Traffic calming in Downtown Brooklyn

There was a stream of cars passing right before I took this picture. Each one paused as it approached the green light, thanks to the curb extension which pinched the intersection as well as making the walk crossing distance so much shorter. Such a nice treatment for this block, which is actually rather lengthy though residential, with parking on both sides. Cars used to speed up the hill to catch the green light - this pinch point helps to remind them to take it easy.

In the world of transportation, this is really great stuff and part of the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming study, which T.A. instigated ages ago, and is finally coming to fruition. There are more than 100 improvements slated for this spring according to the NYC DDC and above is an excellent example.

An interesting thing about NYC's improvements on the street: though there is an attempt to standardize improvements with the Street Design Manual, there is also a wide variety of applicable treatments. These are the first white ADA-compliant curb cuts I've seen in the city - I've also seen yellow and gray. I kinda like that there is some flexibility and experimentation with this, and not one size (or color) fits all. After decades of one-size fits cars, seeing how things break loose is rather fun.