Some South Ozone Park residents are welcoming a bump in the road with open arms.
Community Board 10 recently voted unanimously in favor of installing a hump on 134th Street from Rockaway Boulevard to Sutter Avenue to curb the street’s speeding issue.
According to resident Claire Austin, 134th Street first became a danger zone close to 10 years ago when a Dunkin Donuts opened on the corner, bringing more traffic to the street.
“It’s something we’ve been trying to do for a while,” she said. “It was a long battle.”
Austin said she would watch from her 134th Street home as cars would quickly turn the corner and dangerously speed away.
“Cars were moving way too fast down a narrow, two-way street,” she said.
Now, she hopes the bump will finally put the brakes on lead-footed drivers.
“This will slow the cars down,” Austin said. “There are kids on the block. It’s not a retired community. There are a lot of young families with kids that we’re worried about.”
According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), the street has seen its fair share of injuries.
From 2006 to 2010, a DOT spokesperson said, 10 motor vehicle occupants were injured at 134th Street and Sutter Avenue, while one pedestrian, one bicyclist and 15 motor vehicle occupants were injured at 134th Street and Rockaway Boulevard.
According to Betty Braton, chair of Community Board 10, the speed bump will be installed in a few months.
