3
QUEENS WEEKLY, JUNE 30, 2019
BY MARK HALLUM
The city Department
of Transportation said it
would move forward with
the implementation of bus
lanes along the seven-block
corridor of Fresh Pond
Road between Metropolitan
and Myrtle Avenues
in Ridgewood.
In a statement from the
agency, a spokesman said
although they completed
a up to 15 meetings with
the public, they believed
what was needed to get the
average speed of Fresh Pond
above 3 miles per hour was
not itemized changes, but a
sweeping improvement.
According to DOT, the
southbound bus lane will
not only offer faster bus
speeds to meet Mayor Bill
de Blasio’s 25 percent goal,
but it will mean a net gain
in parking.
DOT said at Community
Board 5’s transportation
committee meeting
that they expect 70
parking spaces to change
designation. Jason Banrey
with DOT said these will
be converted to 55 metered
spaces on Fresh Pond
and into the side street as
well as 15 alternate side
parking spots.
“Many of the suggestions
we’ve received from area
elected officials, businesses
and the community are
included in this plan,
however, DOT believes
that a la cart treatments
like only adjusting signal
timings will not address
the severe congestion
and safety concerns
which currently exist on
Fresh Pond Road,” a DOT
spokesman said. “The plan
we’ve crafted, and adjusted
multiple times during our
15 community meeting, is
a comprehensive design
which aims to address the
concerns for bus riders
and motorists using Fresh
Pond Road.”
DOT did not specify
a start date to the
implementation of the
plan, claimed in an
email to have completed
“hundreds of interviews
with … bus riders, surveys
with local businesses
and other community
stakeholders.”
One of the issues
experienced on Fresh
Pond Road is a high
level of bus traffic due to
numerous lines, many of
which circulating through
Brooklyn, being stored
overnight in the depot.
The times between 2
p.m. and 8 p.m. are the
heaviest on Fresh Pond, so
the city will be enforcing
the bus lane between
those times.
“Right now people are
walking faster than the
3 mph speeds buses and
general vehicular traffic
are traveling southbound
along Fresh Pond Road,”
the spokesman concluded.
DOT will be taking
recommendations from
Community Board 5 at
their next meeting.
The agency did not
specify a start date for
the project.
The Q58, which travels along Fresh Pond Road in
Ridgewood, would soon have a new southbound bus lane in
the neighborhood, according to the city’s Department of
Transportation. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Astoria Houses Senior Center to stay open
City scraps closure plan of center that gives meals, socialization to elderly
BY BILL PARRY
The de Blasio
administration backed
off an ill-conceived, costcutting
proposal to close
down the Astoria Houses
Senior Center following
intense opposition from
elected officials in western
Queens and prolonged
negotiations with the City
Council in what is referred
to as the “budget dance.”
City Councilman
Costa Constantinides
joined with the Astoria
Houses community on
June 20 and announced
their senior center, where
a $500,000 renovation
is just completing, will
remain open and continue
to provide warm meals
and socialization for the
complex’s hundreds of
elderly residents instead of
the city’s proposal to bus
then to the Queensbridge
Houses nearly two miles
away.
“Today, we can celebrate
both the opening of the
renovated senior center,
which will be able to hold
more people, as well as
its continued service
to this community,”
Constantinides said on
Thursday. “Though these
cuts should not have been
proposed in the first place,
the City Council made sure
these seniors wouldn’t have
to get on a bus and travel
down cramped streets for
basic services.”
The councilman
was irked that the city
planned on closing the
facility because it was
underutilized. He argued
it was simply too small
and that was the reason
the Astoria Houses Senior
Center received the
$500,000 for renovation
and expansion under the
Astoria Cove rezoning in
2014.
C o n s t a n t i n i d e s
thanked City Council
Finance Chair Daniel
Dromm and Council
Speaker Corey Johnson
for fighting to save the
facility.
“The City Council is
committed to protecting
all of our most vulnerable
New Yorkers, and that is
City Councilman Costa Constantinides announces the city will not close the Astoria Houses
Senior Center after the City Council would not back down during budget negotiations.
why we fought hard during
the budget negotiations to
reverse the administration’s
proposal to close the
Astoria Houses Senior
Center,” Johnson said. “As
part of the agreement, the
Department of the Aging
will operate this senior
center to better address the
needs of the seniors close to
their own homes. For Fiscal
2020, we are also dedicating
$10 million, which will
increase to $15 million for
next fiscal year, to improve
senior center meals and
provide better wages for
kitchen staff.”
State Senator
Michael Gianaris joined
Constantinides and
Assemblywoman Aravella
Simotas on Thursday to
speak out against the city’s
proposal in May.
“Seniors rely on this
center for hot meals and
recreation but even more
importantly to foster a
sense of community we
cannot put a price on,”
Gianaris said. I am thrilled
that, by working together
and with the support of the
community, we were able to
save this critical center.”
In recent weeks
C o n g r e s s w o m a n
Carolyn Maloney and
Assemblywoman Catherine
Nolan fired off letters to
Mayor de Blasio.
“This is a big victory
for the community as
the seniors will not be
uprooted and can stay
at the Astoria Senior
Center,” Nolan said before
adding diplomatically “a
big thanks to the city for
listening to our community
and doing the right thing
for our seniors.”
Maloney said, “I am
so happy that by working
together, this great
community was able to save
the Astoria Houses Senior
Center.”
QNS reached out to
City Hall but a spokesman
deferred to the City Council
for comment.
Courtesy of Constantinides’ office
Each of the leaders
thanked Claudia Coger, the
84-year-old president of the
Astoria Houses Tenants
Association, for her
“relentless advocacy.” It
was Coger that warned that
the seniors, many of whom
were approaching their
“dying days” would never
allow themselves to be
bussed to the Queensbridge
Houses, and away from
their homes, even though
many would forego their
one hot meal a day.
“People are excited and
we’re having a little bit of
a party right now,” Coger
said. “I am not a person who
carries fear. I don’t promote
fear, you just keep pushing.
This was a challenge but
our political leadership and
neighborhood fellowship
were with us. We had a lot
of people on our side.”
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by email at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260-4538.
DOT moves forward
on Fresh Pond bus lane
/schnepsmedia.com
