Photo Courtesy of Google
Northern Boulevard runs the entire length of Queens from Steinway Street in Astoria to Douglaston.
By Forum Staff
The City will take “dramatic steps” under its Vision Zero initiative to make increasingly infamous Northern Boulevard safer, Transportation and Police Department officials recently announced.
City DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and NYPD Chief of Transportation Thomas Chan last week participated in Walk-to-School Day to highlight enforcement and safety enhancements planned for Northern Boulevard, ahead of a series of community workshops to develop a comprehensive redesign of the corridor.
The 11-mile thoroughfare, which extends the entire length of Queens, from Astoria to Douglaston, had six traffic fatalities in 2017, and has seen four fatalities so far this year, according to DOT statistics.
“Since the de Blasio Administration launched Vision Zero in early 2014, we have made many roadway safety improvements along Northern Boulevard each year, but tragically, this work has not been enough,” Trottenberg said. “So today DOT and NYPD are standing together on Walk-to-School Day to announce a strong new enforcement effort. And we will kick off our first work shop next week with residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders to hear their ideas about how we can make Northern Boulevard safer.”
The remaining two design workshops planned for October will discuss improvements along the western end of the boulevard: Astoria/Woodside workshop – Monday, Oct. 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; PS 151, 50-05 31st Ave. Astoria/Long Island City workshop – Monday, Oct. 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; PS 166, 33-09 35th Ave.
Expanded enforcement is one key element of the new efforts on Northern Boulevard. The NYPD has already begun a seven-week comprehensive enforcement program going along the entire boulevard. Called the High Visibility Enforcement program, the new pilot will run from Oct. 1 through Thanksgiving, with each precinct along the major thoroughfare — the 108,109,111, 114, and 115 — involved in the expanded enforcement effort, which will be overseen by Patrol Borough Queens North.
To supplement the enforcement, DOT/NYPD Street Teams will be placed along the corridor as well. These teams speak actively with drivers about Vision Zero priorities, including the importance of maintaining a safe speed and yielding to pedestrians. Since September, the teams have been going out twice a week, with plans to visit all of the senior centers and all of the schools on and near Northern Boulevard before the end of the year, Chan noted.
“The NYPD and our partners intend to strike the correct balance between education and enforcement, and we are doing that through intelligent leadership and comprehensive road redesign,” the chief added. “Public safety in New York City will always be a shared responsibility with those we serve, whose input into this plan is imperative.”
