BRONX W www.BXTimes.com EEKLY February 16, 2020 2
CB 4 supports DOT Concourse Village West study
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 Concourse 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
left-turning 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 oneway
eastbound (eliminate timeof
day turn restrictions).
• Convert East 156th Street
to one-way eastbound from Concourse
Village West to Morris
Avenue.
On Jan. 28, the DOT presented a study of how to improve traffi c at Concourse
Village West Photo Courtesy NYC DOT
• Require on-street parking
removal on the north side of
East 158th Street between Grand
Concourse and Concourse Village
West, to allow for safe twoway
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.
Overwhelmed police detail caused feast incidents: parish
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, outside
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.S
t. 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
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