DOT: Will End Sideswiping
Claiming it will improve traffic flow and safety, the city Department of Transportation (DOT) plans to change a twoway Maspeth street into a one-way thoroughfare later this month.
In a letter sent to 70th Street residents that was forwarded to the Times Newsweekly, Community Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano advised of the DOT’s plan to switch a three-block stretch of the roadway between 51st and 54th avenues into a one-way road for northbound traffic.
The DOT, according to Giordano’s letter, indicated “the narrow roadway, coupled with parking on both sides of the street, makes it difficult for two opposing vehicles to pass each other.”
“We have been informed, as has the NYC DOT, that vehicles parking along 70th Street north of 54th Avenue have been sideswiped and had their mirrors knocked off by school bus drivers and others,” Giordano added.
Reportedly, the block has proven to be a safety hazard for pedestrians due to speeding traffic.
At times when there is congestion, long delays have also resulted, he noted.
The district manager also indicated that “some homeowners have also had water or sewer line breaks due to heavy vehicles rushing along 70th Street.”
Giordano stated DOT officials believe the proposed conversion “will ease traffic congestion during morning and evening rush hours.”
The change is scheduled to be implemented during the week of Apr. 14 while public schools are in recess, he wrote.
In addition to the conversion, the DOT is also considering installing a traffic signal at the intersection of 52nd Drive and 69th Street, he added.
