City To Install Traffic Light After Cops Mom Killed

As terrible as the accident was that cut her life short, Ann-Marie Byrnes may not have died utterly in vain. Last week The Queens Courier printed an article entitled "Cop Suing City After Her Mother Is Mowed Down In Woodside" as part of its "Mean Streets" series, detailing how the elderly Byrnes was struck and killed crossing a dangerous intersection in front of her house in Boulevard Gardens. Now, following a requisition for a traffic study from Community Board 1 (CB 1) in response to the Nov. 11 fatality, the Dept. of Transportation (DOT) will be installing a traffic light at the intersection of 56 St. and 31 Ave.
"Im happy. Thats the purpose and unfortunately its ten months too late, but whatever. Im surprised they acted this fast," said a stunned Officer Dawn Byrnes, Ann-Maries daughter. "Thats a good thing for the community, and the people that live there, and I hope this way that it wont have to happen again hopefully."
Officer Byrnes brother Thomas concurred, "I think its great and I think its long overdue. Unfortunately, it took a death for it to happen."
On Nov. 28, CB 1 District Manager wrote a letter to the DOT Borough Commissioner Joseph Cannisi articulating the hazards of the intersection, which is but one perilous crossing along the span of 31 Ave. between 54 and 61 St. a stretch of road that Delis categorized as a "speedway." In the letter, Delis described the precarious situation: "A shopping strip exists on the south side of 31st Avenue. Residents of the Gardens, many of whom are elderly, must cross the street to shop. The closest traffic light is at the intersection of 54th Street, which requires pedestrians to walk three blocks to cross safely. This is not only an inconvenience but also an extremely dangerous situation for many of the seniors. In addition, the topography of the avenue also impacts on the visibility of vehicles traveling the avenue, as the street peaks in the middle of this span and the visibility of vehicles is less obvious to a pedestrian on either end."
"My mothers worst fear in the world was crossing that street," Officer Byrnes had told The Courier, getting to the crux of CB 1s report.
Cannisi responded to Delis request a little over a month later. On Jan. 4, he announced that the Intersection Control Unit (ICU) of the DOT would "initiate a new traffic survey at this intersection."
On Tuesday, DOT spokesman Keith Kalb announced to The Courier that the 12-week study, which took into account vehicle and pedestrian volumes, geometry, signal spacing, and accident history, among other factors, was competed on Mar. 15. The study determined that the intersection was, as Officer Byrnes has decried, in need of a traffic signal. "It met its warrants due to two preventable accidents and high vehicle volumes on 31st Ave.," said Kalb. The DOT has scheduled the lights installation for Sept. 2002. Delis could not be reached for comment at press time.
Although the DOTs announcement marks a significant victory for the Brynes family, their ordeal is not over yet. In May, they go to court with the New York Police Dept. in an effort to prove that the police were negligent in investigating the scene of their mothers accident.