Construction began last week on the Department of Transportation’s plan to slow the normally swift traffic along the corridor, from Allen St. to the mouth of the Williamsburg Bridge.
The plan, announced in February, came out of a working group convened last September by state Senator Daniel Squadron, whose district includes the corridor.
“By working together, we were able to take dramatic steps toward a safer Delancey in a short amount of time,” Squadron said in a statement. “This is good news for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike.”
Under the plan, D.O.T. is slated to shorten 14 of 19 crosswalks, create a pedestrian plaza stretching between Clinton and Norfolk Sts. to slow cars approaching the bridge, and improve traffic signals, along with other changes.
Construction should take only a few weeks, according to Squadron’s office. His working group also plans to continue to evaluate safety conditions along Delancey St.
Concerns about the corridor’s safety boiled over following the horrifying death in January of Dashane Santana, 12. The young girl was hit by a 2008 Toyota while she was bending over to pick up her book bag in the intersection of Delancey and Clinton Sts.
Santana’s death brought attention to the treacherous thoroughfare, but community concern had been mounting for some time before that. According to D.O.T., between 2006 and 2010, 129 people were injured at that same intersection in various kinds of auto accidents, and nine people died in vehicular accidents along the entire corridor during roughly the same time period.
Many in the area are very happy with the traffic improvements along Delancey, lauding the agency’s plan for both improving pedestrian safety and likely decreasing the number of automobile accidents.
“The community board is very happy that the improvements are being made,” said Susan Stetzer, Community Board 3’s district manager. “We believe these will make a significant difference in the area.”
“I think it’s a good thing,” agreed a doorman for a clothing store at the intersection of Delancey and Essex Sts.
While recently on Delancey St., this reporter saw two separate verbal altercations between a pedestrian and a motorist. During one, a light-blue car quickly swerved off a side street onto the main thoroughfare, almost colliding with a man in a white hat and blazer walking in the crosswalk.
“Whoa, whoa, what’re you doing?” the man shouted while running a few feet after the car. “Say sorry!”
