1. NOSTRAND AVENUE - Transportation Alternatives...1 SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT NOSTRAND...

1

SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT

NOSTRAND AVENUE

1. NOSTRAND AVENUE

1.1 LOCATIONThe Nostrand Avenue subway station provides accessto the A and C trains on the Fulton Street line in Brook-lyn. Located at the intersection of Fulton Street andNostrand Avenue, the station serves the community ofBedford-Stuyvesant. The intersection of Fulton Streetand Nostrand Avenue is situated at the hub of Bedford-Stuyvesant’s vibrant commercial corridor.

1.2 AREA TRANSPORTATION FACILITIESThe neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant is well servedby both transit and automobile access. The FultonStreet line provides access to the C line at Kingston-Throop, Nostrand and Franklin Avenues. The recentlycompleted Shuttle at Franklin Avenue provides service to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn BotanicalGarden. To the northeast, the Brooklyn-Queens Crosstown Local line provides access to the G line atthe Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Classon Avenue stations. Three blocks to the south, service isavailable to the Long Island Rail Road at the Nostrand Avenue station.

The Nostrand Avenue subway station is directly served by the B44 and B25 bus lines. By automobile,Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street provide access to arterial highways at Eastern Parkway and Flat-bush Avenue. Nostrand and Bedford Avenues are designated as local truck routes, which lead toAtlantic Avenue, a through truck route several blocks to the south of the subway station. Meteredparking is available adjacent to the subway station on Fulton Street and Nostrand Avenue.

!

Nostrand Ave.(A,C)

QUEENS

BROOKLYN

THE BRONX

MA

NH

ATT

AN

STATEN ISLAND

2

EXISTING CONDITIONS

NOSTRAND AVENUE

This map illustrates the various types and locations of the surrounding transportation facilities

SUBWAY LINES ANDSTATIONS

NOSTRAND AVENUESTATION

LIRRTRACKS

LIRR STATIONTRUCK ROUTESOTHER PROJECT SITES

""""

""""

""""

""""

""""""""

""""

""""

""""

""""

""""""""

""""""""

""""

""""

""""

""""

""""

""""

""""

""""""""

""""

""""

""""

""""

""""

""""

"""" """"

""""

"""" """" """" """"

""""

""""

""""

#

REMSEN VILLAGE

OCEAN HILL

WEEKSVILLE

BROWNSVILLE

RUGBY

BEDFORD STUYVESANT

CROWN HEIGHTS

WINGATE

PROSPECT LEFFERTS GARDENS

CLINTON HILL

BUSHWICKYARD

FORT GREENE

PROSPECT HEIGHTS

0 0.25

""""

ATLANTIC AVE LIRR STATION

Miles

0.5

PROSPECT PARK

ENE K

A C

TBU

SH

AV

E NEW YORK AVEASTERN PKWY EX

EMPIRE BLVD

RO

GE

RS

AV

BE

DF

OR

D A

V

EASTERN PKWY

NO

ST

RA

ND

AV

UT

ICA

AV

BUSHWICK AV

BROADWAYM

ALC

OLM

X B

LVD

WA

SH

ING

TO

N A

VRO

SP

EC

T P

AR

K W

DE KALB AV

LAFAYETTE AV

NO

ST

RA

ND

AV

MA

RC

Y A

V

BE

DF

OR

D A

V

ATLANTIC AV

REMSEN AV

ROCKAW

AY PKWY

GAT

ES A

V

MYRTLE AV

NOSTRAND AVE7th AVE (DQ)

Nostrand Ave (A C)

8N

3


NOSTRAND AVENUE

0-21 (29.81%)

65+ (11.68%)

22-64 (58.50%)

AGE DISTRIBUTION: 1990

% of PopulationAge/Years

9.0%0-5

7.9%6-11

6.9%12-16

6.0%17-21

58.5%22-64

4.0%65-69

3.0%70-74

2.6%75-79

1.4%80-84

0.7%85 +

2. SECONDARY STUDY AREA

The secondary study area includes the quarter-mile ra-dius (or approximately, a five-minute walk) surroundingthe Nostrand Avenue subway station. This area is boundby Putnam Avenue to the north, Pacific Street to the south,Bedford Avenue to the east, and Marcy Avenue andHerkimer Street to the west.

