Designing the 21st Century Street – 4th Avenue & 9th Street

Proposal

As discussed in the downtown Brooklyn traffic calming report, it is necessary to reduce motor’s traffic impact on urban life. Through the implementation of different forms of physical management of vehicles and users in this intersection and applying a green transportation hierarchy (pedestrians first, bicyclists second and cars third), our intention is to: improve efficiency of both streets, reinforce appropriate travel patterns and street usage consistent with the Street Management Framework, improve safety at high pedestrian accident locations and reinforce bicycle network.

Regarding the Street Management Framework definitions provided in the report, we have found that 4th Avenue is to be considered as a travel street, while 9th Street should be considered as a community/living street. To prioritise 9th street’s community/living character and in order to provide an attractive pedestrian environment that would encourage neighbourhood activity, we have created a community park that would also function as a Subway access, balancing the need to allow efficient pedestrian flow and the need for an attractive local environment. In this regards, reopening the commercial sites underneath the Subway (including the two existing closed Subway entrances) will complement this initiative.

Furthermore, we have eliminated left turns at 9th street in order to reduce through traffic and increase pedestrians’ and bicyclists’ safety at 4th Avenue crossing, while preserving the latter as a travel street. The creation of neck-downs at 4th Avenue, next to the Subway exits, will reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians without affecting its connectivity character as a travel street.

Implementation Plan

1. Action Program

A. Improve Pedestrian Safety
- By improving pedestrians crossing:
 Creating neck downs in 4th Avenue and a gateway treatment at 9th Street crossings.
 Enlarging the medians in 4th Avenue
 Creating bus bulbs
 Changing the colour and texture of pedestrians’ crossings in both directions.
- By improving the access to existing subterranean subway through the extension of sidewalks at train entrances.
- By increasing the number of entrances to the subway at different sides of the streets, thus eliminating the number of 4th Ave pedestrians crossings to access trains.

B. Improve Bicycles’ Safety
- By creating continuous bike lanes at 9th Street, including marking of lanes at intersection with 4th Ave.
- By switching parked cars with bike lanes to have the latter next to the sidewalk, thus avoiding cars’ interference with bike traffic.
- By improving visibility of the bike lanes through a pavement treatment (texture and colour).
- By creating Bus bulbs to protect bicycles from bus traffic.

C. Improve Street Environment
- By reutilizing the existent commercial abandoned spaces underneath the subway platform (creating a financial income to provide for a sustainable development).
- By providing appropriate lighting underneath bridge and at subway platform.
- By reopening two old entrances to the subway: one at the east side of 4th Avenue and the other at 10th Street.
- By the restoration of original bridge – giving back its original aspect and prioritizing its transparent character.
- By creating a new community park that will revitalize 9th Street by becoming a destination. This park will act as a nexus between the different neighbourhoods providing much needed green spaces; furthermore, with the creation of this park, we will be generating 2 new accesses to the elevated F train (connected internally with the other lines of the subway).

2. Action Plans

2.1. Operational Improvements:
Improvements of relatively low cost which can be implemented in a short time frame.

1. Traffic lights:
- Installation of pedestrian leading intervals.
- Elimination of light signal for left turn in 9th Street.

2. Pavement markings:
- Switch location of vehicles and bicycles in 9th Street.
- Continuous bike lanes through 9th Street – marks in 4th Avenue.
- Complete medians in 4th Avenue.
- Pavement markings of new bus bulbs and neck downs for their future construction as part of the sidewalk.

3. Change of traffic travel patterns:
- Elimination of left turn at 9th Street in both directions.

2.2. Capital Improvements:
Improvements that are more costly and that need a medium to long term frame to be implemented.

1. Installation of neck downs – pedestrian refugees and gateways at 9th Street and 4th
Avenue.

2. Installation of bus bulbs at 9th Street.

3. Installation of covered bus stops

4. Enlargement of medians at 4th Avenue.

5. Installation of ramps for bicycles and persons with disabilities.

6. Provide appropriate lighting underneath and at subway platform.

7. Restoration of original bridge.

8. Increase number of access to subway station.

9. Creation of a Community Park.

Expected impact of the proposal

We hope that this initiative would be the starting point of a new city wide trend: a safer and greener street environment.