We the constituents who live and work in Prospect and Crown Heights, petition our elected officials for:

The immediate suspension of the Open Streets program on Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues pending further review. The prioritization of the safety and well-being of our elderly and disabled residents, and the quality of life of our community as a whole. 

• The disruption of public transportation and blocking of taxi access has had serious, negative impacts on our mobility-limited, elderly, and disabled community members, as well as their caregivers.
• Indoor dining, travel, Barclays Center events have returned to pre-pandemic levels and multiple high-rises have gone up, resulting in significant increases in residents and visitors. The closures of Vanderbilt and Underhill and increased travel is causing undue stress and burden to residents and emergency responders.
• We appreciate the well-intentioned effort to reduce traffic in our community, but the experimental closing of Vanderbilt and Underhill has done the opposite. Jammed, idling traffic stuck on adjacent streets is causing unhealthy and intolerable amounts of stress, noise and air pollution to community members. The immediate suspension of the redesign of Underhill Avenue into a bike avenue until further review.
• The DOT's assertion Underhill Avenue is hazardous and requires a radical, costly redesign does not match the experience of community members. Moreover, the constituents most seriously impacted by the DOT’s proposal have not been properly notified, nor given any meaningful opportunity to participate. Before implementing any permanent modifications to Underhill, we petition that you require the DOT to conduct a comprehensive outreach effort, in multiple languages, to educate and involve all stakeholders, and to present a thorough review of Underhill Avenue injury data for community evaluation and consideration. A coordinated, comprehensive plan to address impacts of any street closures or redesigns and meaningful outreach to ensure informed decisions are made to serve the community as a whole.

Despite the community's repeated efforts to address the issues above with the PHNDC, the unelected group managing the Vanderbilt and Underhill closures, they have so far declined to engage in any meaningful interaction with the community, or offer any plan to alleviate the adverse effects resulting from these street closures. Nor have community members received any reporting from our elected officials or city agencies regarding the effects the closure of Vanderbilt and Underhill are having on our health, accessibility, air quality, resilience, or emergency response time.