By Bill Parry
The focus on unsafe traffic patterns on bridges emptying into Long Island City has shifted from the Queensboro to the Pulaski bridge.
One week after NYPD Officer Elisa Toro crashed and died on a notorious off ramp in Queens Plaza South, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) warned of danger at the other end of Hunters Point.
Van Bramer called on the city Department of Transportation to install crosswalks and additional signage along 49th Avenue, where the Pulaski Bridge empties into Jackson Avenue. The area is known for speeding vehicles coming off the bridge and using the side streets as shortcuts to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel.
At a Monday morning press conference at the LHaus Condominium, at 11-02 49th Ave., Van Bramer said, “This is one of the most heavily used bridges connecting Brooklyn and Queens, cars and trucks come off the bridge and use the side streets, putting lives at risk.”
He said two large residential building are at the intersection adjacent to the off ramp and according to residents the heavily trafficked corner continues to suffer from an alarming number of vehicular collisions.
Van Bramer approached the DOT in November 2012 and requested that the agency study the intersection for crosswalks and traffic control measures. The DOT responded earlier this year that changes were not necessary.
“I will never understand why the DOT fails to act before a tragedy occurs, before we implement traffic safety measures,” Van Bramer said.
“The residents of LHaus Condominium have been requesting the New York City Department of Transportation to provide traffic signage at 49th Avenue and 11th Street,” said Greg Smith, president of the LHaus board of managers. “Vehicles are allowed to speed, without stopping, coming off the Pulaski Bridge onto 49th Avenue. This creates an extremely dangerous intersection due to the lack of clear crosswalk markings and stop signs or signals. As a building with 123 units with over 40 young children, it is imperative for this matter to be addressed immediately.”
LHaus resident Miguel Gonzales, a father of one child with another on the way, said, “To cross the intersection with a toddler is very difficult. I’ve been here for four years and have never seen an effort to make things safer.”
DOT spokesman Nicholas Mosquera said, “The agency will be studying the Hunters Point area for a future capital project that will be designed to enhance safety and improve mobility for this growing area. In the short term, the agency is taking a look at signage in the area.”
Van Bramer said, “The DOT looked at the area and said everything’s fine, but I see a clear and present danger to children in the buildings around this neighborhood.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
