Since taking office, Councilman David G. Greenfield has worked closely with the city Department of Transportation (DOT) to improve safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists at dangerous locations throughout his district. Many of the changes or signage upgrades have come directly in response to suggestions from constituents of Borough Park, Midwood and Bensonhurst, and issues observed around the district by Greenfield and his staff.
“As everyone knows, getting around the neighborhood can be a frustrating and sometimes dangerous experience. I am working hard to reduce the number of accident-prone intersections and improve traffic flow to cut down on delays. Thanks to my working relationship with the Department of Transportation, we have already made significant changes at over a dozen different locations to improve traffic safety in the community,” said Greenfield, who is also a member of the New York City Council’s Transportation Committee.
Greenfield conducts regular tours of problematic areas in the district with Brooklyn DOT Commissioner Joseph Palmieri to point out improvements that Greenfield would like. Some of the recent street upgrades include a speed bump that was installed at Greenfield’s request on 53rd Street between 20th Avenue and 21st Avenue on the same block as two schools and a playground. Greenfield also got the DOT to agree to install a speed bump on East 5th Street between Avenue O and Avenue P on the same block as Midwood’s popular Colonel David Marcus Playground so that children can safely cross the street between the two sides of the park. What’s more, after numerous resident complaints, Greenfield convinced the DOT to install street lights along a dark and desolate four-block stretch of 21st Avenue from 53rd Street to 57th Street. That area abuts the cemetery and was believed by neighbors to be a haven for unsavory activity due to the lack of lighting and housing along the stretch.
Greenfield has also made installing proper signage a priority. The DOT recently agreed to Greenfield’s request to install signage prohibiting illegal idling and overnight commercial parking along Bay Parkway in Bensonhurst. The DOT has also agreed to install “No Standing” signs at several intersections in the community where there were high rates of accidents. These new signs will allow drivers to better see oncoming traffic.
These nuts and bolts efforts are in addition to major DOT changes that Greenfield has initiated. Recently, the DOT installed countdown signals along Ocean Parkway at Greenfield’s request and also agreed to repave two of the most egregious blocks in Greenfield’s district – 50th Street in Borough Park and Avenue P in Midwood and Bensonhurst. Both of these pothole-ridden stretches have long been the source of frustration for drivers in those neighborhoods.
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How can we get Greenfield to put a traffic light on the corner by Sasregin? (Ave M and E24) Between the people crossing for shul and the traffic, there’s an accident there every few months.