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March 22-28, 2019 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
THE NEWSPAPER OF FLUSHING, AUBURNDALE, KEW GARDENS HILLS & FRESH MEADOWS
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Bayside resident demands traffi c safety
STANDING TOGETHER
Borough President Melinda Katz joins 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
Vol. 28 No. 12 52 total pages
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
Joseph Marziliano told
TimesLedger that the advisory
body is “supporting her
request to the Department
of Transportation for traffic
calming measures on 46th
Avenue near where her father
was injured.”
“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.”
“I am sure other parents
have complained about the
lack of safety features but the
city doesn’t do anything unless
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.
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