Man Hit By Car on Crossbay Blvd and Liberty Avenue - April 29th...

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I took the above photos on Friday evening, April 29^th at about 6:15 pm, as I was going to the Ridgewood Democratic Club for the monthly meeting.

I observed a man who was hit by a black sedan lying on the ground at the intersection of Crossbay Blvd and Liberty Avenue in front of the former OTB.

The EMTs from Jamaica Hospital and cops from the 106 Pct showed up while I was still there. The driver remained at the scene.

Witnesses told me that the driver of the car was impatient and jumped the red light striking the man as he entered the crosswalk and dragged him a about 10 feet before coming to a complete stop. The driver of the car was a middle-aged black woman, she was accompanied by a male passenger.

The pedestrian seemed to be injured and in shock. He remained on the ground until the EMT's arrived and placed him on a back board and a neck brace. I heard him complaining of back and neck injuries while he was on the ground.

Ozone Park Traffic Pattern Bad For Business, Merchants Say by CeFaan Kim - NY1.com

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NY1 VIDEO: It was meant to improve safety, but instead Ozone Park merchants say a new traffic pattern at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard is starting to hurt their bottom line.

Liberty Avenue Stores Struggle to Survive by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle

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Mukesh Patel, left, and Joseph Bruno say the new traffic pattern and subway construction, inset, has deterred customers from frequenting their shops. Photo by Anna Gustafson

 

A city plan meant to curb accidents and prevent pedestrian deaths has instead left business owners struggling to survive on a commercial strip in Ozone Park that will soon be gasping for its last breath if the Department of Transportation does not make changes to the area, store owners and employees say.

“It’s affecting us so badly,” said Abdul Alawdi, owner of Fine Food Market and Deli at 93-10 Liberty Ave. “Three places have already gone out of business because of this. Who’s next? It’s going to be a ghost town here.”

The DOT in November made Liberty Avenue a one-way eastbound street between Crossbay Boulevard and 93rd Street as part of its plan to address congestion and injuries and deaths from accidents at the Liberty Avenue and Woodhaven, Crossbay, and Rockaway boulevards intersection.

DOT officials noted between 2004 and 2008 there were 207 injuries for pedestrians, bicyclists and individuals in motor vehicles at the Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue intersection between 94th and 96th streets.

Shop owners, however, said city officials need to figure out a way to change the intersection without settling for what has become a death sentence for stores in the area. A 99-cent store, laundromat and fast-food chicken restaurant have all gone out of business since the plan was implemented, and the shops that are left have seen a drastic drop in customers.

“How many more stores do they want to close?” asked David M. Quintana, a member of the Ozone Park Residents Block Association. “A major commercial strip can’t survive on a one-way street.”

Kalish Pharmacy, which has been in the neighborhood for 100 years, has experienced at least a 30 percent drop in business, according to pharmacist Joseph Bruno.

“Businesses are closing, people are out of work, it’s terrible,” Bruno said. “I grew up in Ozone Park, I have ties to this neighborhood, and I want to stay here.”

Ram Stationary and Cards owner Mukesh Patel said his business has dropped about 50 percent, and Alawdi said he has seen a decrease of about 40 to 45 percent.

“Business has gone down unbearably,” said Patel, who has owned his stationary store for the past 21 years. “We’re losing $600, $700 a day. It’s a terrible situation.”

On top of the one-way street, business owners have had to deal with reconstruction on the subway stairs leading to the A-line, which has temporarily closed off the entrance to Liberty Avenue from Woodhaven Boulevard.

Shop owners and employees said they would like the DOT to make Liberty a two-way street again. That, Community Board 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton said, is unlikely, but she did note that the DOT reversed its decision and said it will remove the back-in angled parking spaces on Liberty between Crossbay and 93rd Street after business owners complained they was too difficult for customers to use.

“We’re looking at that whole intersection and all the ramifications, and we’re engaged in ongoing discussions with DOT to see if there are further modifications that can be done,” Braton said.

