for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com SEPTEMBER 19, 2013 • The queens CourieR 43 oped street talk Absolutely not. The item with the most votes should win. It makes no sense to spend millions of dollars just to make sure that someone won by a certain margin. Daniel Canham BY JOHANN HAMILTON I think it’s important to make sure that the right person gets elected, but there’s no way it needs to cost that kind of money. There has to be another way. Maria Gonzalez I think the more important question is, “Where is the money coming from?” Spending money on repetitive things like this seems unwise. David Colberg It can’t be necessary to spend millions of dollars on what’s basically a “sudden death” round of elections. We did it once, and that should be enough. Casey Johnson I think it’s a little unnecessary, but I can see why it’s happening. The law is that candidates have to win by a certain percent, and there’s no point in having a law if we just aren’t going to follow it. Ariel James I don’t think it’s financially feasible at all. It’s redundant in the first place, and spending tons of money on it is just making it even more ridiculous. Ryan Yarrow Of course it’s not worthwhile when it costs millions of dollars. Spending that kind of money just to re-do something we’ve already done is stupid. Ashley Powers I think it’s unnecessary. In the unlikely event of a tie, then I could see the point. But making sure someone wins with a certain percent is dumb. Caroline Franklin VISIT queenscourier.com FOR MORE STORIES Do you think that an election runoff is worthwhile, considering the cost? Ensuring the safety of our children BY COUN CILMEMBER ELIZABETH CRO WLEY Drivers need to be more conscientious near schools. Just a few days ago, students of I.S. 73 in Maspeth got seriously injured by an outof control vehicle. As police investigate this accident, we owe it to those injured students and their classmates to make our streets safer. Grand Avenue is a very busy street. The vehicular traffic is made worse during school arrival and dismissal time as P.S. 58, I.S. 73 and Maspeth High School are all located within six blocks of each other. I believe it is imperative to implement changes as soon as possible, and on Monday, along with PTA leaders, I met with Queens DOT Commissioner Dalila Hall on site to discuss how to make Grand Avenue safer. The stretch of Grand Avenue near P.S. 58 and I.S. 73 is in need of “Safe Routes to School” program and a slowdown zone where the speed limit is reduced to 20 miles per hour. The safe routes program redesigns streets, which include expanding sidewalks, new lane paintings and improved signal timing, to ease congestion around schools. Recently, the DOT studied vehicle speeds around all schools in New York City, and they found that 98 percent of vehicles driving around P.S. 58, I.S. 73 and Maspeth High School are going over the speed limit. This is dangerous and simply unacceptable. A comprehensive study by the DOT to change traffic patterns and slow down drivers through its “Safe Routes to School” program would be a major help in reducing congestion around these schools. There must be constant traffic enforcement by the NYPD and DOT today. I have called on both agencies to ticket trucks that are not making local deliveries, and speeding drivers who are endangering our children must be stopped. New York recently approved speed camera enforcement at 20 schools in the city. Placing one of these cameras at Grand Avenue near P.S. 58 and I.S. 73 would certainly slow drivers down once tickets begin arriving in the mail. Nothing is more important than ensuring the safety of our children travelling to and from school. I have brought the concerns of the community to DOT, and together, we must demand the DOT prioritize safety on Grand Avenue. Our most vulnerable and precious resource are our children, and we must do everything to keep them safe. Elizabeth Crowley represents the 30th Council District, covering Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood and Woodhaven
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