Brooklyn, NY – Fort Hamilton Pedestrian Islands Slated For Removal Tomorrow

Brooklyn, NY – The NYC Department of Transportation posted signs today in Borough Park announcing that construction will take place at the highly contested pedestrian islands on Fort Hamilton Parkway from 46th through 48th Streets which are slated to be removed tomorrow, while the pedestrian islands running from New Utrecht Ave through 46th Street scheduled to be thinned down to half their current width.

As previously reported on VIN News, the eight foot wide and thirty five foot long pedestrian islands, located near Maimonides Medical Center, were installed in October 2010 by the Department of Transportation in order to improve pedestrian safety particularly for senior citizens in the area, but instead resulted in severe traffic jams throughout the area.

Just one month after their installation, Community Board 12 called for removal of the islands, claiming that the resulting vehicular congestion created countless problems for ambulances, fire fighters, sanitation workers and business owners.

“This is the first time something like this has happened and it sends a powerful message to the community,” said Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who led the fight for the removal of the islands, in an exclusive interview with VIN News. “When something is wrong you need to speak up. From day one I argued that these islands were a mistake. Ambulances were getting stuck in the traffic and people’s lives were being endangered.”