DOT spokeswoman Nicole Garcia said the agency is incorporating community input to develop further plans for the area.

“Safety is our top priority, and the project implemented in this area is designed to boost safety for all street users,” Garcia said in an e-mailed statement.

Kimberly Liverpool, manager at Tommy’s Pizzeria, said she hopes the city seriously considers input from shop owners, especially since her store is losing about $200 to $300 a day because of the traffic change.

“Customers don’t even come this way anymore,” Liverpool said. “Even on a Friday and Saturday it’s horrible. I had four people working here, and now I’m down to two.”

Terranova Bakery manager Maria Monzon said her daily average customer count has dropped from about 200 to 150.

Businesses Along Liberty Avenue In Ozone Park Struggling To Survive by Stephanie Tsoflias- WPIX

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Businesses on Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park are dying for a lifeline.

A portion of the street went from two way to one way and now, shop owners say people have stopped coming to their shops.

"Liberty was the busy area, it was the busy side street now it's Rockaway Blvd.," said Kimberly Liverpool a store manager.

Liverpool has managed a pizza shop on Liberty Avenue for four years. She says since the traffic pattern changed, she has gone from having four employees to two.

"Honestly, how many stores on the block have to go, I don't want to be next," said Liverpool.

Four months ago, the Department of Transportation put concrete barriers up on Rockaway Blvd.

The DOT said it made the street on way back in November because of safety concerns. The intersection near Liberty Ave and Rockaway is notorious for accidents, the agency said. Last year, a young boy was killed crossing the street.

But it has been a disaster for businesses.

The bakery on the block now advertises breakfast sandwiches for $1.95 just to attract customers -- and even that is not enough.

"We only sold one muffin today....business is down about 25 percent and we are not sure how much longer we will last," said Maria, the bakery manager.

The DOT said it will work with businesses but had no immediate plans to reopen both lanes to traffic.

Parking spots were put in to make it more conducive to shoppers but drivers say it just has caused more congestion.

Not Business as Usual for Liberty Avenue by Bryan Yurcan - Queens Chronicle

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s owners on Liberty Avenue between 93rd Street and Cross Bay Boulevard say the changes implemented by the DOT in October have discouraged customers from coming to the area.

The city Department of Transportation in October implemented a plan designed to ease traffic on several intersections on Liberty Avenue and make them more pedestrian friendly.

But for some businesses in that vicinity, the project has hurt the bottom line.

The DOT’s plan to reduce congestion at the complex Woodhaven Boulevard, Crossbay Boulevard, Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue intersection included converting Liberty to a one-way eastbound street between Crossbay and 93rd Street and providing room for back-in angle parking spaces on that block.

A concrete barrier was also placed along Crossbay to prevent Liberty traffic from crossing through the intersection. The northbound lane for left turns onto Rockaway were extended and signal timing was adjusted to improve traffic flow.

But for some Liberty businesses, specifically those on the block that was converted to a one-way street, the changes have meant fewer customers coming through the doors.

Uncle Steve Discount Bargain Outlet, which is located on Liberty between 93rd and Crossbay, has a makeshift banner hanging in front of the store indicating that it is going out of business.

The owner, Steve, who didn’t wish to give his last name, said that the shops’ closing is about 50 percent due to the new traffic patterns.

“It has absolutely killed business,” he said. “So many less people come around here now.”

The owner said that many people who used to wait by the Rockaway Boulevard A train stop to pick up friends or spouses used to pop into stores on the block while they waited.

But with the concrete barrier now preventing access from the block to Crossbay, most people don’t do that anymore, he said.

Tommy’s Pizza & Restaurant, which sits a few storefronts down from the bargain store, also has seen a decrease in business since the new traffic plan was implemented.

Kimberly Liverpool, a manager there, said the business has seen a drop of around $200 a week in sales since the changes.

She said customers find it “a hassle” to come to the area now, and that the back-in parking added when the street was converted to one-way hasn’t even added that much extra parking space.

