Greenwood Heights residents want to reduce the speed limit on Sixth Avenue, beginning their own push for a “slow zone” after protesting a similar traffic safety plan in Park Slope that emerged without their input.
Civic leaders are trying to cut the speed limit from 30 to 20 miles per hour between the Prospect Expressway and 24th Street to make the street safer for pedestrians and to prevent frequent car crashes. But before they call on the city to take action, they want the support of neighboring communities.
“We don’t want this to be ‘NIMBY’ thing; there are definite speed concerns all over the area,” said Aaron Brashear of Concerned Citizens of Greenwood Heights, who is planning on joining forces with Park Slopers and Windsor Terrarians to “look at the issue holistically.”
The safety-focused Greenwoodsmen are hoping to triple-team the problem at a transportation meeting this month.
The planned speed summit comes after Greenwood Heights residents rallied against a proposed 20-mile-per hour zone in Park Slope on Sixth Avenue between Flatbush Avenue and the Prospect Park Expressway.
They claimed the zone’s proposed border would turn their stretch of Sixth Avenue into a racetrack for time-crunched drivers playing catch-up, amping up speeds on a five-block section of the street with no stop signs where drivers already exceed the limit — and often crash.
The new proposal — which calls for seven more blocks of “slow zone” — must be approved by the Department of Transportation, which accepts applications from all civic associations and community boards.
Park Slope transportation honchos say they are eager to collaborate with their neighbors to the south.
“It’s great to work together when you have an issue that transcends boundaries,” said Gary Reilly of Community Board 6’s transportation committee, which includes Park Slope. “The reality is that a lot of people get hurt by cars every year.”
Members of Community Board 7, which includes Greenwood Heights, will take up the slow-zone extension plan at a transportation meeting that has not yet been scheduled.
“It’s natural extension,” Brashear said. “And it’s something that’s on our radar.”
Reach reporter Natalie O'Neill at noneill@cnglocal.com or by calling her at (718) 260-4505.
