From the Queens Chronicle:
A city plan meant to curb accidents and prevent pedestrian deaths has instead left business owners struggling to survive on a commercial strip in Ozone Park that will soon be gasping for its last breath if the Department of Transportation does not make changes to the area, store owners and employees say.
The DOT in November made Liberty Avenue a one-way eastbound street between Crossbay Boulevard and 93rd Street as part of its plan to address congestion and injuries and deaths from accidents at the Liberty Avenue and Woodhaven, Crossbay, and Rockaway boulevards intersection.
DOT officials noted between 2004 and 2008 there were 207 injuries for pedestrians, bicyclists and individuals in motor vehicles at the Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue intersection between 94th and 96th streets.
Shop owners, however, said city officials need to figure out a way to change the intersection without settling for what has become a death sentence for stores in the area. A 99-cent store, laundromat and fast-food chicken restaurant have all gone out of business since the plan was implemented, and the shops that are left have seen a drastic drop in customers.
5 comments:
At court square in LIC on Jackson, the whole row of stores are out of business. Didn't help that construction took down their sidewalks and made it impossible for anyone to walk in. damn good lunch and queens fried chicken.
Like most avenues witn elevated subways, Liberty Avenue once had a lively business scene. But the DOT bureaucrats know what's better for us.
And who was the idiot who signed off on the bike lanes for Rockaway Boulevard? Now, it's a one-lne trip in each direction, creating traffic backups and hardly a bike to be seen.
Meanwhile our heroes in blue cruise down these bike lanes in their Impalas.
“A major commercial strip can’t survive on a one-way street.”
This sounds pretty ridiculous considering Manhattan is mostly one way streets. Many streets in Brooklyn too. Ever been to Knickerbocker Ave in Bushwick? A major commercial shopping strip on a one way street.
There must be something more to this story. Were parking spaces removed? Why would a laundromats business go down because driving customers have to drive around the block. What are they driving to a farther laundromat rather than around the block?
The pharmacy is probably getting killed by insurance plans pushing for people to get their non-emergency medications through mail order.
"On top of the one-way street, business owners have had to deal with reconstruction on the subway stairs leading to the A-line, which has temporarily closed off the entrance to Liberty Avenue from Woodhaven Boulevard. "
This loss of foot traffic probably has more of an impact on those stores than the one way street.
Sounds like the mayor wants to drive all those those "nuisance" private shop owners out by bankrupting them.
would you reopen your street level business ,if two vehicles have crashed into it in the past two weeks.this is the situation caused by two lanes of curved detours exiting the Queensboro bridge,at Bridge plaza. the detours were set up bt the D.O./T.(BIKE-O PSYCHO, SADIE-KAHN).
two deaths later, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Project, costing $43,000,000. goes forward.
why? when no one sees a bike on the bike lanes along side the street level of the bridge. who needs a park underneath,with pidgeons dropping on the bench warmers?
spend the money on the damaged curbs and streets.
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