“A customer told me he feels like this is out of his way now,” Liverpool said.

An inquiry to the DOT was not returned as of press time.
cb1-

Community Board 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton said this issue “is absolutely on the radar” of the community board.

Braton said she has a meeting scheduled with DOT officials next week to discuss the concerns of business owners and see if modifications to the current plan are possible.

Braton said the DOT has been helpful in working with CB 10 on the matter.

“They reached out to us and are trying to address some concerns,” she said.

Snowed In? Not on Hizzoner's Block, But Ozone Park is Still Completely Snowed In - NYTimes.com

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It's nice to be King Bloomberg...One has to wonder if Emperor Mike's elimination of 5200 Sanitation workers last year could be the cause of this debacle in the outer boroughs...

Mayor Bloomberg's block @ 4:19pm - Photo by Corey Kilgannon

At least one city street is looking positively spiffy. That's East 79th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues you're looking at, grayish asphalt positively gleaming (metaphorically speaking) in the afternoon shade.

The block (East 79th) happens to be the home of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg - those are the bay windows of his doublewide townhouse on the left.


Now for comparison, here's the two block walk from my house on 103rd Avenue and 94th Street to Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park, Queens at about 6pm (an hour and a half after the photo above)...94th Street is totally impassable, as are most of the north-south streets in the neighborhood...Please note, this area is one of the busiest traffic-wise and one of the most major intersections in the entire borough of Queens...The thoroughfares of Liberty Avenue, Rockaway Blvd, Crossbay Blvd, Woodhaven Blvd and 94th Street all intersect at this location...

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Police Give Tips for a Crime-Free Holiday by Stephen Geffon - Queens Chronicle

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Leaving your car keys in your vehicle will almost certainly spoil your holiday, as one unlucky motorist found out last week when three perpetrators stole her car. Luckily for the owner, police recovered the vehicle a week later.

Notwithstanding that happy ending, many other car owners were not so lucky.

Capt. Thomas Pascale, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct, told members of the Precinct Community Council at its meeting last week in Ozone Park that 30 percent of the reported car thefts in the 106th occurred when owners left their keys in the car.

He said last week’s car theft could have easily been prevented had the owner not left the keys in the vehicle. Pascale urged residents not to leave their keys, as well as purses, wallets, packages and other valuables in plain view in their cars when they go shopping. He suggested putting items such as these in the trunk.

Precinct Conditions Unit Supervisor Sgt. Donna Nugent reported that in response to residents’ complaints of cars speeding on Crossbay Boulevard and Pitkin Avenue, police had conducted targeted enforcement in the area, setting up checkpoints and giving out summonses. She noted that one arrest was also made at a checkpoint, but did not specify the charge.

Nugent further said the park at PS 232 in Lindenwood is receiving additional police attention. She said officers now patrol the park with their car’s turret lights on when in that area, and they go into the park on foot and issue tickets to individuals found to be there after closing time.

In other news from the meeting, a Howard Beach resident reported that several manhole covers in the area are missing and presumed stolen for the value of the metal. She said the locations were near PS 207, at 158th Avenue and 87th Street and 88th Street and 158th Avenue.

“I’m afraid someone’s going to fall in,” said the resident.

A coordinator of the after school program at JHS 226 on Rockaway Boulevard in South Ozone Park advised Pascale that youngsters under 15 years old are wandering the street during school hours. The captain said he would notify the precinct’s truancy officers.

The 106th Precinct Community Council meets on the second Wednesday of the month, except for August and February, at the precinct station house, located at 103-51 101 St. in Ozone Park.

Senator Addabbo Says "Enough!" To Parking Meter Rate Hike By DOT Effective January 3, 2011...

Showing solidarity with the stance taken by The Woodhaven Residents' Block Association in their December 7 press release, NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., whose district includes Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Forest Hills, Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth and parts of other Queens areas all having commercial strips, now adds his strong objection to the upcoming increase in parking meter rates. Starting January 3, 2011, a quarter will buy 15 minutes at a parking meter, rather than 20 minutes, the second time in less than two years that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has increased meter rates. As recently as spring of 2009, a quarter bought 30 minutes at a parking meter.

