DOT To Address Hicks St. Safety at Thursday CB6 Meeting

Hicks Street has been the site of too many traffic tragedies and near collisions, according to .

In a letter sent to residents of Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill Tuesday night, Lander urged community members to attend a joint and 7 meeting later this week to learn about safety measures being initiated along the corridor.

The three-lane road, which runs from Hamilton Avenue to Atlantic Avenue, is often used as a fast-moving alternative to the BQE, with cars whizzing by at unsafe speeds. Meanwhile, pedestrians must cross Hicks Street to get from Cobble Hill to the Columbia Waterfront District

In response to , the 76 Precinct stepped up its level of enforcement last month to prohibit dangerous driving. Periodic checkpoints with radar guns have been instituted and at least eight tickets were issued.

But residents have remained concerned, voicing their desire for  at everything from CB6 meetings to the 76 Precinct monthly council meetings. 

"DOT will present plans for traffic calming on Thursday to CB6's transportation committee," Nicole Garcia, a representative of DOT told Carroll Gardens Patch last week. "At the meeting, we will discuss traffic-calming improvements and get feedback from the community."

Lander's letter to the community Tuesday night contained a more specific outline.

"DOT is proposing to:

• remove the rush hour parking restrictions on the east side of Hicks Street (the side with northbound traffic), so that cars can park there throughout the day
• place bollards and planters on the corners of the bridge crossings over the BQE, to expand the safe haven for pedestrians waiting to cross Hicks Street"

he wrote, adding, "As a bonus for drivers, the removal of parking restrictions means that there will be more parking along Hicks Street."

In a conversation with last month regarding "the trench that divides Cobble Hill from the Columbia Waterfront District," aka the BQE, he told Carroll Gardens Patch that DOT actually offered the bollards up for Hicks Street at a meeting that took place a year ago. 

"I know that they are working on an interim plan, but that is not a move toward a structural solution that will provide a great and long-lasting amenity for the community," he said.

"We are of course appreciative for any short-term solutions that will protect the public," Sloane was quick to note. "But we are anxious to move forward with a genuine and true solution to an open cut that divides two communities. I consider this a genuine economic development project."

The meeting will be at 6:30, this Thursday, June 21, at Holy Name Church located at 245 Prospect Park West in Park Slope.