Flatbush traffic problem

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  • #616646
    GrepsilBoorvis
    Participant

    The Problem:

    Massive morning Rush Hour congestion on Ave J where it crosses Bay Parkway heading toward Ocean Parkway.

    Explanation:

    Non-stop AM traffic heading East on Bay Parkway toward Ocean Parkway North heading to Manhattan. Traffic merges with Boro Park traffic coming up Ave J

    to same light. Short green light (30 seconds) on Ocean Parkway and J compounds the problem. Cars waiting to turn left onto Ocean Parkway can’t turn due to oncoming traffic on J!

    Proposed Solution:

    Bay Parkway continues on past Ave J 2 blocks to end on Ocean Parkway.

    A right turn is permitted there onto Ocean Parkway service road south.

    There is no traffic on this stretch.

    Post sign on Bay Pkwy at light with Ave J that cars wishing to head North on Ocean Pkwy must continue up Bay Pkwy to Ocean Pkwy where they will be permitted to turn left and head North. Eastbound traffic on Ave J wishing to

    head to Manhattan must turn left onto Bay Pkwy and proceed to Ocean Pkwy as well and turn left! A new traffic light will be installed at that intersection synced with existing lights. No left turns from Ave J onto Ocean Pkwy will be allowed! The left lane on Ave J will now only be allowed to proceed straight up Ave J with no turns allowed.The right lane on Ave J may turn right onto Ocean Pkwy southbound or proceed straight up J.

    I think this might ease the congestion!

    Does anybody see anything wrong with this solution before I submit it to my local politician for action?

    #1113688
    Joseph
    Participant

    cars wishing to head North on Ocean Pkwy must continue up Bay Pkwy to Ocean Pkwy where they will be permitted to turn left and head North.

    That’s not possible. When Bay Parkway ends, meeting the Ocean Parkway service road south, only a right turn is possible unto the southbound service road. Making a left-turn would put you going the wrong-way on the service road, for the stretch of road from Bay Parkway to Avenue I.

    The end of eastbound Bay Parkway puts you right on the southbound service road of Ocean Parkway. It doesn’t connect to the little road connecting the southbound Ocean Parkway to Bay Parkway. Additionally, that road allowing drivers getting off OP unto BP is only a one-way.

    #1113689
    technical21
    Participant

    It’s not just a problem by that particular intersection; it’s a problem in the whole Flatbush. The 25 mph speed limit has made things even worse, if possible.

    Worse still, they have deliberately made the lights out of sync so that you miss a minimum of 3 lights for every 1 light you make.

    Did you check out Ave P between Coney and Ocean Parkway?

    How about the new traffic light on East 24th and M, preventing you from getting straight to Bedford? That adds another 2-3 lights, minimum.

    Driving in Flatbush is just not worth it.

    #1113690
    GrepsilBoorvis
    Participant

    Joseph.

    I’m aware of those objections.

    obviously some physical changes will have to be made!

    Access from BP onto OP north will be built!

    It’s not a big job!

    A new light will have to be installed at that spot as well.

    A small price to pay.

    After all, they’ve been building islands on Ft Hamilton Pkwy and Coney Island Ave for no good reason!

    Bottom line:If all that’s done will it solve the problem?

    #1113691
    Joseph
    Participant

    I don’t see how you can make those changes.

    1) Bay Parkway has four lanes (two in each direction) whereas the one-way intersection of OP into BP has only two lanes.

    2) If you did change it despite that, drivers on Avenue I turning unto Ocean Parkway South will have a green light the same time as drivers on BP turning unto OP. And these two intersections are only feet apart from each other. Some times during the day there wouldn’t be room for all the turning cars in that short stretch between Ave. I and BP. And it might be unsafe since they just turned on green (I to OP) when suddenly confronted with another light that is red, with the two intersections merely feet away from each other.

    #1113692
    karlbenmarx
    Participant

    you can thank de blasio for his stupid 25 mile limit on ocean parkway even in the middle of the night when its empty, where are the elected officials like greenfield and deutsch?

    #1113693
    Joseph
    Participant

    I almost never see anyone driving 25 MPH or below on OP, any time of the day (unless there is heavy traffic preventing it from moving faster.)

    #1113694
    technical21
    Participant

    The point of the 25 mph speed limit is that it mostly prevents you from driving over 35 mph on Ocean Parkway, because of speed cameras.

    Even with people driving at 35 mph, there is still a lot more traffic on Ocean Parkway than there used to be- especially at night heading up the avenues from the Prospect Expressway/BQE.

    #1113695
    screwdriverdelight
    Participant

    Joseph, the lights are coordinated in line with the 25 mph limit. The fact that people drive faster just means they waste more gas and catch more red lights.

