By Alex Ginsberg
Twice each day during the morning and evening rush hours reckless commuters turn a stretch of 80th Avenue in Glen Oaks into a treacherous speedway, local residents say.
But efforts to fix the problem by having a traffic light or stop sign installed have so far been unsuccessful.
“I'm crossing every morning, and it is like a drag strip,” said William Fay, a retiree who lives just off 80th Avenue on 268th Street.
There are no stop signs or traffic lights for an eight-block stretch along 80th Avenue, from 263rd Street to Langdale Street. That makes it a tempting choice for motorists looking to avoid Union Turnpike, either on their way east to the Nassau line or west to the Cross Island Parkway. The avenue is also unusually wide, which makes drivers feel safer speeding and encourages them to overtake slower cars despite a double yellow line.
“If someone comes up doing the speed limit, you have cars passing them on the right, a lane where someone should be parked or walking,” said Fay. “I don't even walk in the street anymore.”
Mary Beth Burke, a retired New York City police officer who lives near 268th Street and 80th Avenue, has been pressing for a traffic light, stop sign or speed bumps over the past year. She said she sent a petition with more than 75 signatures to several local officials, who passed her concerns along to the city Department of Transportation.
Carmine Circelli, chief of the intersection control unit at the DOT's traffic operations bureau, said his staff had conducted a study on two different intersections on that stretch of 80th Avenue and concluded that no devices were called for.
He said that under federal law, in order for an intersection to qualify for a four-way stop sign or a traffic light, DOT must document five preventable accidents over a 12-month period. There are also other factors that can be taken into consideration, such as traffic volume or the amount of pedestrians in the area.
Neither of the two intersections that DOT studied met the requirements, Circelli said.
But Burke and others contended that 80th Avenue has seen far more than five accidents over the past year, although they may not all have been at the same intersection.
Consulting records she kept, Burke said there had been four accidents on 80th Avenue and either 267th or 268th Street since October.
She and another neighbor also reported serious accidents where out-of-control cars went up on the sidewalks. In one instance, a car crashed onto a neighbor's lawn, she said.
Circelli conceded that his office could only count accidents that were reported to the authorities. He said that according to DOT policy, it would likely be summer 2004 before another study could be undertaken in the same area.
In the meantime, all local residents can do is walk with caution.
Jean Passarette, a teacher's aide who lives near 269th Street and 80th Avenue, said she will continue to fear for her two sons.
“I have one that's 13 and he's disabled, and a younger son who's 10,” she said. “I always cross with them. I would never let them go alone.”
Reach reporter Alex Ginsberg by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 157.
