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Astoria councilman calls for safety netting
along exposed N/W track after near accident
BY MAX PARROTT
After a hefty metal flashlight recently
fell from a construction project on
the elevated subway tracks in Astoria
and nearly struck a pedestrian,
Councilman Costa Constantinides
urged the Metropolitan Transit Authority
to install protective netting under the entirety
of the elevated N/W tracks in western Queens.
“It landed at her feet. If she had been half a second
quicker, something bad would have happened,” said
Constantinides.
Constantinides said that the flashlight incident called
attention to the daily risk western Queens residents
face under the subway. He said that he regularly hears
complaints and sees tweets from Astoria residents
about debris falling along the 31st Street tracks from
construction or track maintenance, but hasn’t been
able to substantiate any of these claims until now.
MTA officials recently announced the agency’s plan
to install netting under N/W tracks at the Queensboro
Plaza and 39th Avenue stations — about a mile south
of Constantinides’ district. The councilman is calling
on the agency to complete the remaining two miles
of track up to the Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard station.
24 AUGUST 2019 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
“Just make sure that we’re safe. We’re not asking
a lot. Just give us peace of mind. This isn’t an attack
on the MTA, they’ve been very responsive, and we
acknowledge the hard work of the men and women
who do this,” said Constantinides. “I’m just saying it
makes sense.”
Asked how much he estimates it would cost, Constantinides
said, “I guarantee that the cost of the netting
is cheaper than if something bad were to happen.”
Each weekday, around 52,000 commuters traveled
on average through the N/W stations in Constantinides
district including 36th Avenue, Broadway, 30th Avenue,
Astoria Boulevard and Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard.
Max Parrott
Councilman Costa Constantinides
holds a flashlight that fell from an
N/W track and nearly injured a
constituent.
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