    #1113696
    Joseph
    Participant

    sdd, but if virtually everyone is driving above 25, it becomes untenable to be the only one at 25.

    #1113697
    golfer
    Participant

    No question there are too many cars on the road around here. And it’s incredibly stressful just trying to get from point a to point b. What I suggest is that most (or dare I hope all?) of you stay off the road.

    I am offering free coffee (this is after all the coffeeroom), free gefilte fish (a recent obsession here) or free chulnt (seems to be the current obsession here) to anyone interested in getting off the roads when I need to be on them.

    #1113698
    apushatayid
    Participant

    “I almost never see anyone driving 25 MPH or below on OP”

    thats what the guy I was with the other night thought. then he was pulled over for going 35 at 10:30 at night when traffic was pretty light!

    #1113699
    Joseph
    Participant

    then he was pulled over for going 35

    Was the ticket written out for 35 in a 25 zone?

    #1113700
    technical21
    Participant

    scared driver delight- that’s true. Our mayor reminds me of Obama on this one- trying so hard to push his Vision Zero initiative that he fails to consider the repercussions (which, by the way, include more accidents on side streets as people try to speed down, according to Dov Hikind).

    #1113701
    skripka
    Participant

    my proposed solution?bike

    #1113702
    screwdriverdelight
    Participant

    Joseph, it won’t help if veryone drives at 30 mph if they’ll all end up at a red light.

    #1113703
    Joseph
    Participant

    I’m telling you the metzius, not the ideal.

    #1113704
    screwdriverdelight
    Participant

    I thought you were saying that the 25 mph limit doesn’t effect traffic flow because everyone ignores it. I guess you were just pointing out the absurdity of the new speed limit, (which isn’t really relevant).

    #1113705
    screwdriverdelight
    Participant

    karlbenmarx,

    you can thank de blasio for his stupid 25 mile limit on ocean parkway even in the middle of the night when its empty, where are the elected officials like greenfield and deutsch?

    Where’s Greenfield? In De Blasio’s office, pushing to make the speed limit even lower!

    #1113706
    GrepsilBoorvis
    Participant

    Bottom Line!

    I gotta get from East 3rd and J to J and East 13th by 9:00AM.

    10 blocks takes me now 20 minutes!!

    What’s my quickest way to get there by car?

    I have no bike,skates or surfboard!

    And I ain’t walking!

    Any suggestions?

    #1113707
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    Waze

    #1113708
    Joseph
    Participant

    Go down Ave. I.

    #1113709
    yehudayona
    Participant

    Actually, the lights on Ocean Parkway are synchronized nicely. I often travel from Ave Z to Ave P without getting any red lights. This is going around 30-35 mph around 9 AM. My big problem in Flatbush is crossing Coney Island Avenue. The lights on the cross streets are always out of sync.

    #1113710
    golfer
    Participant

    GrepsilB, since none of the kind members here were interested in my suggestion, there’s no way around this mess. The route you describe is a 10 minute walk and a 20-30 minute drive. (60 minute drive if you include the time it will take you to find parking.) Unless you feel some deep emotional attachment to your car, I suggest leaving it alone at home. You do the math and decide.

    #1113711
    GrepsilBoorvis
    Participant

    I Guess you’re right.

    I walked today in 10 minutes!

    But what about when the weather turns nasty?

    #1113712
    Joseph
    Participant

    Then drive down Avenue I.

    #1113713
    takahmamash
    Participant

    Do people not take the subway anymore? I’m genuinely curious.

    #1113714
    technical21
    Participant

    The subway can take just as long as driving.

    #1113715
    CTLAWYER
    Participant

    and I remember when we’d rent horses in Prospect Park and ride them up and down Ocean Parkway. We’d tie them up at the front railing of Bubbe and Zaidy’s house just south of Ditmas and go in for cake and a cold drink.

    Things have really changed on the Parkway ion the last 60 years, gone are most of the lovely single family homes and the traffic is horrific

    #1113716
    Joseph
    Participant

    CTLAWYER: Ain’t you remember the good ‘ole days of when horse and buggies used to ride down Ocean Parkway – and that magical day when Henry Ford introduced his Model T? 🙂

    takahmamash: Take the subway for 10 blocks? Besides, the guy is trying to go East whereas the subway there goes North/South. (CTLawyer can probably tell you about when they were planning to build the subway why they chose that direction.)

    #1113717
    apushatayid
    Participant

    “Any suggestions?”

    Leave 20 minutes earlier.

    #1113718
    apushatayid
    Participant

    Joseph. yes. He got a ticket for going 35 in a 25mph zone.

