PHOTO: Howard Beach resident Angelica Katz has started an online petition urging city agencies to install lights along the Jamaica Bay Greenway bike path. Photo Courtesy of Angelica Katz
Let there be light!
A lifelong Howard Beach resident has organized an online petition calling on the city Parks Department to install lights on the bike path along the Jamaica Bay Greenway.
Angelica Katz, a former chief of staff to Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach) who now works in the Cuomo administration, said she started the petition—“Sign to Urge NYC Parks to Install Lights Along Belt Parkway for Cyclists and Pedestrians”—because “the lack of any ‘after hours’ lighting along [the path] poses a serious danger for any cyclist or pedestrian. It creates not only a desolate environment, but hazardous riding conditions for cyclists and pedestrians who are unable to visually see any clear path or signage.”
Katz told The Forum this week that she is most concerned about the 10-mile walkway connecting Howard Beach to the Marine Parkway Bridge, also known as the Shore Parkway/Belt Parkway route.
“The [city Department of Transportation] is about to release its Jamaica Bay Greenway Implementation Plan this fall, but the plan does not include the essential need for lighting along the path after hours,” Katz said. “DOT is putting all this funding into revitalizing the area but leaving out the basics, because according to DOT, it’s on Parks’ property. This is a real problem, and the current situation is extremely dangerous for anyone walking or biking at night on the path.”
Reached for comment regarding the petition and prospects of illuminating this stretch of the Greenway, a Parks spokeswoman said, “Safety is our first priority. We are heartened by the enthusiasm for biking in this area, and we are open to exploring the feasibility of installing lights along this path with the Department of Transportation.”
According to Parks, the Greenway from Flatbush Avenue running east is Parks property, but any lights installed would be maintained by the DOT. The Greenway along Floyd Bennett Field is National Park Service jurisdiction. There is currently no funding in the budget to install lights.
For more information on Katz’s petition, which by Wednesday night had garnered 99 signatures in three weeks, visit change.org/p/nyc-parks-department-sign-to-urge-nyc-parks-to-install-lights-along-belt-parkway-for-cyclists-and-pedestrians.
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
