A Mothers Grief Drives Her Crusade

Marking the one-year anniversary of her daughters tragic death, a grieving mother vowed to hound politicians and the city in order to make Queens Boulevard a safer place.
Sharon Bush whose daughter, Caprice, and her co-worker, Sharon Rivers, were fatally crushed July 10, 2003, by an SUV while standing on a pedestrian island on Queens Boulevard held a small memorial service for the two victims at the site of the deadly accident Saturday. There, Bush announced she had quit her job to make improving the safety of the infamous roadway a full-time crusade. She also made a plea for the construction of pedestrian overpasses along the boulevard.
"We are putting them on notice today, that this is no longer acceptable," the mother said of local politicians up for re-election in 2005 who have not actively pursued safety improvements along the boulevard. She plans to rigorously lobby them for their support this January; otherwise, she would work to vote them out of office.
Bush, dressed in purple at the service her daughters favorite color complained that she has heard little from politicians who publicly called for more safety precautions during a memorial service for the two victims last July. At the one-year anniversary, despite requests by Bush, no politicians were in attendance.
The mother called for overpasses similar to the one recently erected in midtown Manhattan for the Republican National Convention at the end of August. Though the bridge was built with $1 million of the Republican National Committees money, Bush said the pols and the city could find similar funding.
Citing logistical and monetary drawbacks, the Department of Transportation (DOT) was not so warm to the idea of overpasses on Queens Boulevard. DOT spokesperson Tom Cocola said his agency was "disinclined" toward pedestrian bridges due to construction time and costs, including expenses for wheelchair accessibility a difficult endeavor considering how wide the boulevard stretches.
Nevertheless, Cocola did say he would not completely rule out the idea of overpasses.
"We are open to everything," he told The Queens Courier.
The DOT spokesperson did cite numerous modifications completed this year and in years past to make the roadway safer. Since 2001, pedestrian fencing has been placed along the boulevard to dissuade jaywalking. In addition, crossing times at intersections have been increased.
Cocola also indicated that the last three pedestrian deaths on Queens Boulevard were due to human error rather than engineering problems. Caprice Bush and Sharon Rivers, two of the three most recent victims, were killed by an SUV that had been struck by a car driven by a motorist with a neurological condition who had an attack while driving.
Bush, however, was not satisfied with DOTs safety initiatives nor those of local politicians. At the one-year anniversary, she was pointedly critical of Councilmember John Liu, Assemblyman Michael Cohen and Congressman Anthony Weiner all of whom attended last years memorial service for the women and called for safety improvements.
In response Councilman John Liu called Bushs statements fair, but he also told The Queens Courier that, as the chairman of the City Councils Transportation Committee, he has spoken extensively this past year with DOT about safety improvements on the boulevard.
"The DOT has over the years and, since Ms. Bush was tragically felled, implemented additional measures to enhance safety, but it is not enough," he said.
Arguing that overpasses exist at other thoroughfares in the city, Liu stated that bridges on Queens Boulevard should be considered particularly for residential sections that the roadway wends through.
"Although they are incredibly expensive, saving lives is worth the cost," the councilman said.
Liu stated that the MTA should also play a role in keeping pedestrians on Queens Boulevard safe. Underpasses already exist on the boulevard where there are subway stops.
"Part of the solution lies in the MTA making these underpasses more accessible to pedestrians, and making them safe and secure that pedestrians will have the confidence to use them," he said.
Eighty-four pedestrians have died and an untold amount have been injured on Queens Boulevard in the last 10 years. Caprice Bush, 23, and Sharon Rivers, 34, co-workers at JP Morgan Chase, were killed at the boulevards 78th Avenue intersection while on their lunch break.