TIMES, THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2015 • 56 More Details On Boulevard Select Bus Revealed At Board 9 Meeting -CONTINUED FROM PG. 10- Queens Gas Reliability Project Starts In So. Ozone Pk. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 19- FBI, NYPD Warn Residents About ‘Grandma’ Phone Scams KKeepp YYoouurr Eyyess OOn TThe RRooaadd——NNoot YYoouurr PPhoone! TTeexxttinngg WWhhilee DDrrivvinngg IIss DDaannggeerroouuss && IIlleeggaal.. UUsse AA Haanddss-FFrree PPhoone OOrr DDoon’’t Caall WWhile DDrrivingg! label the roadway as a “Vision Zero Priority Corridor.” According to the report, 24 fatalities occurred along the boulevard between 2008 and 2014. Ten of these fatalities occurred within the Board 9 confines. The report cites existing unsafe conditions, such as wide roadways, as a major culprit as they often encourage speeding. In 2008, the DOT launched the Woodhaven Boulevard Congested Corridors Study in the hopes of easing congestion along the roadway. The study revealed unsafe traffic conditions due to high speeding rates, dangerous medians, bottlenecks and long distances between crosswalks. Woodhaven was selected as a favorable location for Select Bus Service as a result of the DOT/MTA Bus Rapid Transit Phase II Study the following year. Three concepts The MTA and DOT representatives presented three proposed design concepts for Select Bus Service to Board 9. Each concept utilizes a “three lane approach” which allows for three travel lanes for vehicles in addition to the designated bus lane. Concept One includes “Offset Bus Lanes” which are separated from the curb by a parking lane. According to the report, this method is the easiest and quickest to implement as it uses the pre-existing roadway configuration. Offset Bus Lanes are already in use along Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn and First Avenue in Manhattan. Concept Two features Main Road or “Curbside” Bus Lanes. This design uses service roads to divide local and through traffic, while also providing parking spaces. According to the report, service roads would be used for local street access and parking. This plan still employs the “three lane approach,” with one lane in the service road and the other two in the main road. As part of this plan, Select Bus Service stations and local bus stops would be located along expanded side medians near service roads. These side medians also provide an added safety bonus as they shorten the distances pedestrians will need to cross. A left-turn bay is also a design feature of this plan. According to the reps, the designated left-turn bays would reduce the number of accidents at certain intersections. Curbside Bus Lanes are currently in use on Pelham Parkway in the Bronx. Concept Three proposes the use of Median Bus Lanes. This “central median approach” will include bus lanes and stations along the center median of the boulevard. The proposal allows for planting of trees and shrubbery along center medians without bus stations. It will also provide for three lanes of main road vehicular traffic with parking. This third design concept was met with a great deal of concern and opposition from residents and board members alike. Many worry about the safety of commuters entering and exiting buses in the middle of the boulevard. Others expressed concern that the loss of a lane on the boulevard would actually increase traffic and result in massive tie-ups. Some felt that there were not enough busses running along the corridor to justify any of the proposed concepts or changes to the roadway. The MTA and DOT will continue to gather information and feedback from the public as well as from local electeds and Community Board members. They promised to work with the community on what they called a “block by block” design. One of the three design concepts will be selected within the coming months, with projected construction and implementation beginning in 2017. MTA official retires In related transit news, the board congratulated MTA representative Joe Raskin on his upcoming retirement and commended his many years of service to the community. In addition to his role as the assistant director of government and community relations for the MTA, Raskin also enjoyed success as an author. In 2013, he penned “The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City’s Unbuilt Subway System.” Raskin’s discovery of a 1929 subway map sparked his curiosity and investigation into the underground maze of tunnels and forgotten stations. His book also delves into the ways in which New York City politics influenced the course of the subway system’s expansion and evolution over time. Community Board 9 presented Raskin with a plaque commemorating his years of hard work and service with the MTA. Leadership changes Board 9 is currently in the process of appointing a replacement for former District Manager Mary Ann Carey. Carey announced her retirement last September and vacated the position the following month. Lisa Gomes is currently serving as acting Board 9 district manager. At the meeting, the board took a vote and unanimously approved a new policy in