4 times • OCTOBER 6, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Railroad needs to boost safety after Maspeth ‘hit-and-run’: pols GLENDALE, MASPETH, MIDDLE VILLAGE AND RIDGEWOOD RESIDENTS! The Patrol helps clear streets after a recent storm. 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol and the Glendale Property Home Owners Association Join us for a General Membership Meeting Thursday, October 13th at 8pm at St Pancras St. Pancras Pfeiffer Hall 68-20 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale • Give back to your community! • Come and see how to keep your loved ones safe! “All it takes for evil to thrive is for good men and women to do nothing!” JOIN THE PATROL! For more information visit: www.104cop.org or Call: 718-497-1500 ©2015 M1P • GLEK-067985 GLENDALE, MASPETH, MIDDLE VILLAGE AND RIDGEWOOD RESIDENTS! The Patrol helps clear streets after a recent storm. GLENDALE CIVILIAN OBSERVATION PATROL Join us for a General Membership Meeting Thursday, October 8th, 8 - 9 pm St. Pancras Pfeiffer Hall - 68-20 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale Give back to your community! • Come and see how to keep your loved ones safe! “All it takes for evil to thrive is for good men and women to do nothing!” JOIN THE PATROL! For more information visit: www.104cop.org or Call: 718-497-1500 St • Photo: Anthony Giudice/RIDGEWOOD TIMES Local elected officials want to see safety improvements implemented at railroad crossings like this one in Maspeth. Ranking Member of the Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs Committee Please join me this Memorial Day in taking the time to remember and pray for all those who gave their lives fighting for our freedom and our country. Wishing everyone a happy and safe 4th of July as we proudly celebrate and cherish our independence. Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. New York State Senator District 15 Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. New York State Senator District 15 District Offices FREE GROCERY PACKAGE FOR SENIOR CITIZENS 60 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER MON 9:00AM– 4:00PM TUE– SAT 7:00AM– 2:00PM COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM TEL: BK (718) 498-9208- QNS (718) 523-2220 840 Alabama Ave Brooklyn, NY 11207 / 91-29 143rd Street Jamaica, NY 11435 Join me this Columbus Day in honoring Christopher Columbus, and celebrating all the contributions of Italian-Americans. Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. New York State Senator District 15 Member of the Senate Labor and Civil Service & Pension Committees District Of ces: 159-53 102nd Street Howard Beach, N.Y. 11414 (718) 738-1111 (718) 322-5760 – FAX 66-85 73rd Place Middle Village, N.Y. 11379 (718) 497-1630 (718) 497-1761-FAX 159-53 102nd Street Howard Beach, NY 11414 TEL: (718) 738-1111 FAX: (718) 322-5760 66-85 73rd Place Middle Village, NY 11379 TEL: (718) 497-1630 FAX: (718) 497-1761 District Offices: 159-53 102nd Street Howard Beach, NY 11414 (718) 738-1111 (718) 322-5760 FAX 66-85 73rd Place Middle Village, NY 11379 (718) 497-1630 (718) 497-1761 FAX BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport We want safety improvements, and we want them now! That’s the demand local elected officials are making to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) after the agency released its findings from the safety review of New York and Atlantic Railway (NYA) in response to the July 2015 collision at Maspeth Avenue in which a locomotive struck a tractor-trailer at a railroad crossing. The FRA’s investigation found that NYA allowed the engineer and conductor of the train involved last year’s fiery crash to operate the vehicle without the proper training and certification, among other safety and logistical concerns. The engineer, according to the report, fled the scene following the crash and hasn’t been seen since. In conjunction with the study, FRA recommend that DOT install advanced warning signs, traffic lights, pavement markings, stop bars and more at several grade crossings along the Lower Montauk line. The agency further recommended that NYA pave roads near the tracks; install stop boards, warning lights and additional signage; and clean up vegetation at several of the grade crossings along the line. Congresswoman Grace Meng has written to both NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and NYA President Paul Victor, requesting that both entities implement the recommended changes as quickly as possible. “The city and NYA must act before another crash occurs. The safety of drivers, local residents and train personnel cannot continue to be jeopardized,” Meng said. State Senator Joseph Addabbo jumped on board and urged NYA follow through on the recommendations before another crash occurs. “NYA has failed to hire certified, trained conductors and engineers, putting their employees and the public in harm’s way,” Addabbo said. “It is crucial that New York & Atlantic listen to the recommendations not only of the community in which it operates, but also of elected officials and government agencies that have put forth multiple suggestions on how to improve safety before another tragic accident occurs.” According to Thomas A. Leopold, chief safety and compliance officer with NYA, the company has already begun implementing changes by trimming vegetation, paving grade crossings, and installing additional signage and stop boards. But one local civic group is skeptical and has called on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) — which owns the tracks on which NYA operates — to deny NYA’s request for a new 10-year contract, and that a new MTA freight operating plan is needed. “NYA’s crash in Maspeth on July 8 was a wake-up call,” said Mary Parisen, co-chair of Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions (CURES). “Their accident record is terrible. The report shows that this closely held private company recklessly cut corners at the expense of public safety. How many more warnings does the state need?”
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