‘Save the Slip’: North Brooklynites Urge DOT to Keep Temporary Plaza

A temporary plaza on the half-block northern end of Bedford Avenue must continue be car free, as north Brooklyn residents and lawmakers pushed the Department of Transportation to not revert the so-called Bedford Slip to private vehicle traffic in the coming days.

The short offshoot of Bedford north of Nassau Avenue became a haven of public space for Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents after DOT closed it to traffic as part of the G train shutdown, but it’s slated to return to business as usual on Monday, as the area’s subway repairs are done.

“It’s so much more pleasant to sit in an area with people, rather than have a car go by every few minutes and you’re just inches away from someone’s exhaust pipe,” said Amy Pekal, a member of the McCarren Park Demonstration Garden, which has hosted events on the slip.

The city barred cars from the 160-foot strip near McCarren Park by banning left turns from Nassau to keep G train replacement shuttle buses moving more smoothly.

Subway service on the northern end returns at the beginning of next week as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s repairs of the ancient signaling system move on to the southern end of the line, but the managers of the plaza said the car-free street has been working well and should continue.

“It has run very smoothly, it has been a cleaner street, it has been more used by the community, and many of the businesses on the block are very happy that they have the pedestrian space in front of their storefronts available,” said Katie Denny Horowitz, executive director of the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance.

The small open street yielded big gains by turning the corner into a community gathering space with tables, chairs and planters, along with weekend events like thrift markets, art workshops, and a regular Sunday dinner.

“This is what public space can be. What used to be seven metered parking spaces and a glorified left turn is now a beautiful plaza in the heart of Greenpoint, and that’s what we want to keep,” said Kevin LaCherra, a local street safety advocate. “It would be a tragedy for this to go back to being just a left-hand turn and some metered parking spaces.”

More than 3,100 people have signed a petition in support of Bedford Slip, said Transportation Alternatives. And local pols, including Rep. Nydia Velázquez, have gotten on board, sending a letter in support to DOT [PDF].

“I urge your agency to continue this vital public space project as a permanent fixture. This space has become an invaluable resource for our community and visitors alike, providing a safe and welcoming public space,” the longtime rep wrote to DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodríguez.

Local State Senator Kristen Gonzalez echoed the call in another letter [PDF] to DOT leaders.

“The Department of Transportation’s support for this initiative has allowed our community to experience firsthand how the Bedford Slip functions as a day-to-day pedestrian plaza,” Gonzalez wrote. “Over the past five weeks, with the backing of the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance and local volunteers, the plaza has become a cherished addition to the neighborhood.”

The city could move the former left turn from Bedford onto Manhattan over to Nassau, and install nearby loading zones for businesses that need deliveries.

The three-way intersection at the northern tip of McCarren Park at Bedford, Lorimer and Nassau counts some of the highest foot traffic in north Brooklyn, according to DOT data from 2019.

Open space advocates previously closed off the street for a handful of days a year beginning in 2022, but that effort didn’t lead to a permanent closure, possibly due to some opponents worrying that it “would create more traffic and potentially unsafe conditions that could cause more accidents [sic]” — issues that have not come to pass.  

In fact, cars were the real danger, such as when a pickup driver slammed into a woman and pinned her against one a boulder in 2020, severely injuring her.

The burgeoning plaza is part of a larger effort to reclaim more spaces for people around McCarren Park, including the similar pedestrianization of Banker’s Anchor, a section of N. 15th Street between Banker Street and Nassau Avenue, the mile-long pedestrian and bike boulevard on Berry Street, and removing cars from Driggs Avenue passing through the neighborhood’s main park, dubbed Driggs Passage.

“It’s one of a network of plazas and open streets that not only adds to the footprint of mccarren park, but it also provides greater connectivity among parks and between Greenpoint and Williamsburg, connecting these two communities with open space and green corridors,” said Denny Horowitz.

DOT declined to comment for this story.