It’s going to be a bumpy ride for speeders along Juniper Boulevard North after the installation of three speed bumps last week.
The stretch along the north side of Juniper Valley Park has long been a source of community concern. Cars and motorcycles would routinely zip along the street, which had no traffic lights or stop signs, residents said.
After a request from Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and the approval from Community Board 5 (CB 5), speed bumps were installed at 78th Street, 77th Place and 75th Street to deter cars from speeding, according to a Department of Transportation (DOT) representative.
But on the south side, residents are calling for a traffic signal to make it safer for pedestrians to cross the street.
For over a year now, CB 5 has been asking the DOT to do a traffic signal study to possibly add a traffic light on Juniper Boulevard South.
“The transportation members of the board felt a traffic light would be more efficient on [the south] side,” said Gary Giordano, district manager of CB 5. “A lot of people go to the park each day. They should have a safe place to cross.”
The community board is calling for a light on 78th Street where there is an entrance to the park.
The request for a light at the intersection was denied once already by the DOT but the board is asking for a reconsideration.
The DOT did offer to put a speed bump in the area of 78th Street, due to a request from Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, according to a DOT representative.
But CB 5 turned it down because they would like to see a light there.
Board members feel that even though speeding is a problem all around the park, this spot would be safer with a traffic light because it will eliminate two problems: speeding and crossing issues, Giordano said.
The request for a reconsideration of a traffic signal study was made on March 31.
The DOT has yet to make a decision. Giordano hopes that the DOT will decide soon, especially because school is now back in session and P.S./I.S. 49 sits just two blocks away on 80th Street.
But if the DOT does again deny a traffic signal, Giordano said the board will be more open to other options.
“If the traffic signal gets denied again,” Giordano said, “then we will be more open to possibly putting a speed bump there.”
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