which future district managers would be routinely evaluated by the board on a yearly basis. The board indicated that the election of a new District Manager could possibly take place during the next Board 9 meeting in February. Community Board 9 generally meets on the second Tuesday each month at 7:45 p.m. at various locations in Kew Gardens, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill and Woodhaven. For more information, call Board 9’s office at 1-718-286-2686. Instructions usually require the victim to pay the ransom through wire transfering companies such as Western Union, and the ransom amounts can vary from $600 to $1,900. In some cases, once a payment is made, the scammer will insist that the payment did not go through and demand additional money. “The New York City Police Department, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, continually seeks preventive measures to ensure the public is both safe and well informed,” Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said. “We encourage the community to immediately contact the police if they encounter any calls that require ransom for kidnapping.” To avoid becoming a victim of this extortion scam, look for these possible indicators: incoming calls from an outside area code, sometimes from Puerto Rico with area codes (787), (939) and (856); calls do not come from the kidnapped victim’s phone; callers go to great lengths to keep you on the phone; callers prevent you from calling or locating the “kidnapped” victim; and ransom money is only accepted via a wire transfer service. The FBI asks that if you do receive a phone call from someone claiming they have kidnapped a family member and asks for ransom, try to remember the following: try to slow the situation down; request to speak to the victim directly; ask them to describe the victim or the vehicle they drive; listen carefully to the voice of the kidnapped victim if they speak; attempt to get in touch with the victim through a phone call, text or social media; do not directly challenge or argue with the caller; and request the kidnapped victim call back from their cell phone. Anyone with information about virtual kidnappings are asked to call the FBI at 1-212- 384-1000 or the NYPD at 1-800-577-TIPS. If you believe you have been a victim of a real kidnapping, call 911 or the local FBI office. All calls will remain confidential. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 12- Bicyclist Fatally Hit By Truck In LIC injuries and deaths related to trucks and help prevent accidents like Saturday’s from continuing to occur.” Side guards are structures that, when fit to the side of a tractor or truck, will help prevent a person from being swept beneath the vehicle. Rodriguez cited a study conducted by Transport for London stating that the installation of truck side guards reduced deaths by 61 percent and serious injuries by 13 percent for cyclists. “In the age of Vision Zero, we must work hard to protect our cyclists and that is why we must install truck guards to prevent any accident like this from occurring again,” Rodriguez said. Legislation for getting side guards onto trucks is has already begun the legislative process and Rodriguez hopes to see this pass as soon as possible. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 13- work in the dig area. “As we look to the future and increased demand for natural gas, the Queens Reliability Project is a perfect example of National Grid’s commitment to modernizing our network and helping customers take control of their energy use,” said Mike Ruiz, National Grid’s director of community and customer management. “By strengthening the network, we can support increased customer demand and give customers a choice to take advantage of new technologies and renewable energy sources.” As noted, the project is part of a $1.3 billion commitment National Grid made to modernize its infrastructure across the Empire State over the next two years. The Queens Gas Reliability Project is expected to be finished by the spring of 2016. The utility company reminds motorists and pedestrians to be careful near work zones and help ensure the safety of workers and the public alike. For more information, visit www.nationalgridus.com. Traffic News And Changes Sewer Work Leads To Pkwy. Closures One of three lanes of the Belt Parkway between Cross Bay Boulevard and 194th Street in either direction may be closed on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and weeknights 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Additionally, two of three lanes in either direction may be closed in this segment on early weekday mornings from 1 to 5 a.m. The closures are required to allow for sewer reconstruction, which is expected to continue through July 2016. Furthermore, one of two lanes of the Nassau Expressway exit ramp to the eastbound Belt Parkway between 115th and 128th streets will be closed until further notice. * * * For additional closures, visit the city DOT’s website at www.nyc.gov/dot or call 311. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 20-
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