2 TIMES • MARCH 31, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Six-alarm re stoked by wind raged through ve Bushwick buildings Ridgewood weighs in on Wyckoff Plaza BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport What do you think should be at a pedestrian plaza at Myrtle/Wyckoff avenues? That is what the Department of Transportation (DOT) wanted to know from the people who would be using the plaza the most, commuters, during a Vision Zero public workshop held at I.S. 77 in Ridgewood on Tuesday, March 29. The plaza will permanently close the one-block portion of Wyckoff Avenue between Gates and Myrtle avenues to vehicular traffi c in order to curb dangerous driver and pedestrian activity at the intersection, which has been identifi ed as a Vision Zero priority area. This will allow for not only safer driving and walking conditions at the intersection, but it will create an area where members of the community can gather and enjoy some time outside. “The plaza is brilliant in every way, as long as they do not affect the routes of the buses, which they won’t; it’s perfect,” said Samuel Santaella, a commuter who frequents Enter on the ground level at Ridgewood Older Adult Center the intersection. “Wi-Fi at the plaza is my number one request. Some seats and benches will help too, and it will make it so much easier to get from the M train station house to the Q55 bus.” Others wanted to see more safety measures implemented at the plaza, such as increased signage and permanent curb bump outs, which the DOT will install, as well as a crosswalk from Myrtle to Wyckoff Avenue and more lighting at the plaza and under the M train. “This intersection, as with many along Myrtle, is crazy,” said Michael Sanderson, a resident of Bushwick who was struck by a car and suffered a severe injury at an intersection on Myrtle Avenue. “This intersection desperately needs to be changed before more people are killed. The plaza is going to be amazing, but I didn’t hear the urgency to save lives.” The DOT originally pitched the idea of a pedestrian plaza at the busy intersection to the Community Board 5 (CB 5) Transportation and Public Transit meeting last month. “I think you have a lot of active participants here. I didn’t hear anyone say that they were totally against this,” said Gary Giordano, district manager of CB 5. “People are working cooperatively together to see if this pedestrian plaza can work and what could be a part of it.” DOT will host a one-day plaza at Wyckoff Avenue on Saturday, April 9, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. as a test run to see how pedestrians and drivers take to the eventual changes. Ridgewood Property Owners & Civic Association General Meeting Thursday April 7th – 7 pm Ridgewood Presbyterian Church 59-14 70 Avenue Between 60th Lane and Forest Avenue Three Agenda Items: • Tell it to RPOCA! RPOCA wants to know what’s on your mind about Ridgewood -- the good, the bad and the ugly! RPOCA wants to hear from you -- What are your thoughts and ideas on improving the quality of life in Ridgewood? What problems in Ridgewood need greater attention from our elected city officials? Let us know. • “Want a new street tree planted in front of your home or on your block? Come to this April 7th RPOCA general meeting and give us the addresses. We are aiming for this fall’s planting.” We will also address the restrictions that apply for planting trees in NYC. • “Have the 15,000 Ridgewood residents within two blocks of the Fresh Pond Road Street Fair, sufficiently expressed their negative position to the 4 day shut-down of Fresh Pond Road?” We need to encourage Mayor Di Blasio to support the Ridgewood residents and the Community Board‘s decision. Sandwiches & Salads provided by Maspeth‘s Frank’s Deli Donated by Kerzner Realty New members always welcome. For RPOCA info call Paul Kerzner 718-381-3366 BY EMILIE RUSCOE editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com @emiliesaysthat Thick smoke hung over Bushwick Tuesday night after fi refi ghters rushed to extinguish a six-alarm fi re that raged through fi ve row houses on DeKalb Avenue between Wilson and Knickerbocker avenues in the strong wind. An FDNY spokesperson said that the fi re, which was fi rst reported shortly after 10 p.m. on March 29, started at 1427 DeKalb Ave., where it eventually consumed the roof of the three-story building. The fi re took just over three hours to bring under control, with 210 fi refi ghters, 50 pieces of FDNY apparatus, including helicopters and enough FDNY response vehicles to line the block. Eleven individuals were injured, according to the FDNY. Only one of the 11, a civilian, was reported to be in serious, though not life threatening, condition. Two other civilians and one fi refi ghter were also transported to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center with minor injuries, and seven individuals refused medical attention. A number of block residents were displaced by both damage from the blaze and concerns about other health hazards posed by the fi re. BUSHWICK DAILY/Photo by Alonzo Maciel
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