2.1 POPULATION DATAThe population pie chart shows the age distribution of residents in census tracts that intersect thesecondary study area, as per the 1990 US Census. The total population of the area was 35,403. Thedemographic breakdown by age did not differ widely from that of New York City as a whole. At 12%, thesenior citizen population in this area was only one percentage point lower than in the city as a whole(13%). Similarly, the number of residents under the age of 21 was typical of the citywide population, atjust under 30% of the secondary study area, versus 29% of New York City. The remaining 58% of thepopulation was between the ages of 22 and 64.

PUTNAM AV

MACON STV

ER

ON

A P

L

MAC DONOUGH ST

FULTON ST

HE

RK

IME

R C

T

HERKIMER ST

PACIFIC ST

ATLANTIC AV

HERKIMER PL

NO

ST

RA

ND

AV

PE

RR

Y P

L

DEAN ST

JEFFERSON AV

HANCOCK ST

HALSEY ST

AR

LIN

GTO

N P

L

BE

DF

OR

D A

V

SP

EN

CE

R P

L

MA

RC

Y A

V

NOSTRAND AVE

BR

OO

KL

YN

AV

4

EXISTING CONDITIONS

NOSTRAND AVENUE

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 Daily Number of Trips

Bicycle

Taxicab

Other

Worked at Home

Railroad

Carpool

Walked

Car, Truck, or Van

Bus or Trolleybus

Subway or Elevated

Journey to Work Reverse Journey to Work

JOURNEY TO WORK: 1990 Nostrand Avenue Secondary Study Area

2.2 JOURNEY TO WORKThe Journey to Work chart presents the distribution of various means of transportation among com-muters living in census tracts that intersect a quarter-mile radius of the Nostrand Avenue subwaystation. These data were taken from the 1990 census.

In these census tracts, the dominant mode of transportation to work was the subway, which accountedfor nearly half of the commuters who lived in the area. Based on the census data, 17% of commutersdrove to work alone, while five percent of commuters car pooled. Another 17% of commuters traveledby bus, while five percent of commuters walked to work. Despite the study area’s proximity to the LongIsland Rail Road, only two percent of commuters used the railroad to travel to work. The remainingfour percent of commuters traveled to work by other means of transportation.

A higher proportion of residents of the secondary study area (50%) traveled to work via subway than inNew York City as a whole (37%). Similarly, 17% of commuters traveled by bus, versus 13% citywide.A smaller percentage of commuters in the secondary study area drove (17% vs. 33%) or walked towork (five percent vs. 11%) than in New York City as a whole.

Reverse Journey to Work data indicate that of the people who worked in the area, over 31% of reversecommuters drove to work alone. Approximately ten percent of reverse commuters walked to work, andanother ten percent car pooled. Over 23% traveled to work by subway and 19% traveled by bus. Theremaining seven percent of reverse commuters traveled to work by other means of transportation.

5


NOSTRAND AVENUE

2.3 MODE OF ACCESS TO SUBWAY STATIONAccording to the MTA’s 1990 survey of subway riders, over 89% of subway riders walked to the NostrandAvenue subway station, while five percent arrived by bus and four percent drove to the station. Despitethe station’s proximity to the Nostrand Avenue Long Island Rail Road station, only one percent ofcommuters traveled to the subway station by railroad. The Nostrand Avenue subway station ranked 99out of the 157 stations citywide in terms of pedestrian access.