"I expect this rate increase will hurt the businesses on Jamaica, Liberty, Myrtle, Metropolitan, Grand and Continental Avenues, Crossbay and Rockaway Boulevards, all lined with parking meters. It will also result in more parking tickets for residents and other consumers who, instead of boosting their local small businesses, will drive out of these areas to malls with parking lots to avoid such parking harassment.

"This is a bad decision by DOT that will hurt working families and the middle class the most, like my district residents, who already are being nickel-and-dimed enough at the gas pump, the grocery store, on mass transit and the post office, and who must park on our streets as they drive around Queens, the largest New York City borough," said Addabbo.

"How do all the parking ticket and meter fees collected by DOT get spent -- do New Yorkers get any benefit out of all the money that's collected from parking offenders? If DOT will not reconsider this rate hike being imposed right after the holiday season, I would urge the agency to at least post signs this time, informing everyone of the change," added the Senator. In 2009, after the last rate increase, many drivers were caught by surprise because the DOT did not post any warnings of the price hike.

"At a time when everyone feels their wallets can't take any more hits, does the city and DOT really want to punish small mom-and-pop shops and hurt local commercial strips already reeling across New York City? I'd like to work with other local electeds, other local BIDs like Woodhaven's, more civic organizations and block associations in Queens -- to take our borough's opposition to such an annoying parking meter increase right to the doorstep of City Hall in Manhattan. That’s a much smaller borough, where vehicles and their drivers have not been welcome for some time," commented Addabbo.

Businesses Hopeful for DOT Traffic Proposal by Bryan Yurcan - Queens Chronicle

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With the city Department of Transportation days away from starting work on a project designed to ease traffic on several intersections on Liberty Avenue and make them more pedestrian friendly, many area businesses and residents are taking a wait-and-see approach as to how effective the changes will be.

The DOT announced in June that it would implement several improvements to that area, specifically the complex Woodhaven Boulevard, Crossbay Boulevard, Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue intersection.

The DOT plans several major changes, including converting Liberty Avenue to a one-way eastbound street between 93rd Street and Cross Bay Boulevard, which will provide room for back-in angle parking spaces on that block.

A concrete barrier will also be placed along Cross Bay Boulevard to prevent Liberty Avenue traffic from crossing through the intersection. The northbound lane for left turns onto Rockaway Boulevard will be extended and signal timing will be adjusted to improve traffic flow.

Three transit loading zones, or “bus plazas,” will also be installed along Liberty Avenue: between 93rd and 94th streets and east of 96th Street on the north and south sides of Liberty Avenue

The DOT said the areas were selected both because they are pedestrian-oriented and rife with storefront commercial property. Also, the DOT said the changes are further based on complaints the agency received regarding congestion levels, parking problems, trucks being ticketed while loading and unloading and a history of crashes and transit issues — the elevated A train runs above the majority of these intersections and myriad buses cross paths along the route.

Several business owners in that area of Liberty Avenue said something does need to be done, but are reserving their judgement of the plan’s effectiveness until they see it in action.

Wayne Zanatta, one of the owners of Midway Cabinets Inc. said he liked the idea of extending the left turn lane onto Rockaway Boulevard. He also supported any plans to make the area safer for pedestrians.

However, Zanatta said he hoped the DOT would also consider changing Rockaway Boulevard and 96th Street from a no standing zone. Currently, signs indicate there is no standing allowed in that area between 4 and 7 p.m.

“That’s a big detriment to business, but a great revenue raiser for the city,” he said.

Zanatta said he plans on attending a Monday walkthrough the DOT has scheduled to get a better idea of the project.

Deen Idross, an employee of the neighboring business, Venice Carpet, also said removing the no standing signs would be the biggest thing the DOT could do to help area businesses.

