem. It's a six-month trial, which can be adjusted as needed, says DOT.
Big Traffic Changes Start Saturday At Perilous Brooklyn Intersection Brooklyn Eagle
- Another Death on Adams Street, Downtown Brooklyn
- Remembering the Dead at a Dangerous Brooklyn Intersection -- Tillary and Adams Street
- A Name on a Lamppost
- Another Tragic Death on Brooklyn Streets
- Another Accident at Tillary and Adams Streets
Top diagram by DOT
The bottom photo shows a lamppost memorial to Ron Mortensen, killed trying to cross the street at the intersection of Adams and Tillary last year. The photo was taken yesterday by MK Metz.
So, they've optimized the changes so that the insane drivers coming off the BQE continue to have priority getting to/from the Brooklyn Bridge, and people who actually live or work in downtown Brooklyn can't.
ReplyDeleteJay St is only reasonably accessible from south of Tillary, it's blocked by the BQE cutting off DUMBO from a direct route.
To get to the Bridge from Brooklyn Heights will now divert traffic from the 6 lane section of Tillary to the 2 lane sections of Court to Livingston (since Joralemon is one-way by Borough Hall).
Clinton is set up as a feeder to Tillary, now that traffic will divert to side streets like State or Livingston).
I think that something needs to be done at this intersection, but I don't think this is going to work as intended. My impression has been that it's the crossing from the bridge walkway East across Adams and South across Tillary (on the Eastern side of the intersection) which has been the worst spot for pedestrians.
It'd be better to block pedestrians from crossing tillary on the east side of the intersection (which would piss off Concord Village residents) and give a long crossing light to pedestrians on the west side. It's the east side of the intersection which is "blind" from the bridge.
Ok, my SO pointed out that I'd casually missed that you can turn right from Pearl onto the Bridge. Still that means traffic coming down Clinton will either divert down Cadman (and run into the traffic coming off the Bridge) in order to turn onto Prospect then Pearl, or up Court to Livingston.
ReplyDeleteHope the traffic counters who've been around for the past several days stick around after this change.
How will this affect the taxis who travel up Clinton St and then go the Bklyn Bridge? For years and years, Clinton St has been the only reliable source for yellow taxis in our neighborhood (Cobble Hill).
ReplyDeleteCatch the cab at Clinton, then take it north up Cadman Plaza West to the end, where you swing to the right onto Prospect Street, then take another right (at Pearl? is it?) to get onto the Sand Street entrance to the Bridge.
ReplyDeleteOR, catch cab at Clinton, take it east on Tillary as usual, past the "old" entrance at Adams, take a left at Jay (what a traffic jam that's going to be!!! One little lane!) then to Sand Street etc.