2.4 LAND USEA mixture of commercial and residential uses exists in the area adjacent to the Nostrand Avenuesubway station. Fulton Street is the main commercial strip in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area, whereretail establishments sell vegetables, clothing, botanica, fabrics, and fast food. Residences in thearea include one to three family walk-up apartment buildings, with commercial uses at the ground floor.Many of these residential buildings were constructed in the 19th Century; some are vacant above thefirst floor.

This map shows the existing land use conditions for the secondary study area.

RESIDENTIAL /COMMERCIAL

RESIDENTIAL

COMMERCIAL

OPEN SPACE /PARKS

PUBLIC FACILITIES

INDUSTRIAL

PARKING

VACANT

TRANSPORTATION / UTILITY

6

EXISTING CONDITIONS

NOSTRAND AVENUE

2.5 ZONING AND DEVELOPMENTZoning in the vicinity of the Nostrand Avenue subway station is primarily R-6 residential withC1-3 and C2-3 commercial overlays at the ground floor. Larger scale commercial develop-ment is permitted in the C4-3 zone located on Fulton Street between Bedford and NostrandAvenues. Community Board three has prioritized the development of “high-end” franchisesand a movie theatre along the Fulton Street commercial corridor, as part of its program foreconomic revitalization.

2.6 ORGANIZATIONS AND ON-GOING PROJECTSThe primary merchant’s association in the vicinity of the Nostrand Avenue subway station isthe Fulton-Nostrand Merchant’s Association. Local merchants have also discussed orga-nizing a Business Improvement District, although at present, no such structure formallyexists. The most recently completed capital development project in the vicinity of NostrandAvenue was the pedestrian overpass to the Franklin Avenue subway station, which wasachieved through the support of Community Board three. The Community Board has alsoadvocated for the full reconstruction of Fulton Street as part of the economic redevelop-ment of businesses along the Fulton Street corridor. Their most recent Statement of Dis-trict Needs prioritizes the mitigation of congestion at the intersection of Nostrand Avenueand Fulton Street, as well as the replacement of missing parking and street signs.

Pedestrian signage on Nostrand Avenue

7


NOSTRAND AVENUE

3. PRIMARY STUDY AREA

The primary study area focuses on the intersection of Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street. The follow-ing section describes existing conditions at the subway station, as well as the physical conditions of itsroadways, crosswalks, and sidewalks. Descriptions of physical conditions are followed by descrip-tions of traffic conditions.

In 1998, the Nostrand Avenue subway station had 3,488,601 turnstile registrations, making it the ninthmost used station in Brooklyn (of 160) and the 99th most used station citywide.

8

EXISTING CONDITIONS

NOSTRAND AVENUE

3.1 STATION ENTRANCESThere are four entrances to the Nostrand Avenue subway station, located on the four corners of theintersection of Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street. Each entrance is 15 feet long and six feet wide.The two entrances to the north of Fulton Street face south, and serve commuters traveling to Manhat-tan. The two entrances to the south of Fulton Street face north, and serve commuters traveling toRockaway and Lefferts Boulevard. The entrance on the northwest corner of the intersection has beenobserved to be the most congested, due to the adjacent southbound B44 bus stop.

3.2 STREETS ADJACENT TO THE STATION ENTRANCES

3.2.1 RoadwaysNostrand Avenue is 40 feet wide and has two southbound travel lanes. The street also accomodatesa parking lane on the west side and a truck loading/unloading on the east side where standing isprohibited. Nostrand Avenue is designated as a local truck route, which leads to a through truck routeat Atlantic Avenue several blocks south. During peak hours, Nostrand Avenue handles a considerableamount of rapidly moving traffic. Traffic on Nostrand Avenue is prohibited from turning onto FultonStreet during peak hours. Metered parking exists on the west side of Nostrand Avenue, south of FultonStreet.

Fulton Street is 42 feet wide and has one eastbound and one westbound lane, in addition to twoparking lanes on both sides. One hour parking is permitted at meters on the north side of Fulton Streetwest of Nostrand between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM and east of Nostrand between 8:30 AM and 7:00 PM,and also on the south side of Fulton Street west of Norstrand between 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM.

