No Way One Way Update: "At This Time" Edition

[Photo courtesy of Jonathan Barkey/PBase]

DOT's proposal to make Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Park Slope one-way has generated more Brooklyn coverage than virtually any issue since those public sessions in the dog days of summer '06 on Atlantic Yards. Park Slope Neighbors announced that it had collected 600 petition signatures at the hospital and estimates that more than 700 people attended or tried to attend the Community Board 6 Transportation Committee meeting on Thursday night. No one knows how many people turned around upon seeing lines stretching down the block, but Mr. McClure's numbers indicate that previous estimates of about 500 attendees were too low.

Community Board Six circulated the resolutions that were actually approved by its Transportation Committee at the Thursday meeting--about which there has been some confusion because the verbiage was muddled, so confusing, in fact, that different conclusions were drawn about what the Committee's vote meant. Note the inclusion of the phrase "at this time" below. Here they are because there's such a high degree of interest in the community about them:

Motion 1: CB6 thanks DOT for their efforts to improve pedestrian safety and facilitate the flow of traffic in and around Park Slope as dialogue and discussions are always beneficial; however, we request that DOT not proceed with their proposal to convert 6th and 7th Avenues from two-way to one-way streets at this time (emphasis added) because there are too many questions about the impact of this change and how it would effect the neighborhood's traffic flow and pedestrian safety. We further request that DOT continue to work with the Community Board and the Park Slope community in resolving Park Slope's very real traffic and pedestrian safety problems. For example, the perceived/actual high rate of speed of vehicles traveling on 8th Avenue and Prospect Park West, and the congested Union Street approach to the Grand Army Plaza.

By working more closely with the Community Board and community we are committing to work with DOT to produce an improved set of remedies and actions designed to further enhance pedestrian safety and facilitate the safe movement of vehicles within our community.

Motion 2: CB6 would table making a recommendation on the 4th Avenue proposal until after such time as we have had a chance to engage DOT in a more comprehensive discussion of the traffic planning needs and challenges facing the Park Slope community.

It seems to us that the phrase "at this time," would provide ample wiggle room for the proposal to spring forth from the transportation planning grave at another time after questions have been answered. The motions will be presented to the full board for a vote on April 11.

Here's an incomplete sampling of items that have appeared:

• International Speedway Corporation Launches Park Slope Bid [No Land Grab]
• Clarifying the Community Board 6 Vote [AYR]
  
• DOT's Park Slope One Way Presentation [Streets Blog]
• Kilroy Was in Park Slope [No Land Grab]
• Brooklyn to City Hall: Give Us Planning Not Traffic Engineering [Streets Blog]
• Slope Weighs One-Way Byways [Voice]
• CB6 Meeting Photo Gallery [Jonathan Barkey/PBase]
• One Way? Noooo Way! [AYR]
• No Way to One Way Streets [I'm Seeing Green]
• Park Slope Parents Win Traffic Battle, Lose Composure [Daily Intel]
• Slopers Jeer One-Way Proposal [Brooklyn Record]
• Blogtalk: Park Slope Revolt [Empire Zone]
  
• One Way! No Way! DOT Faces Park Slope Ire [Daily Gotham]