Could Grand Army Plaza become a car-free zone?

By Brooklyn Magazine Staff

Anyone who’s ever tried to navigate Grand Army Plaza on foot (or by bike) often find themselves unwittingly playing a game of real-life frogger. Drivers who need to get from one end of the plaza, which anchors the northern corner of Prospect Park, to another are also all-to-familiar with the congestion headaches.

That could be coming to an end.

The city’s Department of Transportation has begun the initial — presumably years-long — process of cutting cars and making Grand Army Plaza part of the successful (and mostly beloved) Open Streets plan on Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues. There’s no specific design just yet, however the agency has started seeking public input for how the space could be better uses for bikers and pedestrians.

“We want to take it to the next level and not just have it be reliant on people moving barriers at certain times of day, but having these turn into more consistent and better designed public spaces,” DOT deputy commissioner Eric Beaton told Gothamist. “I would say at the moment we’re not taking anything off of the table.”

Beaton hopes that financing the redesigned Grand Army could be pulled from the nearly $600 million Mayor Eric Adams announced earlier this year to improve the city’s roadways and plazas.

Not only could reducing cars on Grand Army could make the area more peaceful, it could also make it safer. The area has been a hotspot for accidents involving cars and cyclists, sometimes leaving bikers seriously injured.

So far, reaction to the inchoate plan has been met cautious optimism. Transportation Alternatives, a New York-based advocacy group for improved walking, biking, and public transit, tweeted that it’s “looking forward to the project.”

The DOT listened to the public on Saturday at Grand Army, presenting three ideas including one that would completely close Union Street to Plaza Street East and West to cars. A “small impact” idea involves just building out more greenspace around the roads.

The next public hearing will be on Wednesday at 6:30pm on Zoom.

Join us for a workshop to gather ideas for the long term capital vision for Grand Army Plaza in #Brooklyn.
11/12, 10AM-1PM: Grand Army Plaza Farmer’s Market
11/16, 6:30PM: Virtual workshop, register here: https://t.co/lhphRjhi0M
Share feedback online: https://t.co/iPzPZ2vQQH pic.twitter.com/WJXGGBlszf

— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) November 8, 2022