By Kathianne Boniello
A previous DOT study of the area conducted in December 1998 found there were not enough cars in the area to justify the installation of traffic controls such as a stop sign or speed bumps, a spokeswoman for the agency said Monday.
Residents said the narrow street, which runs from 40th Avenue to Northern Boulevard, has several turns and a steep incline and is often used as a shortcut for drivers trying to avoid traffic lights on Northern.
After a long wait, state Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside) successfully made another appeal for a traffic study of the area, which began in September and was slated to finish by Dec. 31.
In an Aug. 24 letter to Queens DOT Commissioner William Baier, Carrozza said “residents have advised me that 247th Street is still being utilized as a speedway and the need for the installation of traffic calming devices is extremely necessary.”
One resident of the street said after the previous DOT study, the agency installed a stop sign on 41st Avenue to halt cars approaching 247th Street.
“I would like to see something on 247th Street,” said Laura Bellacicco Cocchiarella, who has lived on the street for 13 years and has four kids. “I fear for my children.”
Bellacicco Cocchiarella said there has been at least one major accident on the street, which also serves as a shortcut for drivers going to the Little Neck railroad station.
“It's a very dangerous street,” she said. “I myself have almost been struck by a car.”
Although she has been contacting city officials since October 1998, Bellacicco Cocchiarella said she has received little response.
The DOT spokeswoman said the latest traffic study was expected to be completed by the end of the year.
In a June 1999 letter from Baier to Carrozza about the first traffic study, the Queens traffic commissioner said “these locations do not meet our preliminary criteria for a speed bump because of the existing curve and hill.”
The DOT waits at least 18 months between traffic studies, Baier said, because “experience has shown that traffic patterns and traffic growth in New York City do not change within a few months.”
