If you live in building 1, you know how dangerous it is to cross the long, unprotected crosswalk along Grand Street on your way to Fine Fare. The light isn’t long enough to make it all the way without sprinting, and with no pedestrian island, and cars making turns from every direction, you’re left on your own in the middle of the street.

And if you live in building 2, you know how bad the sight lines are crossing Madison the short way. Cars often don’t see, or ignore, the first crosswalk. Especially when a city bus is parked at that bus stop, drivers can’t even see the first stop light and traffic sign, and head straight through the crosswalk to settle under the second stop light by building 2’s driveway.

After years of complaining, we’re going to do something about it. Leo Hoenig of the house committee has alerted NYC Department of Transportation of these dangerous crossings, and the issue has been placed on the agenda of CB3’s transportation committee meeting on Thursday, October 20. A transportation committee endorsement would push this issue to the full community board, and an endorsement there would compel DOT to analyze the intersection.

Thursday, October 20 — 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Downtown Art
70 East 4th Street
First floor theater

What we know about these kinds of bureaucratic procedures is this: the more people show up, the more likely you get what you want.

So please, if you’ve ever crossed these streets and cursed a driver, if you’ve ever been afraid to send your kids to the store or to school by themselves because of this dangerous intersection, take the time to come Thursday to make sure our community leaders understand how important this is to you.

The Lo-Down has renderings and info about the first buildings that will go up as part of the massive Essex Crossing development. Old buildings should start coming down this spring, and shovels may hit dirt this summer, but don’t expect this all to be over for another ten years.

Meanwhile, Curbed reveals that plans for underground parking have been scrapped by the DOT, citing concerns that adding a significant number of cars to the neighborhood would exacerbate a traffic problem already caused by the Delancey Street/Williamsburg Bridge thoroughfare.

Here are the first four building designs:

Site 2 is the big one, on the southeast corner of Essex  & Delancey. This is where the 14-screen movie theater will go, as well as the updated Essex Market. The tower will be 24 stories with close to 200 apartments.

Site 1 will take up the parking lot between Essex and Ludlow on Broome Street. An annex of Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum will face Essex Street, with other commercial spaces facing Ludlow and Broome. The 14-story tower will have 55 condos.

Site 5 is the one part of the project that touches Grand Street on the block between Clinton and Suffolk. A large supermarket is planned for the Grand Street commercial space (this is right across the street from Seward’s Fine Fare), a public park sits along Broome Street, and the 15-story tower will contain 211 apartments.

Site 6 sits east of Clinton Street between Broome and Delancey. The 14-story tower contains 100 apartments for low-income seniors. Grand Street Settlement is expected to run programs for seniors, and a health care clinic may take up residence on the first and second floors.

Michael Marino of Friends of Corlears Hook Park has posted a petition in support of a resolution to have the Department of Transportation look for ways to increase the safety of pedestrians crossing Cherry Street to use Corlears Hook or East River Parks.

Crossing Cherry Street is problematic for several reasons: there’s no stop sign for cars turning from the FDR Drive access road and there is very little visibility around the corner and around cars that are parked in no-parking spaces. A stop sign, a crosswalk, a speed hump, parking enforcement — any one of these could make a huge difference.

Please add your name to the petition.

The resolution has been approved by the CB3 traffic committee, and will be voted on by the full board on January 29. The resolution does not specify any one remedy, but asks the DOT to investigate the area and take appropriate action. Your voice will go a long way to move this issue forward.