CB2 traffic committee hears DOT update on Open Streets, flags signage, barriers and safety concerns

Manhattan Community Board 2’s Traffic and Transportation Committee heard an update Wednesday on New York City’s Open Streets program from the Department of Transportation and operators from the Meatpacking District and Hudson Square.

The Department of Transportation said it is continuing to accept and review Open Streets applications and is coordinating reviews with sister agencies including the Fire Department and the police. Jennifer Young, of DOT’s Manhattan branch office, said the program is being made “less restrictive” to encourage more streets to open and that DOT provides a template and guidelines for signage but does not currently mass-produce signs.

The discussion focused on operational details that DOT and neighborhood partners say are slowing or complicating implementation: the weight and mobility of barricades, inadequate city signage, uncertainty over who may serve as partners to run streets, how to handle emergency access and the effects of recent unrest on open-street infrastructure.

“Right now, we are continuing to receive applications for OpenStreet. We are reviewing them internally, and we are reviewing each request individually with our sister agencies, sanitation, fire department, and PD,” Jennifer Young said. She added that while DOT prefers that an applicant include a partner to help manage an open street, “the…