DOT to Install Neckdowns on Flatbush Ave. for Traffic Calming

Crossing Flatbush Avenue is going to get a little safer next week.

Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 16, the city’s Department of Transportation will begin to install neckdowns and curb cutouts along the six-lane thoroughfare.

Neckdowns are the curb extensions at the corner of busy intersection to slow cars and buses, and give pedestrians a shorter distance to cross.  

Curb cutouts and neckdowns will be installed at the intersections of Flatbush and Seventh Avenue, Park Place, Carlton Avenue, Sterling Place, St. Johns Place, Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Place, St. Marks Avenue and Bergen Street.

The new initiative, which is part of a bigger traffic calming and pedestrian safety measures, will shorten the time to cross North Flatbush and widen the turning point for cars. There will also be new car lane, bus lane and bike lane symbols painted.

To see the DOT’s full plans for Flatbush Avenue, click here. 

The NYC DOT has been working with the North Flatbush Business Improvement District for the past 12 months, last year they installed pedestrian countdown clocks, and this plan is supposed to create a safer environment for pedestrians along Flatbush Avenue.

This joint project with the DOT and the North Flatbush Avenue BID is aimed to create “a district that is a destination spot for tourists, residents, and new businesses, rather than the conduit or thoroughfare to downtown, that it has been for years,” a statement from the BID said.  

The project also comes after the recent opening of Barclays Center, which the BID said, “has created additional traffic.”

However, Patch reported that traffic was "minimal" during the first concerts at the arena, but residents said that things may change soon. 

Sharon Davidson, the executive director of the North Flatbush Avenue BID, said that the new traffic-calming measures should help.

"With the additional traffic from the new Barclays Center and additional foot traffic along our district, I find that neckdowns are extremely effective at protecting pedestrians by reducing road crossing distances and slowing vehicle turning speeds,” Davidson said. "Our district is thriving now, with the new Barclays Center and the addition of new residents and businesses, and we need to keep our neighborhood safe for everyone."