WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?
“MAKE McGUINNESS SAFE” is a proposal to reduce McGuinness Blvd to TWO LANES ONLY by removing traffic lanes on both sides.
“Make McGuinness Safe” produced videos showing NYS Assembly Member Emily Gallagher and City Council Member Lincoln Restler endorsing a “vision” of McGuinness Blvd that thoroughly aligns with that of the powerful lobbying group “Transportation Alternatives.” Transportation Alternatives is an anti-car bike centric group with a stated mission to “reclaim New York City’s streets from the automobile” and is funded by major corporations such as Uber, Lyft, Blackrock, TwoTrees, Steve Hindy of Brooklyn Brewery (sits on the board of North Brooklyn Parks Alliance which has closed down Berry St., N15th, Bedford Ave, Driggs Ave. and Russel Ave.) and Amazon [see link here] – not by longtime residents and ordinary citizens of Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
“Make McGuinness Safe” produced videos showing NYS Assembly Member Emily Gallagher and City Council Member Lincoln Restler endorsing a “vision” of McGuinness Blvd that thoroughly aligns with that of the powerful lobbying group “Transportation Alternatives.” Transportation Alternatives is an anti-car bike centric group with a stated mission to “reclaim New York City’s streets from the automobile” and is funded by major corporations such as Uber, Lyft, Blackrock, TwoTrees, Steve Hindy of Brooklyn Brewery (sits on the board of North Brooklyn Parks Alliance which has closed down Berry St., N15th, Bedford Ave, Driggs Ave. and Russel Ave.) and Amazon [see link here] – not by longtime residents and ordinary citizens of Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
$39 million dollars has been allocated to NYS Assemblymember District Emily Gallagher and NYC Councilmember Lincoln Restler
to see that McGuinness Boulevard is redesigned.
There has been limited outreach to the community, business owners, and local residents about these proposed changes. The DOT is under the impression that the neighborhood is in favor of a "road diet", or lane reduction, which reduces the number of traffic or parking lanes on each side of the street in order to install bike lanes and limit traffic. Groups such as "Make McGuinness Safe" have been created to express a strong support of a "road diet". However, there are many community members that are in opposition of the changes proposed seeing as how they will significantly affect thousands of people and hundreds of businesses.
to see that McGuinness Boulevard is redesigned.
There has been limited outreach to the community, business owners, and local residents about these proposed changes. The DOT is under the impression that the neighborhood is in favor of a "road diet", or lane reduction, which reduces the number of traffic or parking lanes on each side of the street in order to install bike lanes and limit traffic. Groups such as "Make McGuinness Safe" have been created to express a strong support of a "road diet". However, there are many community members that are in opposition of the changes proposed seeing as how they will significantly affect thousands of people and hundreds of businesses.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has created three proposals in an effort to redesign McGuinness Boulevard
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The Keep McGuinness Moving organization is focused on building a safer, better.and operational Mcguinness Blvd for the community to utilize by amplifying the concerns of the unheard voices.
WHY DOESN'T THIS WORK?
While improvements to McGuiness Blvd are desired and needed, “Make McGuinness Safe” has been biased from the start with no sincere examination of the impact this proposal will have on our side streets, our residents, and the hundreds of local businesses who have been committed to our area for decades, in some cases for 100 years. Reducing McGuiness Blvd to two lanes, will push out many union jobs located in Greenpoint. Many businesses have spoken out about the economic impact of diminishing McGuiness Blvd with Assembly Member Gallagher and Council Member Restler. The politicians have decided to put the interests of their donors above the best interests of the community as a whole.
Reducing McGuinness Blvd to two lanes will:
- Divert considerable truck and car traffic to the quiet, narrow, one-way residential streets flanking McGuinness Blvd.
- Create extended backed-up congestion on McGuiness Blvd itself.
- Harm small business by making their storefronts and worksites less accessible for day-to-day needs/deliveries, and impede access for workers, owners and customers.
- Harm our local middle-class residents by driving away the union jobs and large employers of North Greenpoint that have been here for decades.
- Create delays for NYPD, FDNY and EMT’s while responding locally to emergencies and/or transporting patients to hospitals – none of which are nearby.
Reducing McGuinness Blvd to two lanes will:
- Divert considerable truck and car traffic to the quiet, narrow, one-way residential streets flanking McGuinness Blvd.
- Create extended backed-up congestion on McGuiness Blvd itself.
- Harm small business by making their storefronts and worksites less accessible for day-to-day needs/deliveries, and impede access for workers, owners and customers.
- Harm our local middle-class residents by driving away the union jobs and large employers of North Greenpoint that have been here for decades.
- Create delays for NYPD, FDNY and EMT’s while responding locally to emergencies and/or transporting patients to hospitals – none of which are nearby.