Northeast entrance to Nostrand Avenue subway station

9


NOSTRAND AVENUE

3.2.2 SidewalksSidewalks adjacent to the Nostrand Avenue subway station are 19 feet wide, with the exception of theeast and west sides of Nostrand Avenue between Fulton and Macon Streets, which are 15 and 16 feetwide respectively.

Despite the generous width of the sidewalk, congestion is caused by the presence of street furnitureand vendors. In front of the McDonald’s on Fulton Street, a makeshift fence welded to two parkingmeters functions as a bike rack. The only plants in the area exist in the square planters in front of theMcDonald’s. Further east on Fulton Street, there are also several oversized planters, four feet indiameter that are full of concrete and litter. In addition to vendors protruding from retail establishmentsat the property line, a number of vendors gather daily at the curb line, selling merchandise. Thesevendors further constrict the pedestrian passageway, and cause conflicts with pedestrians, particu-larly on the south side of Fulton Street to the west of Nostrand Avenue.

Planters on Fulton Street

Vendors on Fulton Street

10

EXISTING CONDITIONS

NOSTRAND AVENUE

3.2.3. CrosswalksStandard pedestrian crosswalks exist at all four crossing points of the intersection of Nostrand Avenueand Fulton Street, however, there are no vehicular stop bars. While the two crosswalks traversingNostrand Avenue are each 16 feet wide, the two crosswalks that traverse Fulton Street are 22 and 14feet wide, due to the skewed angle of the intersection. The crosswalks are partially obstructed by theplacement of lighting and signage at the northeast, northwest, and southwest corners of the intersec-tion. The single curb cut at the northeast corner directs the pedestrian into “the box,” rather than intothe eastern crosswalk. The most outstanding feature of this intersection is not the crosswalk, but “thebox” itself, which is prominently crosshatched, and surrounded by signage reading, “Don’t Block theBox.”

3.2.4 LightingThe streets and sidewalks of both Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street are illuminated with standardCobra Head lighting affixed to fabricated steel lampposts. Some of the lampposts are of a pedestrianscale height.

Crosswalk at the intersection of Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street

11


NOSTRAND AVENUE

3.3 TRAFFIC

3.3.1 AutomobileAutomotive traffic passes quickly through the intersectionof Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street, particularly onNostrand Avenue. From 1996 to 1998, inclusive, 96 mo-tor vehicle accidents occurred at this intersection. An-other 41 accidents occurred in the mid-block area of Ful-ton Street between Nostrand Avenue and Arlington Place;19 occurred in the mid-block area of Fulton Street betweenNostrand Avenue and Verona Place. Fourteen (14) acci-dents occurred in the mid-block area of Nostrand Avenuebetween Fulton and Macon Streets; another ten occurredbetween Fulton and Herkimer Streets. Traffic on NostrandAvenue, a designated local truck route, is prohibited fromturning onto Fulton Street during peak hours.

3.3.2 BusThe Nostrand Avenue subway station is directly served by the B44 and B25 bus lines. The B44 runssouthbound along Nostrand Avenue, and westbound along Fulton Street between New York and Bed-ford Avenues.

Bus shelters located on the east and west sides of Fulton Street service the B44 and the B25. Thestop for the southbound B44 is located directly behind the subway stairs at the intersection of NostrandAvenue and Fulton Street. During peak hours, one lane of traffic is effectively shut down due to thequeueing of B44 buses at the Nostrand Avenue stop. This bus stop has been observed to be the site offrequent conflicts between commuters using the subway entrance, and those waiting for buses.

Total accidents that occurred mid-block(1996 - 1998)

41

0

96

14

19

10

NO

ST

RA

ND

AV

FULTON ST

VE

RO

NA

PL

HERKIMER ST

MACON ST

Total accidents that occurred at anintersection (1996 - 1998)

#

#

12

EXISTING CONDITIONS

NOSTRAND AVENUE

3.3.3 PedestrianPedestrian amenities in the vicinity of the Nostrand Av-enue subway station include special pedestrian sig-nage indicating a trail to the Brooklyn Children’s mu-seum, as well as the newly created pedestrian over-pass spanning Fulton Street at Franklin Avenue.