“Customers are getting ticketed every day, it makes the businesses suffer,” he said.

Shenny, an employee of Liberty Florist who did want to give her last name, said the DOT improvements are long overdue.

“The traffic out here is scary, it’s been bad for a while” she said. “Hopefully these changes will make it better, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

Howard Kamph, president of the Ozone Park Civic Association, said “something had to be done” in the area, specifically to make it more safe for pedestrians.

“In the long run, if its safer for pedestrians and there’s less accidents, than it will certainly have been a worthwhile project,” he said.

Vishnu Mahadeo, president of the Richmond Hill Economic Development Corp., praised the DOT for reaching out to the Indo-Caribbean community in the area, which he says was ignored during the agency’s initial set of public meetings on the project.

“We were very open to working with them and giving our input,” Mahadeo said.

Betty Braton, the chairwoman of Community Board 10, said she was disappointed the DOT did not take into consideration the feedback proposed by the board.

Specifically, the board committee that reviewed the project expressed concerns with the back-in parking plan for 93rd Street and the concrete barrier that will close off traffic from Liberty Avenue to the intersection, and asked the agency to revise them. The DOT, however, is going ahead with its plans.

“We believed we had some good ideas, but we are not the traffic engineers, they are,” Braton said, while noting that the CB 10 committee that reviewed the plan did in fact contain one professional traffic engineer.

The Liberation of Liberty Avenue by Tonia N. Cimino - The Queens Courier

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Margaret Finnerty of the Richmond Hill South Civic Association and City Councilmember Eric Ulrich test out the power washer after announcing an expanded graffiti removal program.

Liberty Avenue will soon be liberated from graffiti, thanks to City Councilmember Eric Ulrich.

On Tuesday, September 21, he announced the continuation and expansion of his comprehensive graffiti removal program in District 32. The joint effort with the Greater Woodhaven Development Corporation has already cleaned up hundreds of properties, and this year is being expanded to include regular maintenance of Liberty Avenue and second floor locations.

“We are well on our way towards eliminating graffiti vandalism in our community,” said Ulrich. “With the addition of Liberty Avenue to the program, we are making these eyesores a thing of the past.”

Bruce Pienkny of CitySolve, Maria Thomson of the Greater Woodhaven Development Corp, Margaret Finnerty of the Richmond Hill South Civic Association and area business owners and residents joined the Councilmember along Liberty Avenue to kick off the effort.

Last year the program focused on 101st Avenue, Woodhaven Boulevard and Rockaway Boulevard. This year, it has been expanded to also include an initial cleanup and monthly maintenance of Liberty Avenue from 75th Street to Lefferts Boulevard.

“It’s the monthly maintenance that ultimately keeps the problem under control,” said Pienkny. “We clean it up, and then maintain, maintain, maintain.”

Residents can still call the Councilmember’s graffiti removal hotline at 718-738-1429 to report any locations within the 32nd District that are in need of cleanup.

Unsafe Intersection Tops DOT's Concerns by Stephen Geffon - Queens Chronicle

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Officials from the Department of Transportation are about to become very familiar with the streets and intersections of Ozone Park and Richmond Hill.

DOT visited Community Board 10 last Thursday to explain its planned safety improvements at the intersection of Crossbay Boulevard/Woodhaven Boulevard/Liberty Avenue/Rockaway Boulevard in Ozone Park and along Rockaway Boulevard from Atlantic Avenue to Sutphin Boulevard.

DOT Queens Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy told CB 10 members that the rate of accidents at the intersection and along Rockaway Boulevard spurred its selection of this area for study. “The main purpose of this meeting is to improve safety,” McCarthy said.

A total of 207 injuries from accidents, which included 13 pedestrians, 6 bicyclists and 188 motor vehicle occupants, were reported at Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue between 94th and 96th streets from 2004 until 2008, according to DOT.

In 2009, a child was killed at the Crossbay Boulevard/Woodhaven Boulevard/Liberty Avenue/Rockaway Boulevard intersection.

