This Park Slope Traffic Light Is Confusing Pedestrians

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A traffic light at a busy Park Slope intersection has some pedestrians feeling dangerously out-of-step.

One Instagram user summed up many locals' sentiment about a new pedestrian-only signal at Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street this way: "It's very confusing."

"Signs don’t help," they continued.

Transportation officials months ago added a pedestrian-only signal as a safety feature at the intersection. Unlike most traffic lights in the city, pedestrians can only move with the "walk" signal and not with a green light.

Doing so enhances pedestrian safety, reduces turn conflicts and creates a more organized traffic flow, a Department of Transportation official told Patch.

"This allows an opportunity for pedestrians to cross without conflict," the official said.

But, for many locals, the new light only created confusion and concerns that pedestrians conditioned to walk with green lights will literally stride into danger.

Dozens of complaints about the intersection flowed into Council Member Shanana Hanif's office during the past year, she wrote in a recent newsletter to constituents.

Hanif's office pushed DOT officials for better signage, including during a recent safety walkthrough along Ninth Street following cyclist Sarah Schick's death a few blocks over. The newsletter stated the intersection only had one sign afterward.

"This is an improvement, but far from what our community needs," Hanif wrote. "My office will continue to push for better accommodations for our neighbors as they cross the street at this intersection."

A Patch reporter visited the intersection Thursday and found flyers at all four corners, although some arguably didn't appear easily noticed.

The flyers warn of "updated signal timing" and give a diagram of how the pedestrian-only phase works. The Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID also shared the flyers on Twitter and Instagram.

"You need to wait until all vehicles are stopped to cross, this can mean waiting for two light changes," the posts state.

But the online posts were met with skepticism.

"I haven’t seen those signs and am part of the many people who think 'the signal is broken', there should be more signs to explain this @nycdot," one person wrote on Instagram.

"Crossing streets is presently very complicated," another wrote.

Others expressed varying degrees of approval.

"I noticed this and thought it was great idea," one wrote. "But it was hard to understand at first without any kind of signs."