Three new midblock crossings on Atlantic Avenue will slow cars and help pedestrians safely cross on long blocks.
Photo courtesy of Sophie Ambro/Council Member Lincoln Restler
Atlantic Avenue has three new mid-block pedestrian crossings, which the city and local pols hope will make the busy roadway — nicknamed Brooklyn’s “Boulevard of Death” — safer for Brooklynites traversing the corridor on foot.
The new crossings, complete with new crosswalks, traffic lights, and pedestrian ramps, stretch over Atlantic Avenue in the middle of Nevins and Bond streets, Bond and Hoyt streets, and Hoyt and Smith streets.
“Atlantic Avenue is one of Brooklyn’s busiest roads — with dozens of great local shops and restaurants — but it’s also one of the most dangerous,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler in a statement. “These new mid–block crossings will create a greater sense of safety and community for Boerum Hill. I’m grateful to the Department of Transportation for working with our community to get this done, and excited for further improvements we’ll make to finally make Atlantic Avenue safe.”
Restler is among a number of pols who called for safety improvements along Atlantic Avenue last spring, after 31-year-old Katherine Harris was hit and killed by a speeding driver as she crossed the avenue at Clinton Street.
At his urging, the Department of Transportation completed a mid-block crossing study on Atlantic Avenue last spring, a DOT rep said. Over the course of five hours on a Saturday in May, the department observed hundreds of pedestrians crossing Atlantic Avenue in the middle of the block, the rep said — 652 pedestrians crossed in the middle of Hoyt and Bond streets alone. The results proved to the department that mid-block crossings were necessary on the busy roadway.
“Atlantic Avenue is a premier shopping destination, though its long blocks mean visitors often have to walk far distances to cross the street…
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