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Transportation & Environment
Community Board Five’s priorities regarding the plan proposed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the New York City Department of Transportation to mitigate the impact of the planned L Train shutdown and Canarsie Tunnel construction.
WHEREAS, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority ("MTA") and the New York City Department of Transportation ("DOT") have indicated that the Canarsie Tunnel, which services the L Subway train, sustained lasting damage during Superstorm Sandy; and
WHEREAS, MTA has determined to close the Canarsie Tunnel for a period of approximately 15 months beginning in April of 2019 in order to fully repair and restore the tunnel; and
WHEREAS, The suspension of the L Train and the construction on the tunnel will greatly impact the 14th Street corridor, much of which is within the boundaries of Community Board Five (“CB5”); and
WHEREAS, MTA and DOT have prepared a plan ("Plan") intended to mitigate the impact of the L Train shutdown on 14th St. and the surrounding areas; and
WHEREAS, The proposed Plan will affect the many stakeholders who reside, work, visit, and travel through the district (“District”) on a daily basis; and
WHEREAS, CB5 urges all involved City agencies to implement the Plan in a manner that appropriately considers and balances the needs of all stakeholders during this difficult situation; and
WHEREAS, To that end, CB5 believes that execution of the Plan can be significantly improved by a commitment to a set of core guiding principles and by the adoption of the below recommendations:
CORE PRINCIPLES
1.) THE PLAN SHOULD BE EQUITABLE AND BALANCED The Plan should establish a fair, equitable, and appropriate balance between the various impacted stakeholders. This includes addressing the needs of the local residential and business communities along the 14th St. corridor and surrounding neighborhoods as well as the needs of displaced commuters, commercial vehicles, and the general public; and
2.) ENFORCEMENT & SAFETY The Plan should focus on enforcement and safety as well as constant monitoring to ensure the safe and orderly progression of pedestrian flows on streets and sidewalks and vehicular safety including buses, bicycles, cars and trucks on 14th St. as well as the surrounding side streets. Moreover, the Plan should ensure the unimpeded and safe movement of fire, law enforcement, and other first responder vehicles; and
3.) THE PLAN SHOULD BE FLEXIBLE The Plan’s street, sidewalk, and traffic configurations should be sufficiently flexible and easily scalable up or down in order to accommodate unpredictable changes in traffic volume, unanticipated commuter patterns, and other changing community needs; and
4.) THE PLAN SHOULD MAXIMIZE QUALITY OF LIFE The Plan should minimize the potential negative impact on the businesses and livelihoods of District stakeholders. The Plan should seek to minimize traffic congestion, air and noise pollution, and damage to area side streets, infrastructure, and buildings. Furthermore, the Plan should not fundamentally infringe on the rights of residents and businesses of 14th St. to have access on 14th St. to taxis, for hire vehicles, private vehicles, commercial vehicles and garages; and
5.) THE PLAN SHOULD PROVIDE SUFFICIENT ADA ACCESS The Plan should protect the rights of and consider the needs of the disabled and infirm who live in the District and should provide, as a matter of right, access to building entrances on 14th St. for people with mobility disabilities and special needs. This should include Access-A-Ride, taxis, and other for hire vehicles, as well as private vehicles equipped to transport people with disabilities. Access-A-Ride should not--and cannot--be the exclusive solution to accessibility. Moreover, ADA compliant accessibility should be expanded at subway stations where practicable during the 15-month timeline of the plan; and
6.) THE PLAN SHOULD EMBRACE COMMUNICATION & WELCOME FEEDBACK The Plan should provide for ongoing and effective communication between the public and the relevant City agencies responsible for the design, implementation, and enforcement of the Plan. The Plan should include regular and timely evaluations, surveys, polling, public meetings, and the establishment of formal mechanisms for timely complaints, suggestions, and feedback. Requests for information made by stakeholders and the general public should be addressed with respect and in a timely fashion; and
7.) THE PLAN SHOULD BE TEMPORARY & TRANSPARENT The Plan, including its objectives and timeline, should be clear, plainly stated, unambiguous and transparent; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five requests that DOT create a practical, fair, and efficient plan and design to manage the significant number of displaced commercial vehicles currently utilizing 14th Street, including possible alterations to existing loading zone regulations on side streets. This plan should take into consideration the fact that many side streets cannot safely absorb large commercial vehicles or large volumes of traffic. As such, this plan should include not only a traffic study, but also an engineering study; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests a clear plan of action for altering the Plan if/when necessary, including pre-arranged contingency plans to alter traffic configurations and routes, ready for immediate implementation when/if necessary; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests a formal plan providing sufficient access to transportation for the disabled and infirm who live in the District; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests a formal plan granting much-needed curb access to the thousands of local residents who are not disabled but still require access to the street (i.e., people needing to move; people with groceries, heavy packages, strollers, etc.); and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests a formal plan providing permitted access to privately owned vehicles parked in garages on 14th St.; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests the creation of designated pick-up and drop off points for taxis and other for hire vehicles along key avenues within the proposed Busway; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests that MTA use the 15-month construction period to enhance accessibility to the subway stations located at Union Square-14th St. and 14th St. – 6th Ave., including the installation of wayfinding improvements and ADA compliant elevators; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests that the proposed expansion of the sidewalk on 14th St. be implemented in stages and only if it proves necessary; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests that as a prerequisite to widening the sidewalk on 14th St., the relevant agencies remove the many sidewalk vendors that currently crowd the much-needed sidewalk space on 14th St.; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests the formal coordination of all city agencies to withhold new construction permits that could result in additional impediments to the pedestrian and vehicular traffic flows on 14th St.; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests a formal commitment from all relevant city agencies to conduct constant monitoring of the Plan and its impacts, including a commitment from MTA and DOT to engage in the robust collection and measurement of data before and during the entirety of the shutdown period in order to evaluate in real time the Plan’s impact on safety, traffic flows, and basic quality of life; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests the dedication of increased resources for sanitation services, given the projected increase in pedestrian traffic and inevitable increase in trash generation along 14th St., Union Square West, and University Place; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests that every effort be made to use electric buses and other low emission buses along the 14th St. Busway; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests a plan for the large-scale, coordinated, and strict enforcement of traffic regulations, including permanently stationed NYPD Traffic police. These efforts should not be limited to 14th St., rather, they also should cover all of the area streets that will be impacted by the displaced traffic from 14th St.; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests that the creation of new pedestrian-only spaces on Union Square West be strictly temporary, and that SAPO and CECM commit to issuing a moratorium on all commercial events in these spaces, as their intent is only to accommodate anticipated increased pedestrian flow; and that no consideration be given to making these spaces permanent without Community Board Five review and approval;
RESOLVED, CB5 requests the formal commitment to continued, organized, and robust community outreach before and during the shutdown; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests that DOT and MTA return to the community board as soon as possible to present the full proposal, once the remaining details of the plan have been determined; and be it further
RESOLVED, CB5 requests a written commitment from all relevant agencies that these changes are intended only as temporary measures to mitigate the impact of the L Train shutdown, and that any proposed permanent changes for the future would involve significant community outreach.