New city Department of Transportation Queens Commissioner Nicole Garcia (standing) has been invited by Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder to tour the 23rd Assembly District. Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza.
Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach) has invited the newly appointed city Department of Transportation Queens borough commissioner to tour the 23rd District, especially intersections that he has deemed dangerous and areas for potential DOT projects in southern Queens and Rockaway.
Nicole Garcia, who has been with DOT since 2008, serving as deputy press secretary and deputy Queens borough commissioner, was named to the top DOT Queens post earlier this month.
This week, Goldfeder indicated that he has sent a letter to Garcia that mentions recent concerns raised by community members and Goldfeder, including poor pedestrian visibility at the service ramps to the Belt Parkway off Cross Bay Boulevard; the Lindenwood traffic triangle and nearby roundabout on 153rd Avenue; the deteriorated roadway conditions on 104th Street in Hamilton Beach; and DOT’s proposed reconfiguration of Beach 94th Street in Rockaway Beach.
Additionally, Goldfeder said he proposed a visit to East 5th Road in Broad Channel, where DOT recently announced it is considering the removal of the local Q52/Q53 bus stop as part of its planned overhaul of Cross Bay, a move Goldfeder opposes.
“While we have seen progress in the two and a half years since [Superstorm] Sandy, there is still work left to do to improve our local infrastructure. By touring the community with Commissioner Garcia, we can ensure our families’ needs continue to be a priority for the city,” Goldfeder said.
A DOT spokesman said that Garcia is planning to meet at Goldfeder’s request about safety enhancements at Beach 94th Street. Regarding the removal of the Q52/Q53 stops, the spokesman noted that DOT and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently presented a proposal to remove the stops as part of the effort to bring Select Bus Service to the routes, and that many bus riders from the Rockaways liked the proposal. SBS is meant to provide a faster, more reliable ride, he said, and wider bus-stop spacing is one of the key ways to achieve the goal.
The spokesman said that the reason DOT and MTA suggested the removal is because ridership is low at those stops, or the bus stops are currently closely spaced, he added. The alternative stops are within a five-minute walk from the current ones, which would remain for the Q22 local.
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
