Though some Columbia students avoid going to Claremont at all costs, one Bwogger and 47 Claremont resident has to cross the street every day to get home…and there are no crosswalks.
Claremont Avenue runs only 11 blocks (from 116th Street to Tiemann Place), and it completely lacks crosswalks. Though Google Maps shows crosswalks at 120th and 122nd, they seem to have since been paved over, and the new pavement creates another concern, too–that cars can drive faster down the street more easily (without the fear of potholes).
For residents of 47 Claremont and Elliot, the main concerns are the intersections of 116th and Claremont and 119th and Claremont (where students must cross over to enter Barnard’s campus). Claremont is always lined with cars (as most NYC streets are), but due to the construction on Barnard’s campus and the delivery entrance right by the Claremont entrance to Barnard, the street is also often doubly lined with bulky vans and trucks that are difficult to peek around when trying to look both ways before crossing the street.
While Claremont is obviously not as busy as Broadway or Amsterdam, we’re still convinced that we’re going to be walking back from 1020 (or, God forbid, Butler) some weekend night and get hit by the Uber of someone who didn’t feel like trekking back from Mel’s.
Check out the crosswalk-less street for yourself: