On the Road to a Carfree Bedford…And Beyond
By Dolan Morgan
At a length of over 10 miles, Bedford Ave. is longer than any other street in Brooklyn. Though it is famously associated with its Williamsburg L train stop, it also cuts across the borough all the way to Sheepshead Bay, ushering thousands of cars across town everyday - but if Emil Choski of Carfree Bedford has his way, the area stretching from Metropolitan Ave to McCarren Park will soon be carfree (a spelling that Emil insists on).
The vision of Bedford Ave. as a pedestrian esplanade was news years ago, though -- and plenty of development has happened in the area since then, but nothing of the carfree sort.
So, what’s the hold up?
“It’s hard to advocate getting rid of all the cars at once, so I try to be an advocate for making the avenue more pedestrian-friendly in general,” says Emil. “I’ve spoken at the local Community Board…I don’t always just advocate the Carfree Bedford proposal, but I’ve been an advocate for putting stop signs and traffic lights on Bedford, as well as sidewalk extensions and more bike parking.” These small steps have been realized in conjunction with the Department of Transportation – which spent much of 2007 installing bike parking, traffic lights, and sidewalk extensions.
According to Teresa Toro, Community Board 1’s Transportation Committee Chairperson, “By making busy intersections into ‘people first’ places, we hope to keep Williamsburg's streets and sidewalks safe and enjoyable."
The “people first” attitude is widespread. The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative is working to make Kent Avenue more about bikes than cars – not to mention their aim to create a pedestrian walkway that stretches from Greenpoint down past the Brooklyn Bridge.
‘People first’ isn’t quite people-only, though. Still, why go the extra mile? Why carfree?
“First of all, I think commuting is wasteful,” says Emil. “I want Carfree Bedford to give people more reasons to stay in Williamsburg and not take the L train to Manhattan on the weekend.” Emil sees Williamsburg as a self-sufficient neighborhood and believes that a place based on staying rather than going is healthy both for people and the environment. A carfree Bedford is a literal manifestation of this sentiment in that it not-so-subtly inhibits travel and engenders stillness. “When people know that Williamsburg is here to stay, and is not just a transient phase in real estate development, they will be more likely to invest in making long-term improvements to the neighborhood.”
Carfree streets are gaining popularity, too. Other groups have proposed car-free stretches of Driggs Ave., Lorimer, and Union Sts. where they meet McCarren Park. Yet another group has proposed a more pedestrian-centered Berry St.
Even Carfree Bedford is expanding its horizons: “What we are involved with now is starting carfree proposals for Greenpoint and Long Island City…we want to see carfree streets in all the boroughs.”
www.carfreebedford.com
