April 6, 2017 By Hannah Wulkan
A dangerous stretch of roadway in Kew Gardens is likely to undergo a major overall to reduce traffic accidents.
The Department of Transportation plans to install a number of safety features along Park Lane South, which saw 89 traffic-related injuries between 2010 and 2014 and a motorcycle fatality in 2015. Should the DOT get the support of Community Board 9, work will commence this summer.
The DOT plan, which was presented to a Community Board 9 committee last month, will focus on a number of intersections along Park Lane South, including where Beverly Road and Onslow Place meet. At that intersection there is currently an uncontrolled slip lane that wraps around Forest Park and a lack of cross walks on the wide streets.
At the Beverly Road/Onslow Place intersection there were nine crashes from 2010 to 2014. In 2015, a motorcyclist was also struck and killed there.
Under the proposal, the DOT would expand the concrete pedestrian island in the center of the intersection and add crosswalks and crossing signals throughout the intersection. It would also add a traffic light to the intersection and add a left turn lane to try and control cars through the area.
The second aspect of the plan focuses on the intersection with Metropolitan Avenue, which saw 33 crashes and 31 injuries from 2010 to 2014. Currently there are issues with cars turning on to Park Lane South not yielding to pedestrians and a bus stop blocking traffic.
The plan proposes to increase pedestrian safety by adding Leading Pedestrian Intervals, giving pedestrians a chance to begin crossing the street before cars can move, adding a curb to help calm left-turning cars, and adjust the timing of the green arrow light allowing a left turn on to Metropolitan Avenue.
The DOT also hopes to make it safer for pedestrians at 115th Street, by adding a concrete traffic island and crosswalks to the area to help deter speeding and make it more pedestrian friendly.
Finally, the proposal looks to address unsafe conditions at Myrtle Avenue, which has long crossing distances and indirect crossings to the park. The DOT proposes to add more crosswalks to the intersection and widen the existing crosswalks, as well as adding a pavement extension near a park access road to help safely channel traffic in the right directions.
In addition to addressing safety issues along Park Lane South, DOT also proposed various safety measures along Greenfell Street, particularly at the intersections with Lefferts Boulevard and Onslow Place, which have seen several crashes and injuries in the past few years.
For the full presentation, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/park-lane-s-mar-2017.pdf.
DOT Park Lane s Mar 2017 by Queens Post on Scribd
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The Community Board will vote on this proposal this Thursday at the CB9 Meeting. You can make a statement at that time. The meeting will be April 13th 2017 at 7:45 PM
Queens Borough Hall, Room 213/2nd FL
120-55 Queens Blvd
Kew Gardens, NY 11424