New Lanes Painted on Park Drive

If any of you have visited Prospect Park lately, which might not be the case given the wet weather we’ve been having, maybe you noticed the new lane divisions along the Park Drive:

Including clearer signage for the bike lane:

This is all part of the implementation of Phase 1 recommendations by the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Transportation’s Road Sharing Taskforce:

Crossing

• Encourage pedestrians to cross at crosswalks and on “green”
-High Visibility Crosswalks
-Signage
-Educational Outreach

• Foster stop on “red” for everyone
-Educational Outreach
-Ongoing Enforcement

• (New) The crosswalk at Wellhouse Drive and West Drive (near the Vanderbilt Playground) will be widened from 12 feet to 25 feet.

• (New) There will be two new crosswalks added to the Park Drive at Grand Army Plaza.

Predictability

• Assign one permanent use to each lane
-Extend green phase of traffic lights during traffic hours to maintain Level of Service
-Emphasize one-way use for bicycles

• Reinforce with outreach, pavement markings, signage, and ongoing enforcement

They’re set to review Phase 1 actions and consider Phase 2 actions (which include pursuing placement of additional park benches bordering the Park Drive and studying the feasibility of a jogging lane on the park landscape) in Fall 2012.