Dangerous Cobble Hill corner: Can we fix it?
Over 300 people have signed a petition begun on July 27 asking the Department of Transportation to implement pedestrian safety measures at Congress and Hicks Street. As the Columbia Waterfront District continues to fill with families, this dangerous intersection is a tragic accident waiting to happen, stop sign promoters insist. One building alone, 100 Congress Street, directly on the corner of Congress and Hicks, is home to 30 children, who often cross the street at this point to access Van Vorhees playground.
Indeed, at an information event organized at the site by Lisa Seibold-Winder and Darby Mingey on Aug. 7, speeding cars were observed at rush hour barreling right onto Hicks from Congress, sometimes jumping the curb. Tire marks are visible there.
The petition noted that vehicles use “Columbia Street and Hicks Street as access/egress to the BQE.” Due to BQE construction and daily rush hour traffic, vehicles have been “increasingly exiting the BQE at Atlantic Avenue and racing onto Congress to connect back with Hicks, in an attempt to avoid traffic. This is especially noticeable with professional vehicles, such as transport trucks and livery vehicles.”