Morris Park Road Diet delayed again, no court date set
The proposed road diet would convert Morris Park Avenue’s four lanes to two, one in each direction with a turn
lane. Schneps Media/ Alex Mitchell
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BY ALEX MITCHELL
The Morris Park Avenue
road diet lawsuit against
Mayor de Blasio and the NYC
Department of Transportation
hit another speed bump
in court on Monday, June 10.
After four Bronx judges,
Robert Johnson, Wilma Guzman,
Elizabeth Taylor and
Allison Tuitt all recused
themselves from the case, the
hearing has been postponed
without a specifi c return to
court date scheduled.
Judge Lucindo Suarez will
eventually hear this ‘people
vs. the city’ groundbreaking
lawsuit when it does eventually
return to court.
DOT plans to convert the
four-lane roadway into two
single lanes traveling east
and west, with turn bays and
bicycle lanes. Opponents of
the plan are convinced the
plan would have a devestating
impact on the ‘mom and
pop’ stores that line the commercial
corridor, as well as
force impatient drivers onto
the residential side streets.
Morris Park Avenue has
been spared for now. The relining
is on hold due to the
temporary restraining order
issued by Judge John Higgitt
on Thursday, May 2.
However, the temporary
impasse is leaving drivers in
harm’s way. Portions of the
roadway have been left without
any road markings in the
wake of the legal stall; specifi -
cally Adam Street to White
Plains Road and Bronxdale
Avenue to White Plains Road.
The DOT was preparing
to reline the avenue when
it got hit by the lawsuit. On
Friday, May 3 DOT agreed
to put back the original road
lines on Morris Park Avenue
while the case winds its way
through the court .
By Tuesday, June 11 the
promised work had still not
been started, according to
John Parker, the lawyer representing
the Morris Park
community. He recently notifi
ed DOT that they are endangering
the community.
“It is very alarming that
(DOT) has not replaced the
lines on the road yet, why
are they dragging their feet
on this?” questioned Councilman
Mark Gjonaj, who’s
also signed onto the lawsuit.
He explained that pedestrian
safety is not only his priority
but also the priority of all
those that oppose the road
diet.
Another lawsuit complainant,
Al D’Angelo, who chairs
the Morris Park Community
Association and Community
Board 11, is suspicious
as to why the DOT is moving
so slowly in correcting the
road’s lining.
“We have presented alternative
ways to DOT that would
make the road safer,” Gjonaj
said noting that D’Angelo’s
idea of staggering the traffi c
lights on Morris Park Avenue
had fallen on deaf ears.
Gjonaj also expressed frustration
with the court proceedings.
“I want to see this matter
come to a resolution, not just
keep being stalled,” he said.
D’Angelo sees the stall tactic
as a small victory for the
community, though. “If they
want to keep stalling and
stalling that means that our
corridor doesn’t change and
our businesses won’t be hurt
by the road diet,” he said
Parker also said that DOT
is withholding safety data regarding
the commercial corridor,
which is part of the current
hold up. He explained
that Judge Suarez sided with
the plaintiffs, ruling that
they should have access to
DOT safety data on Morris
Park Avenue.
“We want a fair chance,”
Parker said.
The lawyer explained that
this case is one of the fi rst examples
of a community pushing
back against a ‘Vision
Zero’ proposal on the east
coast of the United States.
“This lawsuit will encourage
other communities to
challenge the government on
their own plane,” he said.
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