CB 4 supports DOT Concourse Village West study
Overwhelmed police detail caused feast incidents: parish
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR FEBRUARY 14-20, 2020 3
BY JASON COHEN
A NYC Department of
Transpotation study to mitigate
traffi c and congestion
in the Concourse Village
West corridor, between East
153rd Street and East 161st
Street, received the full support
of Community Board 4
recently.
On Wednesday, January
28, DOT representatives presented
its traffi c study to the
board and community.
Driving through that area
is challenging, even when
the Yankees aren’t playing,
the board members agreed.
If the plan is approved, it
will be implemented in the
summer.
“This has been an ongoing
issue for a very long
time,” said CB4 district manager
Paul Philips. “Whether
you’re there in the morning
when it’s rush hour or when
school’s out, it’s a nightmare.
It’s a crucial stretch because
it affects thousands of people.
If what exists today isn’t
working you have to make
some changes.”
The area is mixed-use
with residential, commercial
and six schools along Con-
On Jan. 28, the DOT presented a study of how to improve traffi c at Concourse
Village West Photo Courtesy NYC DOT
course Village West.
The schools are: P.S. 359
Concourse Village Elementary
School, P.S. 156 Benjamin
Banneker School, P.S./
M.S. 31 The William Lloyd
Garrison School, KIPP Academy
Elementary School, Cardinal
Hayes High School,
High School for Careers in
Sports and in September, a
school will open at the corner
of East 156th Street/Concourse
Village West.
Additionally, new housing
is coming to 701 Grand
Concourse, 156 Concourse
Village West and Grand Concourse
Village.
Some of the issues that
plague the area include:
• Concourse Village West
and E 156th Street - off-set intersections
require multiple
turns, creating congestion on
this critical link; majority of
vehicles traveling eastbound
on East 156th Street, turn left
onto Concourse Village West
and then turn right onto East
156th Street; and key confl ict
between northbound through
traffi c and eastbound leftturning
traffi c.
• East 156th Street, Concourse
Village West to Morris
Ave - a narrow two-way
street with 90-degree angle
parking on the north side;
turn restrictions onto East
156th Street are posted at
Morris Avenue during school
days (7 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 4
p.m.); and during weekday
AM and PM school hours,
the street becomes congested
due to narrow width, head-on
traffi c confl icts due to turn
prohibition, and school bus
activity.
Some of the proposed improvements
include:
• Convert East 153rd Street
to one-way eastbound between
Grand Concourse and
Concourse Village West.
• Reverse direction of traffi
c fl ow on East 156th Street
between Grand Concourse
and Concourse Village West
from eastbound to westbound.
• Convert East 156th Street
between Concourse Village
West and Morris Avenue to
one-way eastbound (eliminate
time-of-day turn restrictions).
• Convert East 156th Street
to one-way eastbound from
Concourse Village West to
Morris Avenue.
• Require on-street parking
removal on the north side
of East 158th Street between
Grand Concourse and Concourse
Village West, to allow
for safe two-way operation
(street is 34 feet wide).
• Eliminate 14 parking
spots on the north side of
East 158th Street.
Councilwoman Vanessa
Gibson told the Bronx Times
that while she is concerned
about losing 14 parking
spaces, she is pleased with
the study.
In March, she and other
elected offi cials plan to hold
a town hall to discuss the
study.
BY STEVEN GOODSTEIN
An overwhelmed police
detail assigned to keep things
in order during last June’s
church-sponsored, nearly
week-long street festival in
Pelham Bay is being blamed
for creating a situation that
has put the event on life support
.
The future of St. Theresa’s
festival which started in
1997, is now in jeopardy after
the turmoil that took place after
the feast last year, which
resulted in vandalized vehicles,
storefronts damaged and
other property ruined due to
unruly, rowdy teenagers that
descended on the feast from
other neighborhoods.
All of the incidents occurred
beyond the perimeter
of the feast, mostly along
Westchester and Crosby avenues,
just outside the Buhre
Avenue #6 train station.
“We want to make it clear
that there were no incidents
at the feast itself last year,”
said the church’s pastor Reverend
Thomas B. Derivan.
“The 45th Precinct did their
usual excellent job in patrolling
the feast. However, out-
side the barriers of the feast,
the police were not able to do
their job, unfortunately.”
“That matter should be
brought to our city offi cials -
if police cannot do their job,
then incidents like the one
that happened on Westchester
and Crosby avenues can happen
in any place and at any
time, feast or not.”
Additionally, Fr. Derivan
clarifi ed the reason St. Theresa
Feast’s representatives
were not at Community
Board 10’s full board meeting
on Thursday, January 16.
They had previously attended
a board committeee
meeting, and were informed
that it was not necessary for
them to attend next meeting.
At the January 16 meeting,
CB10 voted against approving
the permit for the feast.
According to the board,
the Mayor’s offi ce can override
the board’s decision and
approve the permit through
the Street Activity Permit Offi
ce.
St. Theresa Church said it
had nothing to do with promoting
the feast outside the
Pelham Bay community.
According to the church,
“the only advertisements and
information pertaining to the
feast were posted in front of
the church and in the parish
bulletin”.
Over the years, the feast
has highlighted different
themes, including ‘The Year of
Faith - The St. Theresa Feast
Embodies Our Faith’, ‘Celebrating
50 Years of Teaching
Catholic Values’, ‘Faith,
Family, Friends and Fun’ and
‘Christ Our Hope’, the latter
of which was in commemoration
of Pope Benedict XVI’s
visit to NYC in 2008.
The 20+ year tradition focused
on family entertainment
including carnival-style
rides, games and game stations,
magicians, raffl e prizes,
DJs, band performances and
other traditional fun.
The fi nal day of the festival
featured the procession
through the streets with
the statue of St. Theresa,
the namesake saint of the
church.
Proceeds from the annual
fundraiser went towards fi -
nancing the parish’s operating
costs.
Children ride the Jumpin’ Star at the St. Theresa Feast in 2014.
Photo by Laura Stone