Jackson Heights Life

Update from the NYCDOT Jackson Heights Portal

Implementation Continues, Monitoring Begins This Week

Posted on October 3, 2011
Initial monitoring of the changes in Jackson Heights will begin this week.

Based on comments, we will start with 73rd Street/Broadway, 77th Street and 35th Avenue, 75th Street, and the new crosswalks on Roosevelt Avenue.  A comprehensive technical data collection and monitoring program will be undertaken in the next few months.

Painting on the 37th Road and 73rd Street Plazas is planned for this week, as well.  Thank you for your patience as we continue with implementation and begin monitoring.

Amen, Liam!

There are two new posts up at the Jackson Heights Portal since I last checked.

In sum: NYCDOT has given 77th Street more green time, and better coordinated signals elsewhere to improve traffic flow.  Also, improvements to delivery zones for commercial vehicles will be made in November; and planning for the next phase of the pedestrian plaza will begin in the spring.

For changes to lights, Danny Dromm told me to call  Queens Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy - 212-839-2510.

The light on 77th Street was lengthened, which helped, but it is still not satisfactory. There is still a LOT of beeping, but I encourage you to call Commissioner McCarthy to get the light on 75th Street lengthened as well.

I'm delighted to hear the joy from 73rd Street from these changes.

But I hope this is not viewed as a zero sum change, i.e. - shift the problem to 75th Street and call it a victory. That's not what was promised. That's not why I supported the changes. And I hope our neighbors on 73rd Street, and the entire neighborhood, will join us in seeing that all residents realize some benefit from the traffic changes.

I look forward to DOT's review. I know they'd be delighted to call the project a success and move their resources to other pressing problems. But I think it behooves us all to stick together and demand that the changes moderate and spread the toxic aspects of vehicular traffic so that we can all say that the Traffic Study was a success. Much fine tuning remains. I'm glad to hear that some has begun on 77th Street.

Best,

Tom Lowenhaupt

I live on 76th Street and I am happy with most of the changes.  Our street was constantly backed up and the sound of horns honking filled the air.  With the addition of another southbound street, and with the new turning lane which allows traffic to flow even when someone is making a left turn, the quality of life has improved.

I'm delighted to hear the joy from 73rd Street from these changes.

But I hope this is not viewed as a zero sum change, i.e. - shift the problem to 75th Street and call it a victory. That's not what was promised. That's not why I supported the changes. And I hope our neighbors on 73rd Street, and the entire neighborhood, will join us in seeing that all residents realize some benefit from the traffic changes.

I look forward to DOT's review. I know they'd be delighted to call the project a success and move their resources to other pressing problems. But I think it behooves us all to stick together and demand that the changes moderate and spread the toxic aspects of vehicular traffic so that we can all say that the Traffic Study was a success. Much fine tuning remains. I'm glad to hear that some has begun on 77th Street.

Best,

Tom Lowenhaupt

73rd street is quite happy with the change, but don't for a minute that we are now a quiet country lane. 73rs street definitely gained from the study but we still have a lot to deal with. We still have an inordinate amount of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.  We have close to 6 places selling meat and thus a daily cattle run--calves, lambs and goats thrown unwrapped from the floor of trucks into shopping carts and hauled down our street.  Most places complain about chewing gum on the street, we have to deal with pieces of meat and blood both of which attract rats and distract dogs. 

I have heard from folks on 75th street that the buses that now use their street are noisy and smelly and are a quality of life issue.  These same people have told me that the buses should return to 73rd street.  What's with that?  Is this simply an instance of NIMBY (Not in my backyard) a knee jerk reaction which has plagued planners throughout the city. Or is this a divisive statement that folks on 75th are better or at least deserve better than folks on 73rd?  I really hope that is not the reasoning.

I hope the conversation on neighborhood traffic continues, and all share their views.  To find meaningful solutions to our traffic problems ALL of us are going to have to experience changes in what we were used to to.  We have to do that because what we were used to just ain't working!

By the way, the petition signing flyers being taped to walls, light poles and other public spaces are illegal and add nothing to the beauty of the community.  Local merchants are very gracious in allowing flyers to be posted in their windows, and JH residents are quite used to being stopped in the street or outside a market by people seeking support or opposition to community issues.

Let's all face it. If you live outside of the historic district's boundries then we really don't count. We only matter as long as we provide a buffer zone for the historic district. That message was sent out long ago. The entire neighborhood should have been included but that doesn't serve some people's interests.

I think the petition that's going around 75th Street is ill advised. The idea of petitioning to simply change everything back to the way it was is ridiculous. Couldn't affected residents on 75th Street form a committee or something to talk with the Department Of Transportation about changes / tweaks that would make things better for them while remembering that they are part of a larger neighborhood that is also affected by traffic issues ?

Circulating a petition that jumps straight to a demand to reverse the decisions that were made after years of study and community input doesn't leave much room for rational conversation that could yield better results.