By Anna Gustafson
Community Board 8 representatives are breathing a collective sigh of relief after the city Department of Transportation approved a request from the Kew Gardens Hills Civic Association and CB 8 for several cramped neighborhood streets to become one−way.
The DOT last week agreed to convert 70th Avenue, 70th Road, 71st Avenue and 71st Road to one−way streets from Main Street to 137th Street in “an effort to improve safety and mobility in the area,” DOT spokesman Monty Dean said.
The decision has been welcomed by residents on those streets, Kew Gardens Hills Civic Association President and CB 8 member Patricia Dolan said.
“The streets in Kew Gardens Hills are very narrow, and it’s very difficult for two vehicles to go down the street in the opposite direction and almost impossible when one vehicle is a delivery truck or large utility vehicle,” Dolan said.
“This is going to improve the flow of traffic and make those streets less hazardous. There’s a large number of children living on those streets. It will make life easier for a lot of people.”
Dolan brought the request to CB 8 last spring after area residents expressed concern to Dolan about the streets that were difficult to maneuver. While there have been no serious accidents on those roads in recent years, there have been “a lot of fender benders and people scraping their cars and knocking off side mirrors,” Dolan said.
CB 8 District Manager Marie Adam−Ovide had sent about 100 signatures from residents on 70th Avenue, 70th Road, 71st Avenue and 71st Road to the DOT as part of the request to implement one−way streets
“They are too narrow to have them be two−way streets,” Adam−Ovide said. “Sometimes a car has to find a spot to pull in and let the other pass.”
The streets are expected to officially become one−way by this May.
Reach reporter Anna Gustafson by e−mail at agustafson@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 174.
