10
QUEENS WEEKLY, JULY 28, 2019
Whitestone intersection gets all-way stop sign
Long-awaited traffi c control measure comes after over a decade of community safety advocacy
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A busy Whitestone
intersection just got a
lot safer.
Councilman Paul
Vallone announced
that the Department of
Transportation installed
a new stop sign at the
intersection of 163rd
Street and 24th Road in
the northeast Queens
neighborhood. Residents
Cyrille Kousiaris and
Salvatore Cippo began
advocating for increased
safety measures at this
intersection in 2008.
Prior to the stop sign
installation, there was
a six-block stretch along
163rd Street without a stop
sign where cars would
constantly speed.
“This long-awaited
traffic control is a win
for Whitestone and the
residents of 163rd Street
who have been petitioning
for safety measures for
over a decade,” said
Councilman Paul Vallone.
“I thank Cyrille Kousiaris
and Salvatore Cippo for
their advocacy and Queens
Borough Commissioner
Nicole Garcia for working
closely with my office on
this issue.”
In 2013, Kousaris and
Cippo circulated and
submitted a petition to
DOT asking the agency to
implement much-needed
safety measures on 163rd
Street to reduce the
speeding. In December
2018, Cippo contacted
Vallone to report a
series of car collisions at
the intersection.
Following the crashes,
Vallone penned a letter
to DOT Queens Borough
Commissioner Nicole
Garcia asking the agency
to conduct a traffic study
at the location. The
councilman first reached
out to DOT concerning this
issue in 2014.
“Finally, after 11 years
and innumerable car
accidents, the four-way stop
signs were installed on July
15, 2019,” said Kousiaris.
“Without the help of
Councilman Paul Vallone,
I am sure this would not
have been done. He took
the lead and made the
impossible happen, proving
to my neighbors and me
that some officials do listen
to the people and are there
for their community. On
behalf of my neighbors on
163rd Street, I would like to
thank Councilman Vallone
and the DOT for making
this happen.”
In the past, Vallone has
advocated for other all-way
stop signs in Whitestone,
including one at 17th Road
and Murray Street. The
intersection was the site of
a hit-and-run that left a 71-
year-old critically injured
back in 2017.
“In 2007, I moved
to a corner house in
Whitestone, and soon after
I started to see accidents
due to speeding on 163rd
Street and poor visibility
on the adjacent road,” said
Cippo. “In the last 12 years,
Cyrille has lost two new
cars to accidents and my
house was hit by a car. I
contacted Paul Vallone’s
office and I was instructed
to inform them of any
new accident. A new stop
sign was installed on July
15, saving someone from
injury or possible death.”
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at (718)
224-5863 ext. 214.
Photo courtesy of Council Member Vallone’s office
Lyft’s new feature helps connect to nearby transportation
BY BILL PARRY
Lyft is rolling out a
revolutionary feature to
its app that could change
the way you commute.
Nearby Transit will
become available in the
coming weeks across the
five boroughs connecting
New Yorkers within the
Lyft app to real-time public
transportation info, routes
and schedules, including
NYC subway and bus
systems, the Long Island
Rail Road, Metro-North
Railroad, PATH Train and
NJ Transit.
Nearby Transit gives
riders the ability to see
more transportation
options directly within
the Lyft app, and connects
and complements the
other ways Lyft helps
riders get where they’re
going. The multimodal
suite of transportation
options to provide
affordable, sustainable
and convenient transit
from shared rides to bike
share with Lyft-operated
Citi Bike, and now public
transportation.
Many Citi Bike
stations are located near
busy subway and bus
stops, demonstrating
how commuters are now
using several different
transportation options.
For example, the busiest
Citi Bike station is outside
Grand Central Station,
illustrating how Lyft
riders connect to different
transit options.
“We’ve made a lot
of advancements that
aim to provide the most
affordable, reliable and
sustainable transportation
for New Yorkers, while
also working with the city
and its transportation
partners to give riders
more options,” said Lilly
Shoup, Lyft’s senior
director of transportation
policy. “Multimodal
transportation is strongly
tied to Lyft’s mission and
we’re thrilled to add public
transit into the app in New
York City.”
Lyft said it is
working with transit
agencies to create more
convenient multimodal
transportation networks
that help move people onto
regional transit systems
and ultimately reduce
traffic and congestion
caused by private car
ownership.
“Every corner of
New York has amazing
attractions, dining and
cultural experiences worth
traveling to, and this is
one of the many reasons
why we’re excited to bring
Nearly Transit to the city,”
said Steve Taylor, Lyft New
York regional director.
He added, “We’re
connecting people to
more transit options
within the app than
ever, and we believe
by better integrating
Lyft and public transit,
we can make it easier
and more efficient for
people to get around the
NYC area.”
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by email at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538. Photo via Flickr/quotecatague.com
/qns.com
/schnepsmedia.com
/quotecatague.com
