Pedestrian Safety Measures Coming to South End Avenue

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The intersection of West Thames Street and South End Avenue, where the city will make safety improvements next month. Photo: NYC DOT

Courtesy NYC DOT

Courtesy NYC DOT

Courtesy NYC DOT

Courtesy NYC DOT

Courtesy NYC DOT

Next month, the city will begin making pedestrian safety improvements to South End Avenue—but with some changes to its original plan.

A Department of Transportation plan presented to the Battery Park City Committee in November [1] included placing six “pedestrian islands” on South End Avenue and another two on West Thames Street, between South End Avenue and West Street. Now, all of those islands—except for the one at West Thames Street and Battery Place—are no longer part of the plan, Sean Quinn, the co-director of the DOT’s pedestrian projects group, told the committee in a presentation earlier this month.

The plans for the islands were scrapped in deference to the Battery Park City Authority, which is conducting a traffic study of South End Avenue in coordination with a consultant, who will present a “grander vision” for South End Avenue, according to Quinn. That vision, Quinn added, may include some of the original proposals from the department’s November presentation.

Quinn said the DOT wants to avoid making changes to the street that may later have to be torn up.

There is no date set for the study to begin, according to Robin Forst, community liaison for the Authority.

Developed in response to concerns voiced by some members of the Battery Park City Committee, the South End Avenue pedestrian safety improvement plan is meant to slow traffic along the avenue, create safer and easier crossings, especially on West Thames Street, and reduce double parking.

The work is expected to start during the first week of July and take about two weeks. It includes:

• Widen the center median on South End Avenue, and add parking lane stripes to help slow down traffic.

• Make narrower moving lanes on South End Avenue, which will create flexibility along the parking lanes and help tighten up the street. This will also create a safe place for bicyclists to ride in the parking lanes.

• Add a left turn lane at South End Avenue at Albany Street, which will help clear up some traffic at this highly congested intersection and create a safer space for bicyclists.

• Add stop controls to both South End Avenue at West Thames Street and Battery Place at West Thames Street. High-visibility crosswalks will also be installed at those intersections. This will create safer intersections for the students and parents going to and from P.S. 276.

• There will be a “No Standing Anytime” regulation at Battery Place and West Thames Street to increase visibility to drivers passing the stop sign there.

• Commercial metered parking will be added on South End Avenue.