CB3 Committee Asks City to Address Traffic Bottleneck at Clinton and Grand

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After Dashane Santana fell victim to the dangers of Delancey last summer, the entire traffic pattern near the Williamsburg Bridge changed. One of the DOT updates included the reopening of Clinton Street to the East River span, and its conversion to a one-lane, one-way northbound road. A two-way bike lane took up the remainder of the space. It also allowed for a dedicated right-turn lane from Grand Street.

However, neighbors living in the immediate Seward Park surroundings aren’t thrilled about the updated traffic situation. The modifications create a bottleneck at Grand during rush hour, when vehicles are often backed up to the FDR. Standing here for less than two minutes is enough to witness the chaos. The dedicated turning lane has no meaning, since cars, more often than not, cut the line and inch in at the last minute; others hog the two-way bike lane. All this amounts to an inordinate amount of horn-honking.

The problem was chronic enough to have locals calendar an item at the CB3 transportation subcommittee meeting this month. Members voted unanimously this week to have the DOT return to the intersection to explore possible remedies – better signage, signal timing, and/or shared bike lanes; a letter will also be sent to the NYPD to inquire about auxiliary traffic cops for proper enforcement (at the expense of pedestrians, of course).