Efforts Detailed At Council Meeting In Sunnyside
Bike safety was on the minds of residents attending the Tuesday, Mar. 27 meeting of the 108th Precinct Community Council at Sunnyside Community Services.
Carol Terrano, a member of Community Board 2, asked the precinct about bike summonses. Capt. Terry O’Toole, the precinct’s executive officer, noted that the precinct issued over 300 “C” summonses last year for reckless driving, and continues to issue more.
The precinct’s commander, Capt. Donald Powers, added that “we see more voluntary compliance lately.”
Over the past month, the precinct saw three bike accidents, the same as this point last year.
The number of bike accidents fell in 2011, from 94 the previous year to 70 this year.
Breaking it down further, O’Toole noted that the precinct classifies cyclists into three categories: younger cyclists “who don’t know any better;” commuter and fitness cyclists, who tend to have high rates of compliance; and delivery persons, who tend to not be as compliant with traffic laws.
The 108th is continuing to reach out to eateries in an attempt to get their delivery people compliant with the vehicle traffic laws.
Electric bikes have also been increasing in number, according to Powers, who stated that legally, “it’s treated as a human-powered bicycle.”
“There are thousands of bicyclists. … Bike lanes have increased exponentially,” said Powers, who added that if officers see wrongdoing, “we will take action.”
“I like to think we’ve had some positive effect,” he added.
Crime report
Crime was up 21 percent in the past week and 2.4 percent for the month, Powers stated, but remains down 0.7 percent for the year.
Tire and rim thefts-an issue in recent months-have decreased, with only two over the past 28 days. Powers could not give a reason for the decline but claimed that the 115th Precinct, which shares a border with the 108th, recently arrested someone for stealing rims and tires.
“It could be related, it could not be related,” he added.
The case of a man found dead in Calvary Cemetery “under suspicious circumstances” remains under investigation, according to the commander, as the precinct is waiting for the medical examiner’s report before making a determination as to what happened.
“In my time here, in almost two years, we’ve never had any crime at the cemetery,” Powers would later state. “It’s very safe.”
The precinct also has some “promising leads” on a scammer using Craigslist to collect payments for homes and apartments they do not own.
Powers urged residents to “try to vet these people as best we can, try their references, see what company they are affiliated with.”
“One of the telltale signs is that they only accept cash” to avoid a paper trail, he added,
Other news
Arthur Rosenfield of the Long Island City Chamber of Commerce introduced himself and his organization to the crowd.
The 33-member organization is in the process of reviewing bylaws in the hopes of filing an application for 501(c)6 status with the state.
“It’s strictly a grassroots business organization,” he explained. “It’s a very community-driven, businessdriven organization.”
The 108th Precinct Community Council meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.. at Sunnyside Community Services, located at 43-31 39th St. in Sunnyside.
