If the Democratic National Convention comes to Brooklyn in 2016, it won’t just bring a lot of windbag politicians to New York — it will bring a traffic nightmare.
Plans for the event call for a lane on the already car-choked Manhattan Bridge to be closed throughout the four-day convention for the exclusive use of buses ferrying delegates from Manhattan to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
City officials who are trying to sell Brooklyn as the 2016 convention site have come up with the congestion-causing plan because many delegates will have to bunk in Manhattan due to a lack of hotel space near the site.
“It will probably have a tough impact on the traffic situation,” said Robert Sinclair, a spokesman for AAA New York.
“I don’t think any bridge is ready for a dedicated lane, to be honest with you. The only roadway in our area that has a dedicated lane is the LIE. It’s tough. You don’t have the available road space to do those things without having an impact on traffic, particularly during rush hour.”
While New Yorkers will sit in traffic, officials insist the Democratic delegates will have a smooth ride.
Hoping to impress the Democratic National Committee site-selection panel, city officials staged a test Monday, and managed to get from the Palace Hotel in Midtown to the Barclays Center in record time in just 13 minutes, 25 seconds. Of course, they had a police escort.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said the delegates could expect to make similar swift runs in 2016.
“As we demonstrated here this morning, we participated in a 15-minute ride with dedicated travel lanes that we will commit during this convention. We can do it all. We are the place to be. We can move you,” he said.
It was unclear if the trip complied with the city’s new 25-mph speed limit.
Mapquest says the 6.37-mile route would take about 23 minutes in ideal conditions.
But that’s without lights and sirens — and without traffic clogs that most motorists would encounter.
Brooklyn has emerged as one of the top three contenders for the convention, along with Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio.
Both of those cities are in swing states.
A decision on which city gets the prize is expected to be announced by the end of the year or in early 2015.