In a long, long overdue move, DOT finally painted the lines and connected the dots. A tiny bit of sanity has come to the most painfully confused, dangerous and absurd stretches of commercial real estate that this blogger has ever seen - Flatbush Empire to the Junction.
Finally admitting that there is not room for parking on both sides and four lanes of traffic. the lanes have been repainted to allow for a single thru lane each way, and turning bays wherever needed. Yes, I'll admit that there was a bit of backup today...but it won't last, and here's why. Drivers were beginning to adjust, and as they did, they realized that they could no longer abide double-parkers. The few that tried it were either ticketed by police (a first...I've never seen a car ticketed for double-parking while the driver was in it before - a warning it looked like) or honked into compliance. The concerns about double-parking are genuine...but it is now impossible to double-park and not cause big disruptions. For instance, in front of Peppa's the usual doubles moved along after realizing there was no place for them.
But traffic DID move. I've seen much worse jams due to double-parkers in the past. And this was just the first day.
With any hope, the cops will strictly enforce the new laws, at least until behavior changes. The real test will be seeing whether the Dollar Vans stick to the thru lane and pull over only when and where there's room. Dollar Van riders (myself included) need to be skooled to hail only where there's a space for the Van. So as much as the drivers themselves are crazy, stepping out into traffic to grab a DV is just as zany, or insisting that they pull over in a crowded area with zooming traffic. Nuts has become the accepted normal around here.
A little less insanity would be good for everyone. (Except the very insane of course, for whom a LOT less insanity would be called for - or not I suppose, as long as you're not hurting anyone.)
Finally admitting that there is not room for parking on both sides and four lanes of traffic. the lanes have been repainted to allow for a single thru lane each way, and turning bays wherever needed. Yes, I'll admit that there was a bit of backup today...but it won't last, and here's why. Drivers were beginning to adjust, and as they did, they realized that they could no longer abide double-parkers. The few that tried it were either ticketed by police (a first...I've never seen a car ticketed for double-parking while the driver was in it before - a warning it looked like) or honked into compliance. The concerns about double-parking are genuine...but it is now impossible to double-park and not cause big disruptions. For instance, in front of Peppa's the usual doubles moved along after realizing there was no place for them.
But traffic DID move. I've seen much worse jams due to double-parkers in the past. And this was just the first day.
With any hope, the cops will strictly enforce the new laws, at least until behavior changes. The real test will be seeing whether the Dollar Vans stick to the thru lane and pull over only when and where there's room. Dollar Van riders (myself included) need to be skooled to hail only where there's a space for the Van. So as much as the drivers themselves are crazy, stepping out into traffic to grab a DV is just as zany, or insisting that they pull over in a crowded area with zooming traffic. Nuts has become the accepted normal around here.
A little less insanity would be good for everyone. (Except the very insane of course, for whom a LOT less insanity would be called for - or not I suppose, as long as you're not hurting anyone.)