A battle in Brooklyn over a busy road has reached a boiling point.
“We are shocked and confused and disappointed,” said Kevin LaCherra of Make McGuinness Safe.
What You Need To Know
- Members of Make McGuinness Safe held a rally in Greenpoint Friday, voicing their disappointment with the mayor’s decision to scrap a contentious plan to redesign McGuinness Boulevard
- The initial redesign plan would have eliminated one lane of traffic in either direction and installed parking-protected bike lanes
- Over the last decade, three pedestrians have died in traffic accidents on McGuinness Boulevard
- The city Department of Transportation is reviewing community feedback before finalizing a new design for McGuinness Boulevard
On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams ordered the city Department of Transportation to pump the breaks on a contentious plan to redesign McGuinness Boulevard — a mile-long, four-lane roadway in Greenpoint that runs between the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Pulaski Bridge.
Adams is calling on the Department of Transportation to come up with alternatives amid growing backlash from residents and local business owners.
“I’m sure people looked at him and gave him the info,” said Chris Miskiewiscz, a Greenpoint resident and opponent of the redesign plan. “He saw what it was and thought logistically, ‘this is impossible because logistically it makes no sense.'”
The Adams administration did support the initial redesign plan, which would’ve eliminated one lane of traffic in either direction and installed parking-protected bike lanes.
“Being one lane. There’s no way it can handle the amount of traffic that goes through there. It’s hundreds of thousands of cars go through there a week,” Miskiewiscz said.
The mayor’s pivot has led to outrage from longtime supporters of the plan.
“This neighborhood has been organizing exhaustively for the last two years,” LaCherra said. “This doesn’t change anything at all. We’re gonna push and continue. We’re not gonna stop until McGuinness Boulevard is safe.”
Members of Make McGuinness Safe held a rally in Greenpoint Friday, voicing their disappointment with the mayor’s decision. Cyclists and pedestrians say the city should prioritize bike lines and deter cars and trucks from using McGuinness Boulevard.
“Why do I have to go around and take a side street when I’m the one making the better choice for the planet and the city?” said Greenpoint resident Cole Kennedy.
But both supporters and opponents of the plan can agree on one thing: McGuinness Boulevard is dangerous. Over the last decade, three pedestrians have died in traffic accidents there.
“Greenpoint needs a safe street in McGuinness Boulevard. People are getting hurt. People are dying,” LaCherra said.
Supporters of the initial plan are pointing fingers at the Argento family, which owns the Greenpoint-based company Broadway Stages. Some have accused the family of using their influence to drum up opposition to the redesign and ultimately get the mayor on their side.
“The previously proposed bike lane expansion plan, which was based on flawed data and outdated traffic studies, poses a catastrophic threat to the future of Greenpoint. We applaud the mayor’s leadership and recognition of the over 6,000 local residents and hundreds of small businesses who are vehemently opposed to this disastrous idea,” a spokesperson for Broadway Stages said in a statement.
The Department of Transportation is reviewing community feedback before finalizing a new design for McGuinness Boulevard.