DOT said the intersection, which contains seven bus lines, an elevated subway train, high traffic and pedestrian volumes and very complex intersection geometry, is congested and difficult to navigate for all road users.

“Through a series of road closures, signal timing changes, bus stop relocation, new turning lanes, new vehicle routing and expanded pedestrian space, this comprehensive redesign project aims to improve safety for all users, simplify the intersection, improve pedestrian crossings, relieve congestion for key movements and provide more public space,” DOT said in a statement posted on its website.

The agency plans to install sidewalk extensions and medians to shorten crossing distances and improve current bus stop locations. Traffic patterns at intersections would be redesigned and signal phasing would be modified and renewed to reduce vehicles/bus/pedestrian conflicts and create simpler more navigable intersections for drivers and pedestrians. New crosswalks would better accommodate pedestrians.

DOT’s proposal includes closing Liberty Avenue between Cross Bay Boulevard and 95th Street and expanding the greenstreets that currently exist in order to provide more public space. The agency has also proposed shutting off 94th Street between Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue and converting the street into a pedestrian plaza, similar to one that now exists on sections of Broadway in Manhattan.

DOT plans to provide 14 back-in angle parking spaces on the north side of Liberty Avenue between 93rd and 94th streets.

The four-mile study area along Rockaway Boulevard from Atlantic Avenue to Sutphin Boulevard is a wide corridor with multiple travel lanes and is located adjacent to eight schools. Excess capacity at off-peak hours encourages speeding, with approximately 59 percent of vehicles exceeding the speed limit along this roadway, the department said.

Long blocks, long signal cycles and low volumes also encourage jaywalking, the DOT said, adding that the proposed project would calm traffic by reducing lanes in some portions and adding left turn bays and wide parking lanes.

Agency officials said that traffic calming improvements along Rockaway Boulevard would involve removing one through travel lane west of 104th Street, as feasible, and two through travel lanes east of 104th Street, with the exception of those at junctions with the Van Wyck Expressway, Liberty Avenue and Woodhaven/Crossbay boulevards.

Flush center medians with left-turn bays would be installed to make turning easier and safer for drivers and improve traffic flows. According to the department, this will also improve pedestrian safety by shortening crossing distances and reducing speeding.

McCarthy stressed that she and her staff were at the meeting to get community input on the proposal.

“We will be making improvements to this corridor because it is a dangerous corridor,” she said. “I don’t know what the final product will be. We will get back to the board once we make our final design.”

Although DOT plans to start making the safety improvements in September, CB 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton asked McCarthy to wait until the developer for the Aqueduct Race Track racino project is selected and has an opportunity to thoroughly review DOT’s proposal. A bidder is expected to be announced in August.

Meanwhile, Braton appointed board member Anthony Cosentino, a professional engineer, to chair an ad hoc subcommittee to prepare comments about the plan to be submitted to DOT by the end of June.

Streetsblog New York City » Pedestrian Reclamation on Tap for Deadly Ozone Park Intersection

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Pedestrian plazas planned for 94th Street and Liberty Avenue. The elevated tracks of the A train run over Liberty Ave. Image: NYCDOT

One of the most dangerous intersections in Queens is slated for a DOT safety makeover. At a meeting of Queens Community Board 10 last Thursday, DOT presented a plan [PDF] to rework the chaotic intersection of Crossbay Boulevard, Woodhaven Boulevard, Rockaway Boulevard, and Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park by turning two full street blocks into pedestrian plazas and introducing a host of other safety improvements.

More safety improvements at the intersection of Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Ave. Image: NYCDOT

With seven bus lines, a subway station, and major thoroughfares that are highly conducive to speeding when rush-hour subsides, this jumble of roads is a safety disaster. Between 2004 and 2008, 207 traffic injuries happened there, including three pedestrian fatalities, which makes the intersection one of the most dangerous intersections in Queens, according to DOT.

