From the Daily News:PLANS TO untangle the traffic knot at the foot of the
Cars traveling south on 31stSt. will no longer be able to turn left onto Astoria Blvd., leaving them to wind through narrow streets to access the Grand Central Parkway.
And local officials question the wisdom of putting bike lanes in an area where cars jockey to exit the highway and get onto the bridge.
"I've been asking for improvements to this intersection since the day I was elected," said City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., who has represented the area since 2002. "This is the first attempt at some major improvements. I support the goal, but some of the specifics go too far."
The plan was crafted by the city Department of Transportation in an effort to reduce congestion, ease crossings and provide more bicycle access in the area of Astoria Blvd. and 31st St.
Agency officials said about 300 traffic accidents occur at the intersection every year, along with 25 pedestrian accidents.
Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy cited it as the highest accident location in northern Queens.
The plan also includes placement of a flashing red signal at 29th St. and Hoyt Boulevard South, changes in traffic-signal timing and new street markings.
Vallone (D-Astoria) said residents are especially troubled by the move to block left turns from 31st St. to Astoria Blvd.
They fear that will divert cars into neighborhood streets in search of an entrance to the Grand Central Parkway.
Agency officials said they will monitor traffic for six months to determine whether to keep the ban in place.
21 comments:
No pedestrian knowing how bad that intersection is knows to walk over up the stairs at the Astoria blvd stop and many with bikes do too. I'm sure it will be cute to watch the car nuts on here generalize bike riders even though their the guys in large trucks and SUV's that every five minutes run red lights there.
That intersection long ago should have been better organized to stop all those car accidents which is why there's glass and car parts all over those streets everyday. Come on already its a major hub. A nightmare for pedestrian's all the time.
Cover the highway trench, then you will have more space for turns, lanes, and parking.
And please, please, listen to local residents. This Bloombergian top-down planning is undemocratic and un-American.
And please, please, listen to local residents. This top-down planning is undemocratic and un-American.
Wow, is this something new for Astoria?
I'm sure it will be cute to watch the car nuts on here generalize bike riders....
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That is all this intersection needs. Chip on the shoulder bike nuts.
With these 3rd world drivers tearing through there they will quickly find they will be face on the pavement if they do.
I'm sure it will be cute to watch the car nuts on here generalize bike riders even though their the guys in large trucks and SUV's that every five minutes run red lights there.
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Yes, because biker just follow the rules of the road all the time.
I would be money that the ratio of bikes running red lights outnumber cars doing the same by at least 10:1.
The day you see a bike sit at a red light is the day Bloomberg resigns.
And lets not even get into driving the wrong way on a 1 way street, riding on the sidewalk, riding on the wrong side of a 2 way street, not yielding to pedestrians, etc, etc.
As expensive as it would be, covering the highway trench would probably be the best solution here.
This intersection is completely miserable and I do everything in my power to avoid it, whether I'm on two wheels or four wheels.
As expensive as it would be, covering the highway trench would probably be the best solution here.
sure, ad to more parking.
you want parking, stop your freakin overdevelopment!
"theres that smell again!!!"
yes, I like building a 15 story senior residence right next to this polluting highway - and taking away all the parking spaces that they now want to restore with taxpayers money over the highway.
Let HANAC pay for it.
There is AN EASY fix to the congestion problem at that corner! People getting off the G.C.P. and going into Astoria have to make those two horrible left turns, once onto 31st then again onto Astoria Blvd (the turn referenced in this article). HOWEVER there is a wide overpass on 32nd/33rd (depending on which side you're coming from) that is 4 lanes wide and ONE WAY, i.e. North. 4 lanes are way too many for north-bound only traffic. Make that overpass TWO ways and use two lanes going South so that drivers exiting the G.C.P. and going to Astoria can turn left there and totally avoid the 31st St mess. This would be so much easier for drivers going to Steinway St.
You are a fucking communist Queenscrapper. You continuously disrespect a Senator of this country that was assasinated. One day I will meet you, as we live in the same neighborhood and I am going to shove my foot up your ass. Try not to like it too much.
You are a fucking communist Queenscrapper. You continuously disrespect a Senator of this country that was assasinated. One day I will meet you, as we live in the same neighborhood and I am going to shove my foot up your ass. Try not to like it too much.
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hey asshole, in case you did'nt know it but we (the tax payers) paid to have that bridge named after that dead senator. It cost us (the tax payers) 4 million dollars. I, for one , will continue to call it the "Triborough Bridge". So while you are in queens looking for Queens Crapper, stop by Maspeth so I can shove my foot so far up your ass that it has to be surgically removed. You are such a loser. Is your name Caroline by chance????
yeah it seems to me that paterson disrespected the taxpayers by doing that. a lot of good it did him, sucking up to the kennedys. he paid for it later when he f'ed up with caroline and now is just a lame duck.
He's a lame duck that's cross-eyed.
With these 3rd world drivers tearing through there they will quickly find they will be face on the pavement if they do.
Tell me about it! The old Greek and Italian men drive me nuts, too!
i drive in this area all the time, and it is a shit show, and sounds like its going to be even worse after these changes take effect.
That bridge should not have been re-named, there was no reason to change the name, and RFK sounds like something that belongs in New England..... sorry no dis... no fuck that it is america and we can say what ever the hell we want about everyone, and anyone..
jack-ass
Don't worry. In 40 years, Queensboro Bridge will be renamed after Hillary Clinton, another proud New Yorker.
"We have a 40 minute delay on the Bobby and 15 minutes on the Bitch."
i'm through that intersection six days a week
what they are doing will not work.
those coming from north must be able to turn left.
those coming from south know to use 33rd.
i myself come from the west (astoria blvd.)
29th is perfect for the triboro... it works
the main problem is the left on 31st.
get rid of that
make 27st. underpass (one-way) two lane for a u-turn to directly access GCP
ajust other street for local neighborhood traffic...
as far as bikes go..
all of them break the law
always
as near as i can figure, the only thing green about a cyclist in NYC is what they've been smoking or the actual color of their brain cells...
that is to say:
a large red octagon that spells "STOP" means stop
even the good ones behave like children
ps i was green before you were born
as far as bikes go..
all of them break the law
always
See how quickly you became a bore?
no fuck that it is america and we can say what ever the hell we want about everyone, and anyone..
REALY? Every try to post a real Astorian comment on Astorians.com?
Give it a try sometime.
In Astoria, we don't know from bike lanes. We drive right up on the sidewalk and around the corner too at high speed.
When we visit our friends, we mount the sidewalk and drive straight down the sidewalk to the front door.
Bicyclists, run for your lives. Drop the bike and scramble over the nearest wall before it is too late.
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