Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Traffic Changes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CB11 delays decision on Mars Park/Timbrook road conversions, urges neighborhood outreach
Summary
Community Board 11 discussed a DOT proposal to flip one‑way directions on short blocks near Mars Park Avenue (Timbrook/Newport) and raised safety and circulation concerns; the committee postponed further action until DOT can appear in May and proponents can present data and neighbor outreach results.
Community Board 11’s Transportation Committee read a proposal (SIP 03 0426) to convert Timbrook Avenue between Mars Park Avenue and Van Nest Avenue from one‑way northbound to one‑way southbound and to convert Newport Avenue between Mars Park and Van Nest from one‑way southbound to two‑way.
Committee members questioned the rationale for the conversion and whether it would create consecutive same‑direction streets and potential head‑on or circulation problems. “So, are they — are they doing two blocks?” a member asked, and others said they wanted direct outreach to neighbors and clearer DOT rationale before any change. The chair reported DOT staff who were expected to attend could not make the meeting and that DOT promised to return in May for a face‑to‑face discussion.
Residents in the gallery described practical problems the reconfiguration could create at nearby intersections, citing sight‑line issues where the existing intersection includes a bus stop, signal and crosswalk. Several speakers suggested options such as moving bus stops or altering signals rather than converting one‑way directions; they asked the committee to circulate letters to impacted addresses and to secure a clear engineering justification from DOT.
The committee also reviewed related local traffic items raised for DOT follow‑up: requests around Pelham Parkway and Boston Road congestion, a denied left‑turn signal request, and DOT’s commitment to address poor lighting at a White Plains Road/Pelham Parkway bus stop. The committee did not vote on the Mars Park conversion; members agreed to seek neighborhood outreach and to have DOT present final plans and engineering rationale at the May meeting.
