By Mark Hallum
Community Board 11’s Transportation Committee approved a motion to reconfigure Oceana Street to make it safer for bicyclists accessing parks and paths as well as students attending nearby schools at the Monday meeting.
The city Department of Transportation will divide the wide thoroughfare into a two-way bike lane on one side of the road, with parking between the lanes and vehicle traffic. The two-way bike lanes will be installed on the west side of the road with a turn lane on the overpass of the Long Island Expressway.
The project area DOT has set its sights on is between Horace Harding Expressway and the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway, a bike path which cuts mainly through parkland between the two boroughs. The northern end of this stretch is occupied by MS 74 and Holy Martyrs Day School, which sees foot and bicycle traffic from young people living in the neighborhood. The west side of the street is lined by Cunningham Park.
According to DOT, between 2010 and 2014, there were 25 incidents resulting in injury along that patch of roadway and three fatalities in the past seven years. The city agency attributed the incidents to confusion and congestion during peak hours.
“Since the project will span two community boards, the proposal is currently being reviewed by CB 8’s Transportation chair to determine if we will present it to their Transportation Committee,” a DOT spokesman said. “If approved, we would like to implement the project this summer.”
Concerns about the street were brought to DOT by Councilman Barry Grodenchik (D-Oakland Gardens), CB11 and MS 74 to create a safer environment around the school.
A DOT PowerPoint presentation to CB11 used Prospect Park West as a model for the plan they hope to implement on Oceana Street. Parking will protect bicyclists and narrow the street to make illegal and dangerous U-turns unfeasible for drivers. This connects Cunningham Park to the Greenway in a safe and controlled manor. It will also assist the flow of traffic by forcing drivers to slow down and limit space for double parking.
Parking regulations will be extended at MS 74 with 18 spots redesignated as “No Standing” zones from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the middle school.
CB11 also approved a unanimous motion to pay tribute to the late Frank Skala with a street co-naming sponsored by Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside). Skala was an American History and geography teacher in Bayside who had lived in the same Bayside home since the age three in 1940. He was a tireless community activist who worked to maintain the quality of life in Bayside and created a scholarship program for students entering college.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
