Photo courtesy of PEDS.org, via Flickr
Kings Highway and Ocean Parkway are two major Southern Brooklyn roadways to soon be fitted with pedestrian countdown signals.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that 1,500 of the signals are being installed across the city beginning this month. The countdown signals use LED lights to display the number of seconds remaining before the light changes and pedestrians lose their chance to cross the street.
According to the Brooklyn Eagle, Ocean Parkway from Park Circle to Sea Breeze Avenue, and Kings Highway between East 22nd Street and East 98th Street, will feature the new signals.
The city said the countdown will reduce the number of pedestrians in the crosswalks during the “Do Not Walk” signal, and will also reduce the high rates of pedestrian involved accidents along these corridors.
The countdown signals were also a component of the DOT’s “Safe Streets for Seniors” program, which identified intersections that have higher accident rates among pedestrian seniors. Sheepshead Bay is a test site for the program, which targets corners along Ocean Avenue and Coney Island Avenue.
Following the first round of 1,500 intersections, the DOT will roll out the new signals along other corridors where need exists.
The following op-ed is by Allan Rosen, a Manhattan Beach resident and former Director of MTA/NYC Transit Bus Planning (1981).
I got my first glimpse on Thursday of what Department of Transportation intends to do about bus stops no longer needed as a result of the MTA bus service cuts. There has been much speculation about this. Will they increase the number of free parking spaces? Will they install meters? Will they leave the potential parking spaces as “No Standing” zones? Some yuppies have even suggested that former bus stops be used solely for bicycle parking, which, of course, is ridiculous.
After watching DOT in action regarding this and other issues, I have come to the conclusion – and how do I say this politely – DOT is run by a bunch of idiots. I’ve said this before – they make the MTA appear competent by comparison. Let me explain.
Keep reading Rosen’s take on the DOT’s mishandling of bus stop eliminations.
I spotted this poster last week at the bus shelter on Emmons Avenue and East 26th Street, right in front of Applebee’s. The advertisement is a “call to end human trafficking.”
The location is no coincidence. The hotels on Emmons Avenue have been known for years as hooker hotels. Whether that’s true or not, the stigma persists. And numerous young Eastern European women have been brought to the states in much the same way described on the poster, especially in the 1990s.
But it’s not really something most of us think about in our neighborhood. Sheepshead Bay isn’t exactly the kind of place where you’re frequently accosted by hookers and pimps, or see the violence or skeeziness it draws. You don’t see the cars pulling up and the girls leaning in. It ain’t Times Square in the 70s.
But it is a problem in our neighborhood. After all, it was just in May that vigilant internet folk kept a pair of Russian girls from being duped into a sex ring based out of a Sheepshead Bay-area nightclub. Every one of us should similarly be on guard.
I spotted this guy cruising down Emmons Avenue last week. Though abundant in Manhattan and Northern Brooklyn, it’s the first time I’ve seen a bicycle billboard – or any mobile advertisement – in our neck of the woods. So it made me wonder about the neighborhood impact if more of the bipedal bulletins show up on our streets.
On the one hand, it appears to be a “green” alternative to other forms of mobile advertisements, like truck-side advertising. And it’s more affordable for our local small businesses than traditional billboards, boosting our local economy.
But I’ve heard complaints about this form of advertising before. It contributes to “visual pollution,” man-made impediments to enjoying a view. The issue of outdoor advertising is so pervasive in Manhattan that critics say it’s dulled our perception of a once beautiful city, creating a power shift from creativity to consumerism.
They may also add to congestion, since these unwieldy bikers will want to be seen on bustling commercial corridors. Their wider frames could clog bike lanes, putting cyclists in danger.
So what do you think? Are these advertisements bad for the neighborhood, or do the benefits outweigh the problems?
Left: 5-Mile marker photographed by Forgotten New York's Kevin Walsh in 2000; Right: The spot where the mile marker stood, photographed June 16, 2010
A closeup of the stone before it was removed. - Courtesy of Kevin Walsh/FNY
One of two remaining mile markers along Ocean Parkway was plucked from the ground recently after guiding the way for at least 127 years, attracting the attention of local preservationists seeking to safeguard the last gravestone-like signpost.
The stone, which read “5M” – marking the fifth mile from the Prospect Park circle at the southwest corner of the park – stood at the intersection of Ocean Parkway and Neptune Avenue. The last remaining stone sits in the grass on the west side of Ocean Parkway, just south of Avenue P. It reads “3M.”
It’s not confirmed yet who removed the stone or when, but the Neptune Avenue corner where it once stood is sporting a new B1 bus shelter and sign, indicating the Department of Transportation may have done it during the corner’s rehabilitation.
Preservationists are now sounding the call to see the remaining stone protected from future “improvements” along Ocean Parkway.
“Those two stones (now one?) are the survivors of a series that has marked the distance along Ocean Parkway for at least 127 years, if not longer,” said Joseph Ditta, author of Gravesend, Brooklyn and reference librarian at the New-York Historical Society. “They are reminders of the days when all travel was by horse and are two of the few markers still in their original positions.”
Read about the history of these stones and preservationists’ effort to protect them. Also, photos of the remaining stone at Avenue P.
Bensonhurst tree grows over a sign. (Photo by Ray Johnson)
This tree on Benson Avenue (near Bay 37th Street) in Bensonhurst appears to be swallowing up this aged sanitation sign. At first, it is a grotesque sight to behold, but after a while it kind of grows on you.
Signs for Lake & 86th Streets hang quite low. (Photo by Ray Johnson)
The street signs at the intersection of Lake Street and 86th Street are hanging quite low on the sign pole. The signs are either not attached securely, thus, causing them to slip, or they have been placed there specifically by DOT officials. Whatever the reason, drivers and pedestrians visiting the Gravesend/Bensonhurst neighborhood are confused when trying to figure out the street names.
Does anyone know why these signs would be so low on the pole? Are they just pole dancing very, very slowly?
Bellcraft Jewelry, at 1656 Sheepshead Bay Road, put a new sign up this week. For the last several weeks they had no awning up and only a small placard was in place above the doorway with the business’s name. Not sure if their old sign was damaged during the storm last month or if they just decided to put in a new one. Regardless, that guy thinks he’s way too cool.
Here’s what Bellcraft Jewelry’s sign used to look like:
Courtesy of Google Maps
Anti-trash sign posted in the front window of an apartment building.
The message on this sign addresses what seems to be a growing problem all around Sheepshead Bay: trash left in front of residences by its very own residents.
In case the ALL CAPS message is too ‘loud’ to read, here’s the full text:
To those leaving their coffee cups, cigarette packs, & other trash next to lobby window stop it.
You might find your trash left by your apt. door & the management & all tenants made aware of what disrespectful slobs you are. As adults you should know better.
Courtesy of Lisanne Anderson
I wonder what the people at the English Learning Center think.
