Sunday, February 14, 2010

Main Street traffic plan nixed

From the Queens Chronicle:

The Queens Chronicle has learned that the city’s Department of Transportation pulled its longtime plan to convert Main and Union to one-way streets in Flushing, leaving area officials wondering why the about-face.

The nixed DOT project called for converting Main Street to one-way northbound and Union Street to one-way southbound, both to Sanford Avenue. The purpose was to relieve traffic congestion in the downtown area.

DOT officials studied the traffic situation in Flushing for years, meeting with area officials, merchants and civic groups for feedback. The final plan was announced a year ago.

The city earmarked $6 million for the changes that also included widening sidewalks on the two streets by up to 10 feet, adding street lights and plantings and changing bus stops. New truck loading areas were to be designated to avoid double parking and interfering with traffic.

Mabel Law, executive director of the Flushing Business Improvement District, was also working closely with the city on the traffic plan. She hadn’t been informed about the change. “I met with them only a couple of weeks ago and thought the project had been delayed to June,” Law said. “I don’t know why they would reverse themselves. It’s very strange.”

According to CB 7 officials, DOT said the plan was dangerous because it forced buses to make too many right-hand turns. But why it took the city so long to reach this conclusion is not known.


It's because we have a DOT Commissioner who doesn't know her ass from her elbow.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Neither does Crappy, it appears.

Anonymous said...

Neither does Crappy, it appears.

==============================================

Oh tell us more, omniscient one!

PizzaBagel said...

Y'know, if I were mayor, I'd block off traffic along Main Street where Kissena Boulevard starts. Make it pedestrian only. Put in lawn chairs for folks to lounge around in. That'd do the trick alright, don'tcha think?

Anonymous said...

Y'know, if I were mayor, I'd block off traffic along Main Street where Kissena Boulevard starts. Make it pedestrian only. Put in lawn chairs for folks to lounge around in. That'd do the trick alright, don'tcha think?

That might end up having a lot of street vendor there.

Anonymous said...

GOOD...it was a stupid plan from the get-go!

Now go cry in your beer "up-Chuck" Apelian & Co.

ConcernedQNZ said...

Personally I think it was a bad plan to start with because the fire house and and the emergencey service unit at the 109th use union so to make it one way would have delayed responce times.

Kevin Walsh said...

All they had to do was include a bicycle lane. She would have acted immediately.

www.forgotten-ny.com

Cav said...

Maybe over-development has something to do with increased traffic?

ConcernedQNZ said...

Hey Cav, I think you hit the nail on the head.. but don't tell our elected officials that one.. its a bit too obvious for them..

Anonymous said...

FDNY response time curtailed? (LOL)!

When I raised the question about slowing down response time to Gene Kelty (CB#7's chair) about the stupidity of crimping Roosevelt Ave. to make room for the new #7 train Main Street escalators some years ago....this is what I got.

Q.
"What if a fire truck can't get through a traffic log jam on this constricted street"?

A.
"They'll blow their horns".

Thanks for the blow job Captain Eugene Kelty FDNY!

Unknown said...

What they need to do is educate the people around there as the proper way to cross the street in whatever languange they speak.Also it would be good for countdown clocks on the traffic lights and also have everyone along the corridor cross the street at the same time so that cars making the right turns doesnt back up traffic for miles.Also make the corridor no turns from sanford av to northern blvd from 6 am to 10 pm.Make union street parking on one side of the street.On main st,Bike lane on one side away from the dedicated bus lane.Installing a red-light camera at kissena blvd and main st(southbound) to deter motorist from running the light on main st(Southbound) clogging under the railroad creating a bottle neck.Also when the one way is created,iron fences should be put on the sidewalks edge to prevent pedestrians from just walking into the street without looking bothways,which is a constant in this area.