Say Oz. Pk. Street A Risk To Children
In an effort to create safer roadways near P.S. 63, the Old South School, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder has reached out to the city Department of Transportation (DOT) requesting an immediate survey and review of the dangerous streets surrounding the school on Sutter Avenue between 90th and 91st Street in Ozone Park.
“I have personally visited the area and I am concerned by the significant lack of traffic control devices to deter speeding vehicles,” Goldfeder said. “The current situation is unacceptable and is putting our families and children at risk.”
Goldfeder recently sent a letter to the agency requesting they do a thorough investigation of all the roadways surrounding the school but specifically asked that they explore the possibility of installing speed bumps or a traffic light to curb speeding vehicles.
“Since the beginning of this school year, we have had a chronic problem at P.S. 63 during arrival and dismissal times with parents who double and triple park on Sutter Avenue and on side streets, which not only impedes the flow of traffic, but can be a danger to our students,” said P.S. 63 Principal Diane Marino. “Our goal is to maintain a safe school environment for all students, and we have been continuously looking for ways since the beginning of the year to correct the situation, but the unsafe conditions persist.”
In his letter, Assemblyman Goldfeder noted that crossing the streets around the school is an accident waiting to happen due to dozens of double parked cars clogging the main roadways at arrival and dismissal times and speeding drivers refusing to follow the speed-zone laws.
“School officials, parents and community leaders have been fighting for safer streets for too long and should not have to wait for a tragic incident to get results,” said Assemblyman Goldfeder. “I urge the Department of Transportation to take every action necessary to keep our children safe as they walk to and from school.”
The DOT hasn’t said when then survey will be completed, a representative from Goldfeder’s office told the Times Newsweekly. Typically, the studies take between 12 weeks and six months, according to the representative.
