Increased Traffic Hazards on Columbia St. and in Red Hook
There have been many issues with increased traffic and pedestrian safety in Red Hook in the last couple of years. So, while we don't frequently report traffic accidents and the like, but the following story passed along to us by a GL reader gets at a broader point about what is going on in the neighborhood. Our reader emails:A cyclist was almost killed in front of my house yesterday around noon. He was crossing Columbia Street at Carroll. A car zooming down Columbia, knocked him into the air, cracking the windshield, and throwing him onto the street. I think he broke his neck. This is more common as traffic increases in this residential area. If you remember we had no stoplights on van brunt until someone was killed. It is a nightmare these days. One of the problems is that there are blind spots since they allow parking right to the corner.We have seen all the blind spots on Columbia Street and, further along, on Van Brunt Street. There is a need for some new regulation of parking near corners as well as additional traffic lights in places. Last year, there was a prolonged fight to install a traffic light on Van Brunt Street, but it is not the only intersection in the neighborhood in need of an upgrade to keep up with the growing amount of traffic. The day's of deserted streets in Red Hook are a thing of the past.
Labels: Red Hook, Transportation
posted by rsguskind at 7:55 AM
6 Comments:
not only are there huge blind spots, but people drive way too fast. it has become worse since columbia street's 2-way traffic reopened: now there are two directions of killer traffic to watch out for, and few lights to cross at. it really shows a lack of planning. it's a shame to renovate columbia street with new sidewalks, lights, etc; and then stop short of making it a viable place to stroll down.
when I ride my bike in Red Hook, I take Imlay Street instead of Van Brunt. It's much safer. I wish more cyclists took that street.
Sounds like BOTH the car and bicyclist were ZOOMING along.
When DOT removed parking at corner to improve line of sight aka "daylighting" people went crazy over the loss of parking spaces. While it's true that DOT went overboard when they banned all parking Van Brunt between Dikeman and Sullivan, I believe it was needed at the corners.
I live on Van Brunt and the posted speed limit is 25 mph--tell that to all the tractor trailors and contruction vehicles, let alone the regular drivers on their way to Fairway. Noone obeys that speed limit and there's never police around to enforce it. It's ridiculous. We're desperately in need of traffic calming measures. And old man who lives on my block got hospitalized a few months back when someone hit him while he was trying to cross the street. It's obscene that there potentially has to be more accidents or fatalities before the city might do something about it.
Actually the biker had slowed down to a stop and was staring up again. The car was going very fast. Initially an elderly woman got out of the car and started yelling at the dirver (I assume her daughter). By the end, an ambulance was taking away the same woman who was running around the street screaming at her daughter.
There are not too many options for cyclists on Columbia St. (Van Brunt?) Hicks (even worse). I am not opposing development and traffic it is just that you can't add traffic without a rational plan for managing it.
Post a Comment
<< Home