Astoria community members call on DOT to study
‘dangerous’ 24th Ave. after death of delivery worker
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
Councilman Costa Constantinides
and local community
members are calling on the
Department of Transportation
(DOT) to drastically improve
24th Avenue in Astoria, where
delivery worker Mario Canales
was killed while riding a scooter
last month.
“For too long, 24th Avenue
has functioned like a piecemeal
highway, with dangerous
turns and cars speeding into
the middle of intersections to
check for oncoming traffic,”
said Constantinides. “The DOT
must look at this avenue, from
21st Street all the way to where
it meets the Grand Central
Parkway at 37th Street, and
determine what measures will
improve the health and safety
of all Astoria residents.”
During a Zoom press conference,
Constantinides said
he made a formal request for
the study in a letter to the
DOT on Oct. 13. The Astoria
native outlined some of the issues
of 24th Avenue, noting the
two-way street is still used by
trucks from 21st to 29th streets,
despite measures to prevent
the vehicles from getting stuck
as they approach the Robert
F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly
known as the Triborough
Bridge).
He said he followed up on
a previous request from last
year, asking the DOT to find
an alternative route for large
trucks, given the current path’s
proximity to an elementary
school.
Mario Canales, who was a
27-year-old father of two living
in Woodside, was traveling
eastbound on 24th Avenue
while operating a 2020 Yamaha
Chappy Scooter on Sept. 23, according
to the NYPD Highway
District’s Collision Investigation
Squad. He was approaching
the intersection at 33rd
Street — with no traffic signal
— when he struck a white 2005
Chrysler Town & Country, police
said.
Canales was heading back
to his restaurant at the time of
the crash.
“We’re seeing buildings going
up, we’re seeing new businesses
added to the streetscape.
We’re not seeing the traffic
calming, and the street design
keep up with what is happening
in the community,” said Constantinides.
“As we’re seeing
new buildings go up, as we’re
seeing new things happening,
there has to be a response.”
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.18 COM | OCT. 23-OCT. 29, 2020
A DOT spokesperson told
QNS they’re received the requests
from Constantinides.
“We are reviewing the
requests from the Council
member and the advocates,” a
spokesperson said.
Senate Deputy Leader Michael
Gianaris backed Constantinides’
call for a safer 24th
Avenue.
“Fatal crashes are unacceptable
and we need to take
action to prevent further senseless
deaths,” said Gianaris. “I
urge the DOT to implement
desperately needed safety measures
as soon as possible.”
Constantinides was joined
by Chair of Community Board
1 Marie Torniali, Queens Organizer
for Transportation Alternatives
Juan Restrepo, Julie
Huntington of Families for Safe
Streets as well as a representative
from Assembly member
Aravella Simotas’ office.
Simotas urged for the DOT
to conduct a full traffic study.
“There’s no question that
drivers treat many parts of
Astoria as open roads. So, it is
prudent and important to study
each major avenue and street
with an eye towards installing
new traffic calming measures
and improving public safety,”
said Simotas. “Mariano
Canales deserves justice. Astoria’s
pedestrians, bicyclists
and drivers deserve safe streets
and the DOT should meet its
responsibility of studying 24th
Avenue and making whatever
changes are needed to prevent
unnecessary, future tragedies.
This is the responsible thing
to do.”
Constantinides and advocates
say 24th Avenue is particularly
dangerous from 31st
to 37th Street, due to the road’s
diagonal pathway, on a hill and
feeding into Grand Central
Parkway.
They say cars will often
speed down side streets, stop
deep into the intersection,
and look for oncoming traffic.
Meanwhile a limited view on
the street has presented serious
safety risks to pedestrians,
cyclists and drivers.
“I walk many times to work
from 23rd Street and 24th Avenue,
all the way to 37th … it
is a scary, scary walk,” said
Torniali. “I think it’s long overdue
that they study the street,
which is for the majority of
residential street.”
Advocates cited the DOT’s
past success in partnering with
the community to mitigate dangerous
traffic on Hobart Street
from 30th to 31st avenues.
Photo via Google Maps
“The death of working
cyclist Mario Canales was
preventable, and we implore
the city to take swift action
to ensure this never happens
again,” said Restrepo. “We
know that improvements like
daylighting street corners to
improve visibility at intersections,
creating protected bike
lanes, and other Vision Zero
measures are proven to reduce
crashes and save lives.”
Huntington said Astoria
residents, whether they’re
walking, cycling or riding in
a car, know how dangerous
24th Avenue is. She also emphasized
how Families for Safe
Streets members have all been
tragically impacted by traffic
violence.
“My dad was one of the
38,800 people who were killed
by traffic violence in the United
States last year. Dad was killed
just a few days before what
should have been a celebration
of 46 years of marriage with my
mom. His death, like so many
others, was completely preventable,”
she said. “It should not
take a sudden, senseless and
violent death, like my dad’s,
to change the way that large
commercial vehicles are regulated
on our roads and in our
neighborhood.”