    #1113719
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    But what about when the weather turns nasty?

    Wear a coat.

    #1113720
    CTLAWYER
    Participant

    @Joseph

    I’m old–mid 60s, not ancient. But in the 1950s I spent lots of time on Ocean Parkway. My paternal Grandmother and her 3 sisters had adjoining single family houses on the east side of OP between Cortelyou and Ditmas. In the early 1960s they all sold out to a developer and then lived in apartments all on the same floor of the apartment building erected on the land until the late 90s.

    I’m not that old to have seen the horse and buggies, but my father A”H often talked about hiring a horse and wagon in the 20s and 30s to move large objects/furniture. My father was born on 18th Ave in 1922, his father was born on Ft Hamilton Pkwy in 1882.

    Brooklyn was a kinder, gentler place in my youth, truly a suburb, and yes I did see the Dodgers at Ebbets Field as a youngster

    #1113721
    GrepsilBoorvis
    Participant

    Solution found!

    Instead of going to Dunkin’Donuts on J and E14 I went to the one on McDonald and Ave I!Is it kosher as well? Are the donuts at all DD kosher?

    #1113722
    Joseph
    Participant

    I told you to go to Avenue I.

    Now that I’ve succeeded, the next thing I’ll need to work on is getting you to keep Cholov Yisroel.

    #1113723
    555
    Participant

    After you ate there you’re asking if it is Kosher???

    #1113724
    newbee
    Member

    I thank Hashem every day I dont live in a big city. My biggest traffic problem is when a deer causes an accident Gd forbid or a family of geese are blocking the road. I’ve lived in a big city before and would never go back.

    #1113725
    akuperma
    Participant

    You do realize that the streets in Brooklyn were laid out over a century ago when much of Kings County (this was pre-merger) was farmland, and even in urban areas (downtown Brooklyn was already urban), few people owned private vehicles.

    The obvious solution is to tear down most of the houses and replace the people with cows and horses. If one can’t stand modern traffic, move to a remote suburb, or at least a city that was laid out after the invention of automobiles.

    #1113726
    555
    Participant

    Joseph: An old rule: only offer you help when asked.

    If he’s seeking a solution, your suggestion can be accepted. But when not your chances for success is nil. Why would you even try? Do you know him personally?

    #1113727
    Joseph
    Participant

    555: That’s not a Jewish rule. In Judaism we offer unsolicited help.

    #1113728
    apushatayid
    Participant

    And some people will insist it is judaism to nag you to death until you agree to try their suggestion.

    #1113729
    newbee
    Member

    NYC has a population density of 28,000 people per square mile.

    Compare that to 6 (not 6,000 but literally 6) people per square mile in Wyoming.

    Since 1990 there are 300,000 more people in Brooklyn alone.

    Its not surprising that traffic gets worse with increased population.

    #1113730
    Joseph
    Participant

    And note that Brooklyn’s 300,000 population increase over the last only 25 years is mostly not due to the birth rate. It is mostly due to non-Brooklynareans choosing to become Brooklynareans rather than to move to a small town or another city.

    #1113731
    newbee
    Member

    “And note that Brooklyn’s 300,000 population increase over the last only 25 years is mostly not due to the birth rate. It is mostly due to non-Brooklynareans choosing to become Brooklynareans rather than to move to a small town or another city.”

    Thats interesting. What type of people are you talking about? I would have assumed it was caused from every frum family have 8+ kids for past 25 years and those kids each having 8+ kids and all of them staying in Brooklyn.

    #1113732
    555
    Participant

    For immigrants it is much easier in NYC than anywhere else. There are agencies for almost 1/2 the languages in the world probably in brooklyn alone. (or at least it sounds that way when walking down the street.)

    I never heard of a Brooklynarean. But these immigrants do not care if they live in brooklyn as opposed to anywhere else. It’s just the services/translators etc. plain and simple easier to blend in. Also job wise they get jobs while others fight over minimum wage.

    #1113733
    Joseph
    Participant
    #1113734
    screwdriverdelight
    Participant

    Parking should be banned on Coney Island Ave, transforming the one-lane street into a three-lane street.

    #1113735
    Joseph
    Participant

    Where will shoppers park? It will slow business in the area and it will saturate the residential streets with commercial parking. And how does eliminating the parking lane add two lanes? If you’re assuming it’ll eliminate double-parking, all it will do is the double-parkers will pull to the curve to unload.

    #1113736
    newbee
    Member

    Honestly Joseph, I would let all the Syrian refugees into Brooklyn and give each one with all their kids a car along with mosques on every other block.

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