In response, the agency is proposing to turn one block of 94th Street and one block of Liberty Avenue into pedestrian areas. Also in the plan: installing pedestrian refuge islands and new crosswalks, lengthening pedestrian crossing times, and daylighting intersections by removing the parking spots nearest to the corner. According to the Queens Chronicle, DOT plans to begin implementation in September, although CB 10's chairwoman has asked to hold off until plans for the nearby Aqueduct Race Track are finalized.

DOT Discusses Ways to Improve Busy Intersection by Patricia Adams - Forum News

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The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) made a presentation to Community Board 10 last week regarding the intersection at Liberty Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard.

The project which is nearing the implementation phase is designed to address intersection safety and traffic improvements.

The original study for the problem area was launched after a child pedestrian fatality occurred at Crossbay Boulevard and Liberty Avenue. The intersection was also identified by NYPD as a challenging location. A request for review by the Queens DOT Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy prompted the study which falls within the Woodhaven Boulevard Congested Corridors study area.

Representatives pointed out that the area has many existing conditions contributing to congestion and safety threats. Seven bus lines, the Rockaway Blvd. subway station and an elevated train which runs over Liberty Avenue all converge on the intersection.

Other major problems include a peak traffic volume of more than 2,000 vehicles an hour, complex physical geometry and very large pedestrian volume-- a large percentage of them children.

According to a scale of severity-weighted scale ranking Queens’ intersections, Rockaway & Woodhaven Boulevard ranks in the 99th percentile with nearby Rockaway Blvd. and 94th street close behind in the 89th percentile.

A total of 207 injuries were documented from 2004-2008 with two pedestrian fatalities included.

Following the conclusion of the study the DOT has made several recommendations to
address concerns. At Crossbay and Woodhaven Boulevards, two streets will be converted to plaza space, expansion in the north bound left turn lanes and added capacity at
Rockaway Boulevard.

At Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue proposed solutions include constructing a pedestrian refuge island,while expanding an existing one and installing a traffic signal at 96th street and a more direct crosswalk.

Among the overall benefits, according to the DOT, is the reduction of conflict between pedestrians, vehicle and bus traffic. All intersections will be more crosser-friendly at a rate of 3.5 feet/sec and more easily navigable for both drivers and pedestrians. The plan also offers reduced crossing distances, more public space and simpler, safer left turns.

Later in the week DOT Commissioner Maura McCarthy and other representatives from DOT made an additional presentation for community members and media to kick off a study to look at congestion along Liberty Avenue from Woodhaven Boulevard to the Van Wyck Expressway.

DOT Pitches Road No-Hitter by Victor G. Mimoni - The Queens Courier

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Propose Changes to Rockaway Boulevard, Liberty Avenue, More...

CB10 members had plenty of questions for DOT’s traffic change proposals. The Courier/Photo by Victor G. Mimoni

Local officials got an eyeful recently, when Department of Transportation (DOT) Queens Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy and staffers presented their plans for sweeping changes to traffic patterns along Rockaway Boulevard and at the Rockaway/Woodhaven/Cross Bay Boulevard/Liberty Avenue intersection complex.

Citing pedestrian fatalities and auto accident clusters with serious injuries, Project Manager Rob Viola and Borough Planner Nathan Gray led the presentation at the regular meeting of Community Board (CB)10 on Thursday, June 3.

The two major proposals are for the four-mile Rockaway Boulevard from Atlantic Avenue to Sutphin Boulevard and for the intersections of Woodhaven/Crossbay and Rockaway Boulevards, Liberty Avenue, 93rd through 96th Streets.

DOT noted that the Liberty Avenue corridor is nearly in the top 10 percent of “severe injury corridors” in Queens, with about 59 percent of cars speeding.

The plan, with pedestrian-safe medians, left-turn bays and traffic lane reductions with wider parking/drop-off lanes in various areas – while shortening the period between light-changes to slow speeders and reduce jaywalking, was generally well-received.

More controversial was DOT’s proposal to close off several blocks of Liberty Avenue and also 94th Street in the intersection complex, move bus stops, enlarge pedestrian islands and widen some turns.

