Thursday, August 5, 2021

PARK CIRCLE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS: ONLINE MEETING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC (FREE)

 
 Park Circle: existing conditions (left), proposed conditions (right)
  
Park Circle Safety Improvements
Tuesday, August 17th, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Safety improvements at Park Circle will be discussed at the CB7 Transportation Committee virtual meeting on Tuesday, August 17th, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is open to the public.
 
Register in advance for the meeting at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ObVPDvUbRzejVtxQz8dxHA. After you register, you'll receive an e-mail that confirms your registration and contains information about joining the webinar by PC, Mac, Android, iPhone, cell phone, or landline phone.
 
The meeting can also be viewed on Community Board 7's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/channel/UCcAZ1cECSeZI8iNyQDKuX5Q.

The meeting was called because the New York City Fire Department reported problems they were having when navigating their emergency vehicles through traffic within the circle. The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) then studied Park Circle for possible improvements to the traffic situation. 
 
The DOT is proposing changes to the road markings within the circle. They would reconfigure all of the travel lanes toward respective exits to improve traffic flow and organization.
 
Currently, the markings within the vehicular area of the circle only include lane lines. DOT would add arrow markings, in-road messaging, and additional signage for improved traffic guidance. They would also add Qwick Kurb and plastic delineators in striped areas to denote the separation of traffic movements. 
 
The improvements are designed to relocate exiting traffic queues and prevent the blocking of through traffic within the circle. That would help keep the circle operating during heavy traffic periods.
 
This proposal won't adjust traffic signal timing or alter parking capacity in or near the circle at this time, but the DOT will monitor traffic conditions after the changes are made. They'll make further adjustments, if any are needed.

The drawings at the top of this blog post show the existing conditions as well as the proposed conditions. The full proposal is presented at https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/park-circle-cb14-mar2021.pdf. Implementation would take place in August/September 2021.