CB10 approves rush hour lane on Fort Hamilton Parkway

June 11, 2021 Jaime DeJesus

76th Street on the West side toward 77th Street

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Community Board 10 voted to support a rush-hour traffic change at its meeting May 17.

In April, the Dept. of Transportation proposed removing a peak-hour parking lane on the west side of Fort Hamilton Parkway from 76th to 77th Street on weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. Currently, the lane is alternate-side parking.

The proposal was made in response to several complaints from the community about congestion along the route.

“We are paying close attention to 76th Street because as cars turn onto Fort Hamilton Parkway, they get caught up in the intersection, then there’s a lot of back-up and a lot of horn honking,” said DOT community coordinator Leroy Branch. “We were asked to see if there was something that we can do from an engineering point of view to help with this situation.”

When DOT representatives visited the intersection, they observed that drivers weren’t paying attention to the traffic light.

“The light will turn yellow and people rush into the intersection so that they don’t [get] left behind,” Branch said. “There are a lot of cars that get caught in the intersection and they won’t be able to go through because they’re blocking it and the crosswalk. Then people have to walk around cars, causing a dangerous situation.”

A rendering of the proposed rush hour lane. Photo courtesy of DOT

DOT usually creates rush hour lanes that span from 4 -7 p.m., but it says 3 p.m. is safer for students at nearby schools.

“The DOT officials in attendance at the CB10 meeting believe this will help address congestion at the intersection of 76th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway and agreed to return to the community to review its implementation,” said Josephine Beckmann, district manager of CB 10 following the vote. “Board members agreed to proceed with implementation to address safety concerns raised by residents.”

The change is not official. CB 10 has invited DOT to meet with its traffic and transportation committee to review if necessary.