4 JANUARY 25, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
DOT recommends one-way streets in Maspeth
Ridgewood Property Owners & Civic Association
General Membership Mee��ng
Thursday, February 1st at 7:00 pm
Ridgewood Presbyterian Church
59-14 70 Avenue
1/4 block East of Forest Avenue
Entrance from side parking lot – no steps
Meet your new Councilman
The Honorary Robert F. Holden
����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Bring a pen….
Inform the Councilman and RPOCA
About the greatest needs you identify in Ridgewood
An update on the Repair and Rebuilding of the Metropolitan
Avenue Bridge at Fresh Pond Road By Joseph Segreti
Catered sandwiches & salads by Frank’s Deli (Maspeth) @ 6:45 pm
Courtesy of Kerzner Realty, Inc.
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Ridgewood Dems talk
strategy at brunch
The Ridgewood Democratic
Club (RDC) held its annual
membership brunch on Saturday,
Jan. 20. Assemblywoman
Catherine Nolan and Assemblyman
Danny O’Donnell attended
and addressed the crowd about
the importance of grassroots organizing
and the need to engage
Democratic voters. Representatives
from Assemblyman Mike
Miller and Councilman Antonio
Reynoso were also in attendance.
Photo courtesy of David Aglialoro
Shown at the brunch are (top row,
left to right) Alison Cummings,
Co-President, RDC, Eddie Lettau,
RDC Board Member and Joan de
Camp, RDC Board Member; and
(bottom row, left to right) Diane
Ballek, Democratic District Leader
37B, Assemblywoman Catherine
Nolan, Assemblyman Daniel
O’Donnell, David Aglialoro, Democratic
District Leader 37B, David
Renz, Co-President, RDC and Caitlin
Shann, RDC Board Member.
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
The Department of Transportation
(DOT) has responded with
recommendations to convert
several Maspeth and Woodside
streets into one-way traffi c aft er Community
Board 5 requested a traffi c
study be performed in the area.
In a letter to Gary Giordano, Board 5
district manager, the DOT recommended
that six streets be converted to one-way
within the zone bordered by Garfi eld
Avenue to the north, 74th Street to the
east, Grand Avenue to the south and 71st
Street to the west. According to Giordano,
he has requested more information
about the fi ndings of the investigation
from the DOT Borough Commissioner’s
Offi ce and there will have to be a public
hearing held to discuss this issue.
“We can’t go about saying the board
agrees or disagrees without a hearing,”
Giordano said. “Very oft en when you’re
talking about traffi c changes, there will
be a percentage of people opposed.”
The streets recommended for oneway
conversions are as follows:
• Convert 71st Street one-way southbound
from Garfi eld Avenue/50th
Avenue to 53rd Avenue.
• Convert 72nd Street to one-way
northbound from Calamus Avenue
to 51st Avenue, and one-way
• southbound from Calamus Avenue
to Grand Avenue.
• Convert 72nd Place to one-way
southbound from 51st Avenue to
Calamus Avenue, and one-way
• northbound from Grand Avenue to
Calamus Avenue.
• Convert 73rd Street to one-way
southbound from 52nd Avenue to
Grand Avenue.
• Convert 74th Street to one-way northbound
from Grand Avenue to 51st Road.
• Convert 51st Road to one-way
westbound from 74th Street to 51st
Avenue.
The letter from the DOT said that
the proposed changes will “reduce opposing
vehicle confl icts and establish
a favorable traffi c circulation pattern.”
Giordano sent an email to Nicole
Garcia, Queens borough commissioner
for the DOT, on June 8, 2017,
requesting the traffi c study to determine
the feasibility of converting the
streets to one-way. To his knowledge,
he said, the area that was surveyed is
one of the few places left in the neighborhood
with multiple two-way side
streets.
Giordano further explained that
these streets may not have been
converted in the past because their
traffi c volume was too low.
Most of the work involved would be
the installation of “one way” and “do
not enter” signs to make drivers aware
of the changes. Giordano added that
there are pros and cons to these types
of street conversions.
“One of the benefi ts should be that
there will be less side swiping of
parked cars and mirrors,” Giordano
said. “But oft en the fear is, will vehicles
go faster?”
The one-way conversions are likely
to be a topic of conversation at the
Board 5 Transportation Services
Committee meeting on Tuesday,
Jan.23, but the date and location for
the offi cial public hearing have yet to
be determined.
