Flatbush Avenue Complete Street

Example of Complete Street

While enhancements are being made to the Church Avenue and Flatbush Avenue streetscapes in Flatbush, little attention has been shown to traffic calming initiatives along the Flatbush Avenue corridor. Pedestrians must negotiate a variety of hazards posed by the driving culture.

For one, pedestrians face a highly competitive driving culture among dollar van drivers picking up and dropping off customers. Drivers can be observed cutting each other off, stopping in city bus stops, and driving aggressively. Anyone who has taken a dollar vans knows how "efficient" they can be; the expression, terra firma, is appropriate for the exiting rider.

The location of a number of schools along the Flatbush Avenue corridor makes it evident that traffic calming initiatives are needed. At 3PM when school ends, students walking along Flatbush Avenue must negotiate foot-traffic on the sidewalk with vehicle traffic. Although safety officers are posted at major intersections, including the Church Avenue and Flatbush Avenue axis, students are on their own to navigate Flatbush Avenue.

A third threat to livable streets is the double park along Flatbush Avenue, resulting in bottlenecks near intersections, traffic slow-down, and a deterioration to pedestrian safety.

The hazards posed to pedestrians by Flatbush's driving culture has made it necessary to adopt a Complete Streets approach that will "enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities". Transportation Alternative, a non-profit transportation advocacy group in the city, is currently organizing around the Complete Streets issue as 2013 is an election year for mayor.

The transformations taking place in Flatbush's built environment must include attention to the community's most precious asset, its residents.