Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, center, state Sen. Michael Gianaris, behind Van Bramer, Assemblywoman Marge Markey, third from right, and other transportation advocates, gathered at Northern Boulevard and 48th Street last Thursday to call on Mayor de Blasio to include the intersection in his traffic safety plan that aims to cut pedestrian deaths to zero over the next decade. Photo by Phil Corso
The mayor asked the city to bring him 50 of the most dangerous pedestrian hotspots, and city Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) said he knows one in particular that needs immediate attention.
Van Bramer and a coalition of community advocates and other elected officials took to the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 48th Street last Thursday, where a car recently plowed into five pedestrians – including a 7-year-old girl – and pleaded that Mayor Bill de Blasio include it in his Vision Zero traffic safety initiative in time for the Feb. 15 recommendation deadline.
“We know that Northern Boulevard, as you can see, is incredibly busy,” Van Bramer said over the sounds of engines churning and car horns honking. “It is too late to wait. The time to act is now.”
The mayor’s office did not respond to questions of whether or not de Blasio had intentions of including the Northern Boulevard hotspot in his plan.
De Blasio rolled out his Vision Zero roadmap last month, which sought out to reduce pedestrian fatalities to zero over the next decade. In that plan, he asked various city agencies to bring him a comprehensive list of some of the most dangerous intersections in the city – 50 of which would be included in the initiative.
The most problematic parts of the boulevard included one spot between 61st and 62nd Street, where 8-year-old Noshat Nahian was killed in August on his way to school. Other dangerous cross streets included those at 39th Street, 51st Street, 54th Street and several others.
“Our community knows very well that we are home to too many deadly streets, and Northern Boulevard is undoubtedly among the worst,” said State Sen. Gianaris (D-Astoria). “Recent months have seen multiple serious crashes along Northern Boulevard, including one that took the young life of Noshat Nahian. I am grateful for Mayor de Blasio’s attention to traffic safety, and I will not stop working for safer streets until Vision Zero becomes a reality.”
A Tri-State Transportation Campaign analysis found that that Northern Boulevard was one of the deadliest roadways in the tri-state region, Van Bramer said. The report said found pedestrians were killed between 2010 and 2012. And of the 286 people who died on city streets last year, 93 were in Queens.
“Queens could be considered Ground Zero for the Vision Zero movement,” said Cristina Furlong, of Make Queens Safer. “Northern Boulevard is one of the most dangerous corridors in Queens, and needs new enforcement measures and a redesign and to improve pedestrian safety.”
Advocacy groups like Transportation Alternatives have since been on the frontlines trying to garner community support for safer streets. They, along with Assemblywoman Margaret Markey (D-Maspeth), expressed a commitment to educating community leaders about pedestrian safety as well as empowering them with ways to persuade politicians to redesign dangerous roadways.
“With the horrific accidents we’ve seen here in Queens just in the past month, elected officials and community leaders couldn’t be more united behind the Mayor’s Vision Zero initiative,” Markey said. “What happened at this intersection is yet another reminder of the dangers that pedestrians face from irresponsible drivers at locations such as those that Councilman Van Bramer has identified.”
By Phil Corso
