Will IKEA Be a Traffic Nightmare for Red Hook?
Today’s NY Post has a story that looks at the measures being taken to mitigate the car and people traffic that some believe is going to overwhelm Red Hook when the home-furnishings giant opens next month. First off, there’s going to be a free Water Taxi running between Lower Manhattan and IKEA every 40 minutes…
Today’s NY Post has a story that looks at the measures being taken to mitigate the car and people traffic that some believe is going to overwhelm Red Hook when the home-furnishings giant opens next month. First off, there’s going to be a free Water Taxi running between Lower Manhattan and IKEA every 40 minutes when the store is open. Second, the MTA is extending the B61 and B77 bus lines so they stop directly in front of the store, and IKEA is going to offer a free shuttle between the Borough Hall/Court Street, Smith/9th Street, and 4th Avenue/9th Street subway stops every 10 minutes. The closest subway stop to IKEA, Smith/9th, is more than a mile away from the store. The retailer built 1,400 parking spots and expects 14,000 cars to flock to the store every Saturday. John McGettrick, co-chair of the Red Hook Civic Alliance, believes that number is going to be closer to 20,000, and he says the traffic is going to sink Red Hook’s character. “There’s been no IKEA in this country ever put in a situation like this; most others like the ones in Elizabeth and Paramus in New Jersey have direct access off highways,” says McGettrick. “This is on a tiny peninsula that is basically a dead end.”
IKEA Goes to Se-a in Red Hook [NY Post]
Photo by marko boni.
The upper east around Gracie Mansion, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city, is further from the subway than many parts of Red Hook.
“But just in case they want to drive, IKEA officials said the city has agreed to hang over a dozen signs directing drivers from the BQE to IKEA, via the shortest routes on local streets.”
They better not hang signs in my neighborhood.
10:18 is on to something, but the “tired, lame” argument” you point out, I believe, is easy to poke holes through. I know of dozens of people (including my family) who would move to red hook in a heartbeat is there were more (or better) public transportation options.
10:18 – please name a few
It is such a tired lame argument that the reason Red Hook will not work as residential is because there is not enough mass transit. There are plenty of other neighborhoods in the city that are as far a walk from the subway and function very well as residential neighborhoods. If Red Hook went residential it would have no trouble attracting residents.
“Who could ever have imagined that an Ikea would cause traffic problems in Red Hook?”
-Condi Rice
This Ikea has highway access. It is less than one mile off the BQE. The Elizabeth Ikea is actually farther from the highway(a little more than one mile). Traffic at that toll is a nightmare.
Polemicist – the area will never work as residential without better mass transit – People may take boat plus bus etc… to go to this store every once in awhile (and have furniture delivered) but day in-day out, Red Hook is just too under served with transportation to make it viable for regular working folks.
Although with Free Water Taxi and free shuttle busses – I may have just found a way to commute for free.
“Ikea never would have been able to afford the land.”
Ikea could buy planet Earth if they wanted to. Are you aware how wealthy Mr. Ikea is? You might be shocked.