The changes to Coney Island Avenue intersections as proposed by DOT
Local leaders are looking for ways to put the brakes on what they say are dangerous and complicated changes around the Coney Island Avenue Belt Parkway overpass being proposed following a Department of Transportation study.
The changes are part of the Coney Island/Gravesend Sustainable Development Transportation Study, a proposal seven years in the making that aims to clear up roadway confusion and improve safety at major intersections between Sheepshead Bay, Coney Island, and Bensonhurst.
The changes proposed for Coney Island Avenue between Guider Avenue and Neptune Avenue are as follows:
- Southbound cars on Coney Island Avenue will no longer be able to make a left turn on Guider Avenue, and instead will have to go to Neptune Avenue.
- On the northbound side of Coney Island Avenue, parking will be eliminated altogether between Neptune Avenue and Guider Avenue.
- Also on the northbound side: a left turn lane will be implemented for the westbound Belt Parkway entrance; a no-turn lane for those continuing on Coney Island Avenue; and a lane for those accessing Belt Parkway East, taking drivers past the car wash.
But the plans have sparked anger from civic group leaders and Community Board 15 for overlooking simple solutions and instead embracing complicated changes that are dangerous to drivers and threaten businesses.
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Workers from the Department of Transportation arrived at Cass Place and Neptune Avenue around noon today, and replaced the Right On Red sign that we’ve all been missing. You may recall we wrote about the Cass Place sign blowing off the pole after a mid-November storm. The sign was already damaged, with a broken rivet on the bottom. But now we’ve got a new happy, healthy sign to confuse drivers. L’Chaim!
(Thank you, Local Broker, for info and photos.)
You may recall last week’s article about the confusing sign at Neptune Avenue and Cass Place allowing right turns on red. As of Monday morning the sign was missing in action. We’re not sure if the sign was upset by our article and decided to leave for greener pastures or if it was stolen by some prankster. Another possibility is the sign fell down due to damage; in fact last week the sign was swinging loose in the rain because the bottom rivet broke. Looking for answers Sheepshead Bites contacted Community Board 15 for some answers. They told us, “The sign was not removed by DOT. DOT will replace it as soon as possible.” While we wait for Brooklyn Borough Engineer to get back to us on what a “School Day” means we asked CB15 Chairperson Theresa Scavo for her opinion. According to Scavo, “It is meant to mean Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., September to June.” She goes on to say that the sign is mostly intended for weekend drivers.
At the far corner of Sheephead Bay, where it joins Manhattan Beach and Brighton Beach, is a sign that causes a whole mess of confusion, traffic backups, and horn honking. One might think it’s pretty clear: “After Stop Right Turn Permitted On Red Except 8am – 4pm School Days”. You might ask yourself what’s so confusing about this sign on Neptune Avenue and Cass Place that’s written out in pretty clear English. But many in the area can’t seem to agree on what qualifies as a school day. The corner is constantly backed up on days school is not in session due to drivers not knowing what qualifies as a school day. Summer was particularly precarious because nobody knew if summer school counts. What about snow days, Jewish holidays, and a plethora of other days? Doesn’t “school day” mean Monday through Friday or “Any Day School is in Session.” After some poking around on the DOT’s website, the only mention of school days I could find is a note that parking in a school zone is permissible when school is not in recess.
So which is it? Shouldn’t the sign just read Monday – Friday, September – June? It’s not as if there isn’t enough space, the No Parking signs in Manhattan Beach are seasonal. One must also call into question why school days even matter. The nearest school is three blocks away on Brighton 14th. Have you been caught in traffic behind this sign? What do you think?
It appears as if the exterior work on the Walgreens going up on Coney Island Avenue and Avenue W is almost done. Construction started about six months ago, notes Lisanne Anderson, who shot the above photo, and looks as if it may open sometime mid-summer.
This will be Walgreens’ fifth location in the area. Last June, they bought out Morris’ Drug Store on East 17th Street, where they expanded the store last month by removing the wall separating it from the next storefront, which is part of the same building. There is also a branch on the corner of Kings Highway and Coney Island Avenue, in the building that formerly housed the Kingsway Theater, and another branch at Brighton Beach Avenue at the intersection of Coney Island Avenue. Their branch at West 5th Street and Neptune Avenue was probably their only Brooklyn store previously, having been there at least since the late seventies, if not earlier.
Thanks to Lisanne for the information.
The Gothamist maps Breaking News showed the initial 911 call early this morning as “7 People Shot” at Neptune Avenue and West 37 St.
New York 1 News and The New York Times say that there was an argument at a child’s birthday party in Coney Island that ended with a teenager dead and two people wounded.
Anyone with information about the identity of gunman who fled is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS, text TIP577 to CRIMES, or go to the website.
(NBC News Coverage from Saturday, March 14, 2009)
A Saturday morning fire rushed through the legendary Totonno’s Pizzeria. The restaurant was a mainstay in the Coney Island community and people traveled from far and wide to get a taste of the Napolitano style pizza with ingredients imported from Italy. For 85 years, the pizzeria had been serving the pizza by the pie in its old-style dining room located at 1524 Neptune Ave near West 14 St.
Members of the community spoke to NBC news reporters on the scene and expressed the devastation they feel at the loss of Totonno’s. Based on the damage, there is no talk at the moment of rebuilding the famed establishment.
This is a very sad day for original Brooklyn-pizza lovers and we offer our sympathy to the owners and workers of Totonno’s, because while no one was hurt in the blaze, watching the building go down with all of the memorabilia and original decor must have been heartbreaking.
(Photo courtesy of the NYC Department of Education school portal website)
Does anyone know what happened yesterday with this incident at P.S. 188 – The Michael E. Berdy School? It sounds serious and is listed as an amputation occurring at 3314 Neptune Ave at the corner of West 33 in Coney Island.
This is the listing as it showed up as an Unmapped Incident in the Gothamist.
Amputation | 3314 Neptune Ave / Ps188 Brooklyn, NY | 2/25/2009 4:31 p.m.(BNN)
Less than two weeks after crowning Garden Bay Café the neighborhood’s top dog in food inspection violation points, a new contender has swept in, stealing the title. La Sorrentina 11 Pizzeria, at 1652 Sheepshead Bay Road, took the prize with 45 violation points, a narrow 4-point margin from the neighborhood’s now-second-place Garden Bay. But unlike the Armenian gastro-wrecked-omy destination, La Sorrentina’s victorious failure came on its follow up visit.
Read on after the jump to see its nine violations, as well as how it compares to its inspection just under a month ago. Also see a restaurant that received an honorable mention for an astounding 60 violation points, but was disqualified from receiving the Bite’s title of “…Ewww.”
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