Closing Bell: Local Pols Want Safety Measures on Northern Boulevard

This afternoon, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, State Senator Michael Gianaris, Assembly member Marge Markey, and representatives from Transportation Alternatives and Make Queens Safer demanded for safety improvements along Northern Boulevard. Just recently a car plowed into and seriously injured five pedestrians at the intersection of 48th Street and Northern Boulevard. Pols and street safety advocates want Mayor de Blasio to incorporate the boulevard into his Vision Zero initiative. In January, the Mayor announced his Vision Zero proposal, an interagency working group to develop a comprehensive roadmap for safer streets by February 15th. Since then Queens pols have worked on a list of locations suffering from traffic fatalities, pedestrian injuries and chronic crashes.

Make Queens Safer outlined the many safety issues with Northern Boulevard. As they say, “To the extent it works at all, the street is optimized for the convenience of drivers, rather than the safety of those who live, work, and shop in the area, or the children who cross it daily to reach schools and playgrounds. Recently, this has taken an unbearable toll in injuries and loss of life.” They call for a comprehensive and complete redesign of the thoroughfare.