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• LITTLE NECK LEDGER
• WHITESTONE TIMES
Bayside resident demands traffi c safety
STANDING UP TO HATE
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A Bayside resident is
demanding traffic safety
along 46th Avenue following
a car crash that left her father
critically injured.
On March 12, a reckless
driver struck Isabelle Lu’s
father as he made his way
home across the intersection
of 215th Place and 46th Avenue.
EMS transported him to North
Shore Manhasset Hospital
where he remains in the
intensive care unit. Lu asked
that TimesLedger keep her
father’s identity anonymous for
privacy purposes.
The following day, Lu drafted
a petition addressed to the
Department of Transportation
(DOT), state Sen. John Liu and
City Councilman Paul Vallone
requesting the installation of
traffic safety features on 46th
Avenue. Since March 13, the
petition has garnered more
than 200 signatures. Lu has
also reached out to DOT, local
lawmakers and Community
Board 11 in the wake of the
collision.
CB 11 District Manager
“The cars are always
speeding down 46th Avenue
because it is the street right next
to the primary street Northern
Boulevard,” Lu said. “They
go to 46th Avenue to avoid the
stop lights and traffic safety
measured installed. There is
only one crosswalk installed on
216th Street and 46th Avenue,
but cars fail to slow down there
as well. It takes forever to cross
the avenue sometimes.”
She took photos along 46th
Avenue from Bell Boulevard to
Springfield Boulevard which
exhibited a lack of crosswalks,
stop signs, speed bumps or stop
lights on several blocks. There
is currently a stop light on Bell
Boulevard, a crosswalk at 216th
and a crosswalk and stop sign
at Springfield Boulevard. There
are no safety measures in place
at 215th Street, 215th Place, 217th
Street and 218th Street.
Lu has lived in Bayside
since her parents bought their
house in 1997. Growing up, she
and her sisters attended PS
31 and MS 158 and recalls her
father advising them to cross
at Bell Boulevard and 46th
Avenue “where the crossing
guard was.”
Joseph Marziliano told
TimesLedger that the advisory
body is “supporting her
request to the Department
of Transportation for traffic
“I am sure other parents
calming measures on 46th
have complained about the
Avenue near where her father
lack of safety features but the
was injured.”
city doesn’t do anything unless
Vol. 85 No. 12 52 total pages
someone gets hurt,” said Lu.
“The DOT told me that they
will look into 46th Avenue and
do a case study to see if that
avenue really needs safety
features such as speed bumps
or all-way stop signs on all
four corners of intersections.”
Lu said that she has spoken
to other residents via Facebook
who shared similar experiences
with crossing 46th Avenue.
“I live in the area and have
always found it to be insane
that there are no stop signs or
speed bumps on 46th Avenue,”
one resident said.
Another resident recalled
how neighborhood advocacy
helped to get a streetlight
installed back in the 1970s.
“I remember my mom and
all concerned Baysiders in the
area, protesting the intersection
of Bell and 46th. There was no
street light there at the time
and they walked in a circle in
the intersection blocking the
traffic. Since it was near the
school, kids were in danger of
being hit while crossing the
street. It worked. They put up
the streetlight,” the Facebook
user said.
Lu confirmed that her
father is recovering in the ICU,
but it will take him “a while” to
recover from his injuries.
TimesLedger has reached
out to DOT, as well as to
Vallone and Liu’s offices, and is
currently awaiting responses.
State Assemblyman David Weprin and state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky join the Queens Jewish community
to denounce hate during a rally outside the Kew Gardens Hills library. See photos on Page 4.
Photo by Dean Moses
David Esposito
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