4th Avenue Is Getting Safer, According To Statistics

A recent report from the Department of Transportation shows that changes to the traffic lanes and pedestrian crossings along 4th Avenue from 15th Street to 65th Street have had a marked improvement on safety.

The changes came after a dangerous period for the road — from 2006-2011, there were seven pedestrian and one motorist fatalities, the street ranked in the top 10% for most dangerous in Brooklyn, and 80% of cars were estimated to be speeding.

After outreach and planning, by the end of 2012 the DOT had reduced traffic lanes, made pedestrian refuges wider, eliminated some turning lanes, improved signal timing, and widened parking bays along this section of 4th Ave.

Comparing data from 2012 to 2013, the DOT has found that these have clearly been improvements. Here are some of the stats:

• Pedestrian injuries decreased 29%
• Total crashes decreased 13%
• Crashes with injuries decreased 8%
• Speeding drivers decreased by 38%

And most notably, there have been no deaths in the project area since its completion.

They also note that vehicle and pedestrian traffic has increased along the corridor, and that even so, the travel times have remained the same northbound, and increased by just 90 seconds southbound.

And now onto beautification! Community Board 7 reports that the DOT has obtained funds from the state to landscape the 4th Avenue median and to build it out to the painted dimensions. The first phase will be between 33rd and 47th Streets, starting in 2017, and then additional funds will be required to rebuild and landscape all the medians between Atlantic Avenue and 65th Street.

And that’s not all, of course. The top winner of this year’s District 39 participatory budgeting vote was a $300,000 project to improve safety, reduce speeds, and green 4th Avenue between 8th and 18th Streets with raised medians, plantings, benches, and more.