Subtitle
Push for sign at busy Bay Ridge corner
New York Daily News |
May 25, 2006
Author
By Alison Fox and Jotham Sederstrom
world
A hectic Bay Ridge intersection near a public library and an elementary school is giving residents road rage - and a stop sign is all they want."It seems so strange that you have a library that kids go to and you wouldn't put up a four-way stop sign," said Brian Celentano, who lives several blocks away."It just seems so ridiculous. I mean, is it going to take someone getting killed?"Bay Ridge residents and public officials yesterday blasted boulevard drivers, saying they routinely speed up to beat traffic lights several blocks away.From 1995 to 2001, there were five pedestrian injuries at the site, according to spokespeople for Transportation Alternatives. Most occurred before 1999.Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann said residents signed a petition last summer and sent letters to the Department of Transportation - which nixed requests to install stop signs on Ridge Blvd. at 73rd St.But after a September 2005 study, Transportation officials said a stop sign at Ridge Blvd. was unnecessary for the amount of traffic there."There are too many cars and too many people crossing," said Mia Jawad, 39, who was visiting a relative who lives near the intersection. "It's a complete mess there."City Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge) said the intersection always has been a cause for concern, but making the case to the Transportation Department is tough."We've made several attempts" to get a stop sign, said Gentile, who drafted a bill this year that would require all crosswalks to be marked."I could never fathom the reasons - or lack of reasons - the DOT gives," he added. "But that corner should be of some priority."Transportation spokesman Chris Gilbride said officials would decide within months whether to install a sign based on the results of a second traffic study."We're currently viewing up-to-date accident reports and doing a signal study," said Gilbride. "We're reevaluating.
Submitted by admin on December 18, 2007 - 16:57.
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