Brooklyn Bridge Park Transportation Study, 3/2008

Figure BROOKLYN III-5 Proposed BRIDGE PARK Pedestrian Access Improvements for the Old Fulton Street
Corridor
FURMAN ST
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
SAm SChwARTz PLLC hDR-DANIEL FRANkFURT
EVERIT ST
OLD FULTON ST
VINE ST
ELIZABETH PL
DOUGHTY ST
Recommended Improvements
The proposed improvements for the Old Fulton Street Corridor are shown in
schematically form in Figure III-5. In general, the goal of the improvements is to
eliminate as many pedestrian-vehicle conflicts as possible, shorten pedestrian crossing
lengths, create a more pedestrian-friendly environment, and reclaim excessively wide
asphalt or roadway sections for pedestrian and open space.
The BQE off-ramp that currently intersects with Old Fulton Street could be reconfigured
to intersect with Front Street instead. The new intersection of the BQE off-ramp with
Front Street could be located opposite the existing intersection of Dock and Front
HICKS ST
DOCK ST
FRONT ST
WATER ST
YORK ST
BQE EXIT RAMP
BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK TRANSPORTATION AND ACCESS STUDY 1
Streets, and the new four-leg intersection could be signal-controlled. To reach Old
Fulton Street from the BQE, vehicles would turn left (westbound) onto Front Street and
follow that to its intersection with Old Fulton Street. The intersection of Front Street and
Old Fulton Street would also be normalized to approach at a right angle, eliminating
the channelized turns. As a result, the four meandering pedestrian crossings on the
north side of Old Fulton Street at Front Street would be consolidated to one, normalized
crossing. These improvements could create up to 0.6 acres of open space on the north
side of Old Fulton Street, east of its intersection with Front Street.
Similarly, the two channelized Hicks Street entrances at Old Fulton Street could
be reconfigured to create one normalized intersection, resulting in a shortened,
consolidated pedestrian crossing. In addition, Old Fulton Street at Water and Everit
Streets could be narrowed to shorten the crossing from 110 feet to 53 feet, create a
more pedestrian-friendly environment, and calm vehicles. Water Street could also
be narrowed and converted to a one-way street, reducing the length of its pedestrian
crossing at Old Fulton Street.
In addition to promoting pedestrian safety, the improvements could add approximately
1.1 acres of new open space. These improvements should be studied further to estimate
their effects on the area traffic network and to assess the structural feasibility of the
potential ramp configuration.
Atlantic Avenue Pedestrian Corridor
Existing Conflicts and Safety Issues
The Atlantic Avenue pedestrian corridor, the southern gateway to the Park, is shown
in Figure III-6, with existing vehicle conflict points highlighted in red. Pedestrians
heading westward toward the Park on Atlantic Avenue must contend with several
vehicle conflict points, including the on- and off-ramps to the BQE on the north and
south side of Atlantic Avenue, respectively (also shown in Figure III-7 with the Park
highlighted in yellow).
On the north side of Atlantic Avenue, the BQE on-ramp and Furman Street do not
intersect with Atlantic Avenue at right angles, making it easier for vehicles to make
turning movements at higher speeds and resulting in long, difficult pedestrian crossings.
The channelized right-turn from Atlantic Avenue to the BQE on-ramp, allowing cars to
make the turning movement at higher speeds, ultimately serves little purpose given
the stop sign at the end of the ramp immediately prior to the ramp’s merge with the
BQE. Similarly, on the south side of Atlantic Avenue, the BQE off-ramp channelized
right turn lane onto Atlantic Avenue allows vehicles to make the turning movement
at higher speeds than a normalized, right-angle intersection, resulting in decreased
safety at the pedestrian crossing. In addition, the unusual S-curve geometry at the
intersection of Columbia Street/Furman Street and Atlantic Avenue is confusing for
vehicles and pedestrians alike, and results in additional, lengthy pedestrian crossings.