By Mark Hallum
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) announced the city’s Dept. of Transportation granted his request for all-way stops at two Queens intersections last Friday.
Responding to constituent complaints about the safety of the crossroads of Smedley Street and Coolidge Avenue in Flushing, and the intersection of 263rd Street and Williston Avenue in Bellerose, Avella requested that the DOT conduct a study of traffic patterns in the area in 2015 and 2016.
“I’m happy to report that DOT has informed me that the community’s calls for additional traffic controls at these two locations have finally been approved,” Avella said. “The addition of an all-way stop at these intersections will go a long way in improving traffic safety in our neighborhoods. I am glad that I was able to help two Queens neighborhoods secure this extra safety measure.”
Alexandra Karas, a constituent who put in a complaint with Avella’s office, said she was pleased with the response she received from the city on the matter.
Avella held a news conference in April calling on the DOT to install a left turn signal at the intersection of 35th Avenue and Francis Lewis Boulevard, a spot daunting for drivers with congestion and unpredictable patterns of oncoming traffic traveling southbound on Francis Lewis.
Avella said he had put in the request years ago and only recently was it turned down.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