However, many obstructions impede pedestrian move-ment, particularly on Fulton Street, where vendors com-pete with street furniture for the pedestrian space. Pe-destrian circulation at the northeast, northwest andsouthwest corners of the intersection of Nostrand Av-enue and Fulton Street is obstructed by the placementof lighting and signage adjacent to the crosswalks. Theproximity of the B44 bus stop to the subway stationentrance near the northwest corner of the intersectioncontributes to this congestion. On the south side ofFulton Street, west of Nostrand Avenue, the pedestrianpassageway becomes even more constricted by thepresence of vendors, both attached and unattached toretail establishments. During peak hours, a marketatmosphere is created by vendors selling merchan-dise adjacent to the curbs.

During the years 1996-1998 inclusive, 11 pedestrian accidents occurred at the intersection of NostrandAvenue and Fulton Street. Another four pedestrian accidents occurred in the mid-block area of FultonStreet between Nostrand Avenue and Arlington Place; two occurred in the mid-block area of FultonStreet between Nostrand Avenue and Verona Place. During the same time period, one pedestrianaccident occurred in the mid-block area of Nostrand Avenue between Fulton and Herkimer Streets;none occurred between Fulton and Macon Streets.

42

0

0

1

11

NO

ST

RA

ND

AV

MACON ST

VE

RO

NA

PL

FULTON ST

HERKIMER ST

Pedestrian accidents that occurred mid-block(1996 - 1998)

Pedestrian accidents that occurred at anintersection (1996 - 1998)

#

#

13


NOSTRAND AVENUE

NOSTRAND AVENUE APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: 1990 CENSUS DATA

Population Data by Age and Census Tract


Journey to Work - Workers by place of residence

Reverse Journey to Work - Workers by place of employment

APPENDIX 3: 1996-1998 ACCIDENT DATA

Accidents by Node/s

APPENDIX 4: SIGNAL TIMING DATA

APPENDIX 5: INVENTORY OF EXISTING CONDITIONS

14

EXISTING CONDITIONS

NOSTRAND AVENUE


Population data by age

Source: US Bureau of Census, 1990, STF 3

85+ yrs80-84 yrs75-79 yrs70-74 yrs65-69 yrs22-64 yrs17-21 yrs12-16 yrs6-11 yrs0-5 yrsTotalTract

