Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza might soon become car-free

The Grand Army Plaza, one of the busiest traffic circles in Brooklyn, could become car-free in the near future. The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) plans to make changes to this area and connect it to the Open Streets on Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues. 

The main entrance to the Prospect Park has long been showing signs of neglect. The poor sidewalk conditions and the racing traffic made this area unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists. Safe street activists and local authorities, including Brooklyn City Council members Crystal Hudson and Shahana Hanif, asked the city to address these concerns.  

“As you know, the area surrounding Grand Army Plaza — the main entrance to Prospect Park and a key artery for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers — is home to more than 1,500 residents that reside in 900 apartments,” Council members Hudson and Hanif wrote in the letter to the DOT Commissioner. “Yet the area is in a state of disrepair — defined by endless traffic, poor sidewalk conditions, broken benches, and overflowing trash cans and litter.”

Brooklyn City Council members call the city to fix sidewalks, fill empty tree pits, and add more traffic lights and synchronize them. According to 6sqft, the DOT plans to fund these improvements using the money from a nearly $1 billion investment that Mayor Eric Adams pledged to the city earlier this year. 

Currently, the city is asking community members to share their vision of the potential changes to the Grand Army Plaza and its surrounding area. The transportation agency invites New Yorkers to join their virtual workshop on November 16, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. 

"We want to take it to the next level and not just have it be reliant on people moving barriers at certain times of day, but having these turn into more consistent and better designed public spaces," said DOT Deputy Commissioner Eric Beaton. "I would say at the moment we're not taking anything off the table."

Resources:

“Exclusive: DOT eyes Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza as NYC's next car-free space,” by Stephen Nessen (Gothamist, 2022)

“NYC is considering making Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza car-free,” by Aaron Ginsburg (6sqft, 2022)

“Will Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn go car-free?” by Anna Rahmanan (Time Out, 2022)

“Should Grand Army Plaza go car-free? DOT, safe streets advocates ask neighbors to weigh in,” by Jennifer Bisram (CBS New York, 2022)