QUESTION
Council Member Aviles Asks EDC About Concrete Investments in Traffic Mitigation for Red Hook
0:36:15
·
6 min
Council Member Alexa Aviles inquires about the Economic Development Corporation's (EDC) concrete financial investments toward traffic mitigation in Red Hook. She presses for detailed breakdowns of past spending and future commitments, emphasizing the need for real solutions beyond surveys. EDC representatives outline the $350,000 already committed and the comprehensive strategies involving transportation planning and coordination with NYPD and NYC DOT to address the challenges posed by larger cruise ships and increased truck traffic.
Speaker 2
0:36:15
I think the point that I'm driving at is that the survey of passengers does not equate a full comprehensive traffic mitigation plan and the investment that it requires.
0:36:30
And I would like to know from the EDC what is the full amount of concrete investment that was actually made?
0:36:39
There was a good number of gestures put forward.
0:36:42
Obviously, the most concrete one is the is the the traffic consultant.
0:36:48
Who did very concrete work.
0:36:50
So I would love to know very clearly what the actual investment were was into Redhook around traffic mitigation.
0:37:00
And what is gonna be the the investment moving forward since a good number of the issues actually were not fully addressed and we will see repeating again in this cruise in this cruise time.
Speaker 8
0:37:14
Thank you, council member.
0:37:16
Before I hand it over to my colleague to answer the questions about the investments to date, I do just want to be clear that we agree with you that survey questions from the cruise industry do not represent comprehensive traffic mitigation plan, and it's certainly not our intent to imply that it does.
0:37:37
The intention is to be clear that the data that those cruise companies provide to us will be critical for thinking about creative solutions, for ensuring that their path passengers are not always driving personal vehicles or taking rideshare services into the neighborhoods.
0:37:56
So if we have more clear information about where their passengers are coming from, it helps us to make smarter decisions about things like shuttles and increased ferry service and other public transportation opportunities.
0:38:12
But I do wanna kick it to Andrew, who leads our transportation team, who's really worked very closely with our transportation planning consultants.
Speaker 6
0:38:20
Yes.
0:38:21
Thank you, Mikael, and thank you, council member.
0:38:25
I think the best way to answer the question is to say that our commitment already has we've spent about $350,000 towards a mitigation plan, and we intend to spend more until we get it right.
0:38:38
I want to emphasize that EDC is committed to getting it right.
0:38:43
I also want to give you a little history because I've been here at EDC for a bit.
0:38:48
There was a traffic transportation plan done in 2015.
0:38:53
I also want to emphasize that when EDC leased peerles 1112 to build the Brooklyn cruise terminal in the early 2000, It was explicitly done so that the entrance and exit to the terminal would be away from the commercial corridor on Ben Brown Street.
0:39:14
And for many years, that worked very, very well.
0:39:18
What changed was Like all of the maritime industry, you know, the ships have gotten larger, and that's affected both, you know, passenger ships as well as cargo vessels.
0:39:29
And so what our commitment now is updating all of that work using WSP as our consultant They one of the things that they had recommended was really to understand the origins and destinations of the cruise passengers so that we can catch the passengers from where they're coming, use shuttle buses, use mass transit to the largest extent possible.
0:39:57
So that there are fewer vehicles coming into Redhook.
0:40:00
At the same time, the commitment to use the traffic enforcement agents to supplement NYPD traffic agents during those cruise events has really proved beneficial.
0:40:13
And then one of the things that we're doing too closely with New York City DOT on the traffic master plan is to make sure that all the signage, all the way finding devices with, you know, with Google, with Apple, with ways, all of that is directing people appropriately into and out of the Redhook community.
0:40:35
So there there will be a lot of work and beginning well, it's happening now and continuing and close concert with your office.
Speaker 2
0:40:45
Thank you.
0:40:47
Certainly, we are well aware of your long history of of working with the community.
0:40:52
I mean, since 2015, the other very notable change in the community is not just the size of the ships, but the proliferation of last mile facilities, which EDC knows very well.
0:41:04
Bringing thousands of trucks into a community with one exit.
0:41:10
So how none of this was considered with a ship with 5000 individuals and 25100 staff employees to service the ship.
0:41:22
Is mystifying to me, quite frankly.
0:41:26
However, we're gonna try to move forward in good faith.
0:41:29
They would like your office to provide us with a breakdown of what that $350,000 went to so that we have a clearer understanding.
0:41:41
And moving forward, what is it gonna tangibly look like?
0:41:44
Because there are still many signs that haven't been posted, there are still many ish shoes that remain, I would like to know how much NYPD resources were utilized to subsidize, of the cruise industry.
0:41:59
I'm not sure this is a good use of taxpayer dollars, but I'd like to see that in the breakdown.
0:42:06
I think in moving on to SurePower, I I agree.
0:42:12
I I appreciate that your trying to use data, we advocate for data to show the bottom line.
0:42:19
And in fact, I also like to verify the data and ensure that we're just not repeating cruise lobby data who are are specifically focused on protecting their bottom line.
0:42:33
So our goals might be very different.