Some safety enhancements are coming to a new Bayside school campus, a local lawmaker announced on Tuesday.
A school slow zone will be effected around P.S. 376, the neighborhood’s newest public school. The site at 210-21 48th Ave. opened to students in September.
The city’s Department of Transportation will install signage alerting drivers to the slow zone, which decreases the speed limit from 25 to 20 mph during school hours, “as soon as possible,” according to Councilman Paul Vallone.
The city agency has already installed “No Standing School Days” signage, effective between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., at the following locations:
- The west side of 211th Street between 46th and 48th avenues
- The north side of 48th Avenue between 210th and 211th streets
In its first year, P.S. 376 welcomed a new class of pre-K and kindergarten students. The school will eventually provide pre-K through fifth-grade education.
Principal Clara Kang thanked the DOT for implementing the changes, but recognized that more work needs to be done to keep students safe.
“There are still additional safety measures we are waiting to be approved and installed, such as crossing guards and crosswalks, but we are thankful for this immediate next step at this time,” she said. “It will benefit not just our school, but our neighboring middle school, MS 158Q, since many of these students also cross 48th Avenue to take the MTA buses.”
Vallone, who worked with Kang to advocate for the changes, said the alterations will “improve the overall safety for students and residents of the surrounding area.”
“The safety of our kids always comes first and I applaud the DOT for their responsiveness to the concerns of the teachers and parents of this new and growing school,” he said.