Several CB10 members voiced reservations about diversions they said would actually increase traffic close to a nearby school and library. They were assured that the plan was the result of long study, but that their concerns would be reviewed.

Longtime local resident David Quintana suggested that rather than close the block of 94th Street between Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue completely, it should be southbound for buses only.

The DOT delegation, clearly impressed with an idea which had admittedly eluded them, promised to take the suggestion back and consult with CB10 later this year, before a final plan is released.

The board set up a special committee to closely review and critique the proposals.

The plans as presented to CB10 can be found on the DOT web site - click here.

New Traffic Plans for Southeast Queens by Tonia N. Cimino - The Queens Courier

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If you live, drive, or shop on Liberty Avenue or Rockaway Boulevard, big changes may be coming soon.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has released its findings – and its suggested improvements – for both the Liberty Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard intersections following its “Congested Corridor” studies of the areas.

At “the complicated intersection where Woodhaven Boulevard, Liberty Avenue, Rockaway Boulevard and Cross Bay Boulevards meet,” according to the DOT, the agency is planning to install sidewalk extensions and medians to shorten crossing distances and improve current bus stop locations.

With a proposed implementation planned for September, traffic patterns will be redesigned and signal phasing will be modified. The DOT is also proposing to close Liberty Avenue between Cross Bay Boulevard and 95th Street and expand the Greenstreet that currently exists.

Along Rockaway Boulevard, where the DOT says speeding is common and there were 14.2 average pedestrian injuries per year from 2004 to 2008, they may remove one lane of traffic west of 104th Street and two through travel lanes east of 104th Street (except at junctions with the Van Wyck Expressway, Liberty Avenue, and Woodhaven/Cross Bay Boulevards).

With a proposed start date of August, center medians with left turn bays will also be installed to make turning easier and improve traffic flows.

The DOT also has a plan to help alleviate speeding along Cross Bay Boulevard in Broad Channel.

DOT representatives will be at the June 3 Community Board 10 meeting, according to CB 10 District Manager Karyn Petersen.

“So much was involved, we knew the community had to be involved,” said Petersen, who noted there will be an “extensive public review process” and comment period.

The DOT has said the plans won't be publicly available until after they are presented to the Community Boards.

Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer, who has said the areas’ traffic patterns need improvement, noted that one concern of hers is the potential loss of parking spaces – and the impact on area businesses.

“We have a thriving area there,” she said. “We don’t want to hurt people’s businesses or see people get hurt.”

Pheffer is pushing for a walk-through with the DOT.

“There’s some of it we like, some of it is a little extreme,” she told The Courier. “We want them to explain to us and see what its like in the car.”

The next meeting of CB 10 will be on June 3 at 7:45 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus, 135-45 Lefferts Boulevard.

Sen Addabbo, Assemblymember Pheffer and CB 10 Chair Braton Inspect Cross Bay Blvd. & Liberty Ave-Rockaway Blvd.Proposed DOT Changes...

The intersections of Cross Bay Blvd. and Liberty Avenue and Rockaway Blvd. are the busiest and most heavily traveled locations in Queens County. That is why Assemblywoman Audrey I. Pheffer, Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. and Chair Betty Braton, upon learning of Queens Department of Transportation’s plans for drastic changes to the area, conducted an onsite visit to see first hand the impact these changes would have.

“Safety is our number one concern for both pedestrians and motorists. However, merchants, residents and both bus and train riders must be equally accommodated in this plan. I will work closely with Community Board #10’s transportation committee and all concerned parties to ensure that needed corrective actions do not unfairly impact all who utilize this busy intersection.” said Assemblywoman Pheffer.

“I am very concerned about the DOT proposal for the Cross Bay Blvd. and Liberty Avenue area. I believe at each step of the process the people of the community should be informed and allowed to give input. Long after DOT is done with their proposal, we have to live with the changes.” said Senator Addabbo.