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| August 3, 2011 |
Dear Neighbor:
On Friday, July 22, 2011, the West 12th Road Block Association (Mr. John Heaphy, Ms. Sophia Valakis-DiVirgilio and Peter Mahon) met with Queens D.O.T. Commissioner Maura McCarthy and representatives from the RBA design Group at the North Channel Yacht Club to discuss the Flood Mitigation Project here in Broad Channel. The meeting was also attended by residents from West 11th Road and the Broad Channel Civic Association.
The purpose of this meeting was to address the many complaints raised by residents of West 11th and 13th Roads during their recent meetings with DOT and the RBA Group regarding the impact of the proposed street raising on individual property "encroachments" (i.e., decks, stairs, fencings, etc.) as well as the projected loss of individual street parking due to "bump outs" for utility poles.As a result of those complaints, the RBA Group reviewed the entire project to ascertain what, if anything, could be done to minimize the impacts this project would have on individual property owners and the RBA Group has now presented us with an alternate project design which would incorporate a "Shared Space" concept.
"Shared Space” is a term used to describe a particular streetscape design philosophy primarily aimed at changing the impact of motor traffic in public spaces used by pedestrians which includes two main design criteria:
The reduction/removal of traffic control devices
and,
If the "shared space" concept were implemented on West 12th Road, existing utility poles would remain where they are (although they would likely have to be raised to account for the new height of the street) and there would be no need for "bump outs" which would require a marked reduction in the number of available parking spaces on the block, which would remain available on both side of West 12th Road. Additionally, all existing fire hydrants on West 12th Road would be moved to the opposite side of the street where the existing poles are located.
The north side of West 12th Road would have a 2 foot "sight disabled" zone to allow for "sight disabled" pedestrian movement on the block delineated by the placement of bollards on that side of the block.
Additionally, because of the width of this innovative "shared space" (29 feet) design there would be fewer encroachment impacts on individual properties as exists with the present street/sidewalk plan which is 32 feet wide.
The use of the "shared space" design would also provide a wider available center of the "shared space" to allow a more unobstructed movement of emergency vehicles and sanitation trucks on the block.
The design philosophy states that these design treatments enable reduced vehicle speeds due to drivers no longer assuming they have priority and being forced to be aware of other road users. The reduced speed and increased awareness results in an "environment of care" where the use of the space is more balanced between all road users.
As an aside, DOT has stated that should the "shared space" design be accepted by the residents of West 12th Road, they would also reconfigure the top end (Cross Bay Boulevard) access to our block in a manner which would ensure all entering vehicles are slowed to an appropriate speed and made aware that they are entering on to a "shared space" street.
The claimed benefits of shared space schemes are wide and varied including improved pedestrian amenity, increased vibrancy of the street environment, increased use of the shared space by pedestrians, reduced vehicle speeds, reduced accident rates and increased property values.
Very simply put, West 12th Road would no longer have a "street" per se, "sidewalks" or "curbs". In their place would be a "shared space", a single level 29' wide concrete pad which would be "shared" by cars, bicycles and pedestrians alike.
Shared space removes the traditional segregation of motor vehicles, pedestrians and other road users. Conventional road priority management systems and devices such as curbs, lines, signs and signals are replaced with an integrated, people-oriented understanding of public space, such that walking, cycling, shopping and driving cars become integrated activities.
This "shared space" would be "reverse crowned" providing center drainage thus eliminating any ponding near properties. The "shared space" can be designed by "scoring" the concrete and sections of the space can be tinted to delineate free space adjacent to properties to prevent parking directly next to a property.
Does any of this sound familiar? Commissioner McCarthy noted that on West 12th Road "...everybody walks in the street and parks their cars on the sidewalk." We have actually been utilizing the "shared space" concept as a means of accommodating pedestrians, bicyclists, children and cars on our narrow streets for years! Think about it....most large parking lots — for example, those at shopping centers and other stores — effectively function in ways that are very similar to shared spaces on European shopping streets. We have been operating in shared spaces — if drab ones — for decades, without being aware of it.
Initially, this proposal looked very promising; nevertheless, we spent the past two weeks investigating this "shared space" design concept and reached out to various communities, both in the United States and Europe, who presently live with such a design to obtain their feedback.
For the most part, all responses to our inquiries were very favorable, citing an “…increased sense of well-being and familiarity among neighbors…” as well as an “enhanced aesthetics on the street.”
When we first started out with our review we thought the greatest complaints would be regarding a lessening of safety in the area due to the comingling of pedestrians and vehicles. We quickly realized that was not the case. In all cases, it was reported that the level of accidents (where they existed previously) dropped markedly. Apparently once everyone was aware of the fact that they were sharing a space with others, their behavior “calmed” to accommodate such sharing.
Several objections were raised to the concept primarily by advocate organizations for the disabled, especially the blind. In the majority of these instances, the objections arose as a result of street planners not designing the shared space to account for such disability. Those shared space streets where such accommodations existed, the complaints were nonexistent. The design for West 12th Road has such accommodation in the form of a bollard enclosed space for the visually impaired.
The second greatest complaint we received was that since the shared space concept was put in place motor vehicles are taking over. They are systematically destroying the pedestrian-friendly furniture and trees. They are increasingly clogging up the street, and making pedestrians more wary of having to deal with traffic. In each of these instances, unlike West 12th Road (a “dead end street), the shared space existed on a through street with a busy traffic pattern.
An informal review was conducted of vehicle usage on West 12th Road which found that traffic movement on the block is busiest:
Between the hours of 6:00 am and 8:00 am, Monday to Friday with parked vehicles exiting the
block, and,
between the hours of 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday, with vehicles returning and parking on West 12th Road.
Even during the above times of “busy traffic”, there is no “through” traffic and the vehicle operators are all residents of West 12th Road who are well aware of the possible presence of adults and (especially) children on our street and drive accordingly.
The above notwithstanding, there are still two areas of concern that we are looking into:
1. A copy of this letter and all information pertaining to this design will be delivered to Chief Dan McIntyre of the Broad Channel Volunteer Department to obtain his assessment of this matter, and,
2. when we next meet with the city we will inquire how these “improvements” will be viewed by the city regarding possible increased property assessments.
Aside from the above two issues, we tend to agree with DOT’s assessment that the shared space design for West 12th Road will result in “increased safety, no bump outs resulting from moved utility poles resulting in decreased parking, fewer impacts to decks, stairs, walls (Encroachments), improved aesthetics, more flexible use of space, and a sense of place.”
Please think about this issue and let us know how you feel about this “shared space” design project for West 12th Road. It is important that when we meet with the city that we speak for all the residents of our block. You can email us at W12thrdblockassociation@gmail.com or call me at my number below. I am home most days so it is also fine if you just stop by for a cup of coffee!
Peter J. Mahon
for
The West12th Road Block Association
55 West 12th Road
Broad Channel, N.Y. 11693
Home: 945-0805
Cell: 347-821-9656
Cell: 347-821-9656
Greek coffee.
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