062117916422731772692623023617221

1428596615919072782262432573237227

183313413013522351533822532893762245

614231048415472142563292292806247

38617213016325612851993845024395249

698611515321322892751882443463978267

233674749915791501851992582677269

9512523420620030452413244765605506313

046949829132763564164064425425315

2634919221052140820712212924452796318535403People

0.7%1.4%2.6%3.0%4.0%58.5%6.0%6.9%7.9%9.0%100%Percent

247

249

221

315 313

227

269245

267

Nostrand Ave

15


NOSTRAND AVENUE


Journey to Work - Workers by place of residence

Reverse Journey to Work - Workers by place of employment

Source: US Bureau of Census, 1990, STF 3

PercentTotal315313269267249247245227221Census Tract

16.6%227532952917929518818024578252Car, Truck, or Van

4.9%66473138457712823296883Carpool

17.1%2332387443164375271135289142126Bus or Trolley

0.1%160160000000Streetcar, Trolley

49.8%681510838886847531034558542705568Subway or Elevated

2.2%30513133181184012016Railroad

0.3%4326170000000Ferry

0.8%10602915024813017Taxi

0.0%0000000000Motorcycle

0.4%5627000230060Bike

5.1%69513366654213865976326Walk

0.9%1290169120860240Other

1.7%2394500220101161333Work at Home

PercentTotal315313269267249247245227221Census Tract

30.8%239011911067266132112625821498Car, Truck, or Van

10.2%79233333328423876211658Carpool

18.9%1464522612841238851445286Bus or Trolley

0.1%7000007000Streetcar, Trolley

23.3%18091255478160150822152142126Subway or Elevated

1.1%8900340840700Railroad

0.1%8000008000Ferry

0.7%5360000306110Taxi

0.0%0000000000Motorcycle

0.2%181008000000Bike

10.4%805936490621091921006926Walk

1.0%76000518193400Other

3.1%2394500220101161333Work at Home

16

EXISTING CONDITIONS

NOSTRAND AVENUE

APPENDIX 3:

1996-1998

Accident Data

Accidents by node/s

PedestriansInjuriesFatalitiesReportableAccidentsYearNode/s5170173719964742

2150163019974742

4140142919984742

1146047963 yr total4742

0000319964741 4742

0202619974741 4742

0202519984741 4742

0404143 yr total4741 4742

1202219964742 4743

0000619974742 4743

0101219984742 4743

1303103 yr total4742 4743

01011019964742 4774

14041219974742 4774

4100101919984742 4774

515015413 yr total4742 4774

0101619964742 4775

1202719974742 4775

1303619984742 4775

2606193 yr total4742 4775

0000019964742 5019

0000019974742 5019

0000019984742 5019

000003 yr total4742 5019

17


NOSTRAND AVENUE

(Continued)

Intersection

FULTON ST AND NOSTRAND AVE




NOSTRAND AVE BETWEEN MACON ST AND FULTON ST




NOSTRAND AVE BETWEEN HERKIMER ST AND FULTON ST




FULTON ST BETWEEN NOSTRAND AVE AND BEDFORD AVE




FULTON ST BETWEEN NOSTRAND AVE AND VERONA PL




FULTON ST BETWEEN NOSTRAND AVE AND NEW YORK AVE




18

EXISTING CONDITIONS

NOSTRAND AVENUE

APPENDIX 4: SIGNAL TIMING DATA

A B

C

D

NO

ST

RA

ND

AV

FULTON ST

VE

RO

NA

PL

HERKIMER ST

MACON ST

Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street

TIMEFLOWTRAFFIC

CROSSWALK ORIENTATIONINDICATORINTERSECTION

Mid-DayNostrandCrossing Fulton St along west side of Nostrand AvenueA

Mid-DayNostrandCrossing Fulton St along east side of Nostrand AvenueB

Mid-DayFultonCrossing Nostrand Avenue along north side of Fulton StC

Mid-DayFultonCrossing Nostrand Avenue along south side of Fulton StD

At all other timesNostrandCrossing Fulton St along west side of Nostrand AvenueA

At all other timesNostrandCrossing Fulton St along east side of Nostrand AvenueB

At all other timesFultonCrossing Nostrand Avenue along north side of Fulton StC

At all other timesFultonCrossing Nostrand Avenue along south side of Fulton StD

Intersection Map: Nostrand Avenue

19


NOSTRAND AVENUE

Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street

Source: NYC DOT

TimeCrossingSufficient

ofEstimationPreliminary

Street*to CrossRequired

TimeEstimated

Only)(GreenTime

CrossingPedestrianAdjusted

and Amber)Time (Green

CrossingPedestrian

Total

WidthCrosswalk

LengthCrosswalk

TIMECYCLE

REDAMBERGREEN

secondssecondssecondsfeetfeetsecondssecondssecondsseconds

Sufficient12.5565922501202356

Sufficient12.5565914501202356

Sufficient11.25545716451202354

Sufficient11.25545716451202354

Sufficient12.5414422501202341

Sufficient12.5414414501202341

Sufficient11.25394216451202339

Sufficient11.25394216451202339

1. NOSTRAND AVENUE - Transportation Alternatives...1 SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT NOSTRAND...

Documents

Transcript of 1. NOSTRAND AVENUE - Transportation Alternatives...1 SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT NOSTRAND...