Flushing streets much safer

Things should be easier and safer for senior citizens in Flushing, now that the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) has upgraded traffic lights at crosswalks as part of the citywide “Safe Streets for Seniors” program.
“Traffic fatalities in New York City are at an all-time low, but we remain ever more vigilant about our most vulnerable New Yorkers - seniors,” said Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, at the press conference announcing completion of the Flushing project on Tuesday, September 9.
According to figures supplied by the DOT, since 1990, pedestrian fatalities in New York City have decreased by 62 percent, but senior citizens remain a particularly vulnerable group.
A study of pedestrian fatalities from 2002 to 2006 showed that senior citizens -those 65 and over - made up about 12 percent of the city’s population but were involved in nearly 39 percent of the city’s fatal pedestrian accidents.
“Our community has the highest percentage of seniors in Queens and the city’s fifth largest population of residents aged 65 and older,” said City Councilmember John Liu, who represents the district and chairs the council’s Transportation Committee.
The focus area in Flushing includes several major corridors with boundaries of Northern Boulevard to the north, Sanford Avenue to the south, Main Street to the west and Parsons Boulevard to the east, along with a section of Kissena Boulevard extending to Holly Avenue.
Improvements included the changing of 45 signals in the area to allow more time for seniors to cross at 25 major intersections.
Markings along Northern Boulevard were upgraded and some intersections received new high visibility crosswalks. At Parsons Boulevard, DOT installed a Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) traffic light, which gives pedestrians a head start in the intersection before vehicles get the green light. The Linden Place intersection got a new signal and pedestrian crosswalk.
A concrete median tip on Northern Boulevard at Bowne Street was also installed for pedestrian protection.
DOT also installed sidewalk extensions that align the intersection and shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians on the northeast corner of Parsons Boulevard at Sanford Avenue and on the northwest corner of Kissena Boulevard at Elder Avenue.
Further project improvements include the installation of a painted median on Colden Street from Elder Avenue to Franklin Avenue. This will narrow the roadway and slow traffic.
DOT also calmed traffic on Bowne Street by narrowing the road from Sanford Avenue to Northern Boulevard with a “channelized median,” left turn bays and pedestrian refuge islands, placed at areas where crashes involving senior pedestrians had occurred.
A few more components of the Flushing project await completion. Enhancements at the intersection of Main Street and Kissena Boulevard are expected to be completed by the end of October.
The program is not just about construction; DOT will provide an extensive public education program for older adults in conjunction with its study of Flushing streets and every other neighborhood in the Safe Streets for Seniors program.
Beyond Flushing, aggressive strategies in Queens include making safety improvements along Parsons and Woodhaven Boulevards, creating a step street in Astoria and making traffic calming improvements in Sunnyside, according to DOT.
“Senior citizens represent only 12 percent of our population but they are nearly 40 percent of those killed or seriously injured in traffic accidents,” Sadik-Khan said, declaring, “Under our strategic plan, we are committed to improve pedestrian safety.”
Liu concurred, saying, “The least we can do is ensure [seniors] live with the dignity and security they deserve.”