Dear Editor (Queens Chronicle):(An open letter to the city Department of Transportation)
I am a resident of Long Island City and live on Vernon Avenue, which of course is the “main street.” I am writing to inform you that Vernon Avenue is in a terrible state of disrepair. This is not just normal or even abnormal winter damage. It was like this last fall, only now cars and trucks are kicking up pebbles (that fleck cars, chipping paint) and loads of dust (which billow up into all the surrounding apartments).
I think it’s time for a resurfacing. The boulevard is way past selective pothole patches. It has gone “third-world” and looks like the surface of the moon. There’s a bicycle lane too, and cyclists must take their chances with the deep ruts.
I have also discovered that Vernon from 44th Drive to 50th Drive is designated a truck route. Why are we having big trucks running down our main street? Why can’t trucks be diverted from Vernon at 44th Drive to 11th Street? The trucks, in avoiding the poor road conditions, tend to downshift and run their gears. This is very noisy at night and in the mornings. The sound literally sets off car alarms. Empty trucks make even more noise when they bounce over the potholes, their drivers zooming along carefree with empty loads.
I was told by a representative of the Queens DOT to write a written request. I was also informed that the likelihood of resurfacing Vernon was slim, due to other works underway. My question is, at what point does a road necessitate a resurfacing? I don't think it is safe to let this go much longer.
Ryan O'Toole
Long Island City
14 comments:
Unfortunately this condition is common throughout LIC and historically since LIC is an industrial area. So although the area is rapidly changing to include residential and office development, city government recognizes the paving schedules of previous decades and not likely to accelerate repairs because of new realities. I dare say this area is attractive to many for it's mixed edgy industrial, residential identity but with that comes the industrial part that remains and the potholes that won't go away because a couple of new residents see the issue more clearly. THE CITY IN IT'S WISDOM, SEEKS DEVELOPMENT BUT DOES NOT SUPPORT MAINTENANCE, FIRE AND POLICE PROTECTION TO MAKE IT TRULY VIABLE TO LIVE THERE - GOOD LUCK!
isn"t that cute! reroute trucks from Vernon Blvd. This gut obviously knew nothing of LIC history before moving there. Poor Thing
LMAO another L.I.C. Tower person crying about something. With all the building of those condos, the developers rip apart the streets and dont properly fix them. And as far as the trucks. get used to it you idiot, the L.I.E is right around the corner. I doubt they will fix the streets or re-route trucks just for you Tower people. Maybe you should ask Bloomberg to help you out?
Have you been on 21st Street lately?
Look the politicians in LIC are notorious for ignoring people unless, of course, you are a developer or a tweed that provides a photo backdrop.
Some of us have been getting after them for this attitude. No, they have not changed at all, but now we are on the radar, the local elected pricks are now wasting our time with sending us fund raisers.
That stunt shows their contempt for us. That stunt shows they have no incentive to change.
Working ‘within the system’ only bandages the problem without addressing its root cause.
People, what you need to is to embarrass these little postal clerks every chance you get.
Don’t waste time with 311 or calling an agency. Ask them about this every time they show up for a tweeder op. Write letters to the papers. Every time there is a problem, use every chance you have to drag their names publicly into to. Where is Cathy Nolan? Where is Jimmy Van Bramer? You get the picture.
Nothing will change unless you make them change.
Well weren't they talking about making this a greenway?
This is the direct route from Astoria & Roosevelt Island to the expressway and the tunnel. Of course it's a truck route.
I don't know about Vernon Avenue, but Vernon BOULEVARD could use a re-paving.
Ha ha the tower people don't even know the name of their street.
Take the subway.
"This is the direct route from Astoria & Roosevelt Island to the expressway and the tunnel. Of course it's a truck route."
See, for those of us who are from here and familiar with basic New York geography and infrastructure, this makes perfect sense and is only one of many reasons why most of us would never live in such a place. But the Tower People didn't know, so it's not fair! And it needs to stop now! It's gone "Third World!"
Obviously Ryan doesn't know much about the rest of Queens. "O'Tool," indeed.
I'm not gonna break the guy's balls for asking for better street conditions, I mean, that's a necessary service of the city and where our taxes go... so they better be fixing pot-holes.
But come on bro, re-route the trucks down 11th street?
This place has been an industrial/shipping powerhouse for 150 years but because some developers built a high-rise condo with a view that made you move here from Kansas, we all have to change our ways so you can sleep better at night?
Want quiet suburbia? GO HOME!
And that goes for you retards that moved into "1 Hunters Point" next to the biggest diesel railyard in NYC and complained about the trains.
Once again... If it's peace and quiet you're looking for, just LEAVE. Obviously you only want the hustle and bustle of the city between the hours of 8am and 5pm. Sorry, it doesn't work like that.
"Why are we having big trucks running down our main street?"
Because it IS the MAIN street. DUH!
Wow! Yes the idiot says Vernon ave?
No its Vernon Blvd there little Johnny and avenues run east and west in those areas.
It's cute when these people think they can change a large industrial area covering at least a few neighborhoods cause they spend way too much on a pretty condo that really needs inspecting in the walls, electricity, etc since people have leaked information on those buildings that worked the site along with the building violations all of them recieve.
Whos going to truck in your fresh direct, new kitchen counter, Con Edison work, and shabby built Ikea furniture?
As far as the repaving, I'm pretty sure half of it was done a few years ago but maybe they forget your stretch by Gantry.
In fairness, the road was called Vernon Avenue before the Great Queens Street Renaming, and the tilework on the 7 train still reads Vernon Ave. So if one gets off at that stop every day, one may forget that the street has actually been called Vernon Boulevard for, oh, about the last century or so.
You (hopefully) paid less to live in an industrial wasteland. Enjoy it...
I used to work for an underground utility locating company and Vernon Blvd is the most dangerous place in the city to do roadwork. There are so many high pressure gas pipes and extremely large electrical mains, that anytime any digging was necessary, the head of the underground Con Edison department had to be deployed to oversee everything. A complete resurfacing is highly unlikely. Its just too dangerous.
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