I received this email and disturbing photo from a reader today about a pedestrian hit at the intersection of 71st Continental Ave. and Austin Street on Friday evening:
Attention Edge Of the City:
It may interest you to know that on Friday 4/22 around 6:30pm a woman was struck by a car on Austin St. (See attached photo Hit and run) As a routine commuter using the LIRR on weekdays this intersection is crazy. People running red lights all the time, road rage, K turns etc with people piling out of the E and F trains and LIRR, school kids and shoppers many of whom step off the side walk and into the road to cross or to pass slow moving people. The volume of pedestrians and motorists are clearly in the thousands. Queens is the most deadly borough leading the way with traffic related deaths and head injuries. Why there isn't a traffic cop at this intersection is beyond comprehension. My question to Melinda Katz is this...How many people have to get hit by a car in order to put a cop on duty at this intersection?
Sincerely yours,
Infuriated Dad
Something like this was inevitable. That intersection is one of the worst in all of NYC, Manhattan included. The road rage of the drivers there - blaring their horns endlessly - is off the charts. Do pedestrians run at top speed down the Austin Street sidewalks, hands cupped around their mouths screaming "MOVE!!!" at anyone who dares to slow them down? No, of course not. But that is essentially what these drivers are doing, and they get away with it because they're encased in a steel cage that can swiftly whisk them away from anyone they might anger. I've got news for these drivers: the ability to go 100 miles per hour is not equivalent to the RIGHT to do so. You want to drive fast, unimpeded by millions of other cars? Move to Iowa.
ReplyDeleteThis was bound to happen. The volume of traffic that goes through is too heavy for a two-way street with a single lane in each direction. I think what exaccerbates the problem even more is the amount of double parking and j-walking that happens on 71st. If it takes you ten minutes to try and move one block because a bunch of entitled people think that it is acceptable to put their hazards on wherever they please or to walk through heavily congested streets with so many blind spots (caused by the massive amounts of buses and trucks); then of course you are going to get road rage. By no means does the current situation justify aggressive driving, but I see NYPD Traffic walking the area all the time writing out tickets for expired tickets, but I never see anyone get penalized for double parking. Perhaps we need to start with making it known that 71st is no place to do that.
ReplyDeleteI once complained to a cop about double parked trucks, and he told me he wasn't allowed to ticket commercial vehicles.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that's true - I see them ticketing the UPS trucks almost daily.
ReplyDeleteIt's true! In NYC a Commercial Vehicle is allowed to double park for the purpose of making deliveries/pick-ups as long as it is for a reasonably brief period and there is a posting to the contrary. Just don't try to double park in a bike lane; That's an automatic ticket.
DeleteCan we get a camera up???
ReplyDeleteI tell my elderly mother every single time she goes out, "Please be careful as you're walking". Even in the so-called quieter side streets running off Yellowstone drivers rush, sometimes making turns without bothering to notice if someone is crossing the road. And on the other hand, some pedestrians can be in their own world, texting or talking on the phone...Long story short, Forest Hills is a village with city traffic.
ReplyDeleteAnd they allow for more residential buildings to be built to further saturate our neighborhood.
DeleteI think that pedestrians need to be more mindful of what they are doing. Many people cross the street against the light, step off the curb and stand in the street instead of the sidewalk waiting for the light, don't pick their head up to watch where they are going because they are too busy paying attention to their phone, and cross the street everywhere except the crosswalk.
ReplyDeleteBoth motorists and pedestrians need to pay more attention. It would also help if the lights were adjusted yet again to give people a few extra seconds to cross before cars can proceed. This includes the traffic lights on Queens Blvd.
This is an extremely busy and dangerous intersection with thousands of pedestrians crossing daily. It's a miracle that there havent been more accidents and injuries here. Watch when the Q23 or a long truck tries to navigate a turn. Scary!
ReplyDeleteIntersection of Ascan and Austin can be just as bad, I see cars running red lights all the time and this is in front of a school!
ReplyDeleteI've reached out to the offices of Councilmember Koslowitz and Borough President Katz to request that they urge the NYPD to do more to enforce basic traffic laws, and I urge everyone else to do the same. On a daily basis, I see cards run the red and otherwise drive aggressively and recklessly at the intersection og Austin and Ascan. But not once have I seen a driver ticketed for illegal driving maneuvers. With the number of seniors and children out and about in our neighborhood, we must take action before something tragic happens.
ReplyDeleteYet Forest Hills is one of the largest sources of meter ticket revenue for NYC. What about speeding, failing to yield to pedestrians, and jay walking?
ReplyDeleteI don't remember the amount but at least half a Million dollars was just awarded in Participatory budgeting for better traffic and pedestrian control for that corner.
ReplyDelete#1. Traffic/Pedestrian Safety Enhancements – A safety improvement for 71st Avenue and Austin Street in Forest Hills which including installation of a single curb extension at the northeast corner of 71st Avenue and Austin Street. This will promote safety for pedestrians as it will align them with the parking lane which will increase their visibility to drivers was the top winner in the participatory voting in Forest Hills. It's not for pedestrian CONTROL, it's for PEDESTRIAN SAFETY.
ReplyDeletenice
ReplyDeleteIn a perfect world, that commercial section/intersection of Austin/71st. would be pedestrian plaza. There's hardly enough room for people walking on the streets and there's certainly not enough room for all of that traffic. But like I said...in a perfect world.
ReplyDeleteThe traffic that backs up down 71st Ave from Metro Ave is crazy esp during rush hours. Cars honk, sirens blow their horns, ambulances, etc. All due no doubt to the congestion on Austin & Continental Ave. Maybe we need traffic light signals changes; it's so congested around that intersection.
ReplyDeleteThey need to disallow all turns (except buses) at this intersection and increase enforcement of moving violations in this area. I don't understand why this concept is so difficult.
ReplyDelete