School President Seeks Assistance
Pedestrian safety near a Middle Village school along with local traffic matters were hot topics during the joint Community Board 5 Transportation and Public Transit Committees meeting last Tuesday, Sept. 30, at Board 5′s Glendale office.
Michael Michel, president of Christ the King High School in Middle Village, was on hand to voice his concerns over student and pedestrian safety on the sidewalk outside of the school to committee members.
According to Michel, vehicles attempting to exit the school onto Metropolitan Avenue pose a safety hazard to the students and pedestrians utilizing the sidewalk in front of the exit.
Michel estimated that the school campus experiences an average of 450 vehicles entering and exiting the campus via the driveway on Metropolitan Avenue during the peak morning rush hour, generally between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. This increased volume of traffic is due in part to the addition of the new Middle Village Prep, a small charter school which houses students from grades six through eight, as well the day care center, Universal Pre-K and after-school programs also located on campus grounds.
According to Michel, an average of 300 to 400 students walk across the driveway exit each morning. This is in addition to the scores of commuters who also traverse the sidewalk on their way to the neighboring Metropolitan Avenue M train station.
Michel asked committee members to consider requesting funds in the upcoming city budget for the city Department of Transportation (DOT) to construct a curb at the exit where the sidewalk currently exists.
The committee members cautioned that the city would not accommodate the requests of private entities. Instead, they opted to place a request to the DOT for a traffic study at the campus exit at Metropolitan Avenue.
Board 5 Chairman Vincent Arcuri also asked Michel to formally outline the safety issues at the school. Arcuri also suggested that a volunteer be stationed near the driveway in question with a counter to obtain a more approximate number of students and pedestrians utilizing that stretch of sidewalk.
Shelter concerns
Community Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano voiced concerns over traffic safety surrounding the proposed homeless shelter site at 78-16 Cooper Ave. in Glendale.
In a letter to Derek Lee, the Queens borough commissioner of the Department of Buildings, Giordano placed a formal request for a professional traffic study at the site. Giordano cited concerns over the increased volume of traffic emerging from the Cooper Avenue underpass, as well safety issues regarding the many driveways, exits and entrances at the site itself.
“The Cooper Avenue sidewalk in front of this address is very narrow,” Giordano said, “and plans to house more than 100 families at this factory location would present very dangerous conditions for residents.”
Giordano asked Lee to request the traffic study from the property owner prior to moving forward with “questionable plans to convert this factory to residential use.”
Freight rail
Committee members also weighed in on local freight rail issues, including the influx of waste and trash hauled from Long Island through the area on the LIRR tracks to Fresh Pond Yard.
Nearby residents have long voiced outrage over rail noise and vibrations from increased rail traffic, as well as public health concerns over waste and contaminants hauled through the community.
Committee members explained that John Maier, cochair of the Public Transit Committee, would be working with Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions (CURES) on a “matrix presentation” for Albany lawmakers. Topics included in the proposed presentation are the overhaul of freight yards, public safety, noise reduction measures and a request for mandatory sealed shipping containers to protect the public and surrounding land from possible contaminated waste.
Capital projects
Committee members also discussed the progress of various local capital projects in the area, including the upcoming sewer line replacement on 74th Street in Middle Village.
The project would span the length of 74th Street from Juniper Boulevard South to Juniper Valley Road, crossing over Penelope Avenue. The members weighed issues surrounding the project, including concerns over the temporary loss of parking spaces, parking restrictions, access to private driveways and the possible storage of construction vehicles and equipment on local streets surrounding Juniper Valley Park.
Arcuri was in favor of extending to the designer or project manager an invitation to speak at an upcoming Board 5 meeting in the hopes of clearing up traffic and parking concerns.
Another capital project drawing concern is the much-needed sewer line reconstruction beneath the bridge carrying Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road above the Long Island Rail Road on the Ridgewood/Middle Village border.
According to committee members, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is calling for a revision of the sewer lines under the bridge. Part of the plan calls for the lowering or modification of existing LIRR tracks so that the DEP could successfully change the shape and aspect of the sewer line.
Committee members also voiced concerns over funding for the project. According to members, the LIRR did not consult Board 5 or the DOT before rebuilding the retaining wall and sidewalk at the corner of Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road.
Because the LIRR did not go through the proper channels prior to this refurbishment, they may have, according to board members, jeopardized the hope of receiving capital funds for the sewer line project.
Another area of concern involving the intersection is the installation of the mural surrounding the derelict Mobil gas station on the north side of Metropolitan Avenue. Some committee members explained that it was a “public art project” while others were concerned that it could potentially encourage illegal acts of vandalism or graffiti.
Other traffic issues
Members approved a request for a traffic light at the intersection of Seneca and DeKalb avenues in Ridgewood. The intersection is currently a four-way stop, however increased traffic from buses and pedestrians stemming from new construction near St. Aloysius prompted the board to approve the request for a signal.
The committees approved requests for speed bumps in the area on blocks plagued by speeders and increased traffic. Committee members denied a request that 64th Lane in Glendale be converted to an eastbound one-way street amid concerns that such a change could possibly “land lock” residents.
Instead, the committee voted to install speed bumps as a possible solution to help curb reckless drivers.
Other Glendale blocks requesting speed bumps include both 68th and 69th streets near Central Avenue. Residents of those blocks are concerned about vehicles speeding past a school crossing, as well as cars racing to make the green light on Central Avenue.
Members agreed to contact the DOT regarding a previously denied 2012 request to convert Mazeau St. in Maspeth to a oneway street southbound between Grand Avenue and the LIE.
The next Community Board 5 Transportation and Public Transit committees meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Board 5 office, located at 61- 23 Myrtle Ave. in Glendale. For more information, call 1-718- 366-1834.
