50th Avenue and Center Boulevard, where an all-way stop sign will be installed. (Google Maps)
May 24, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez and Christian Murray
The Department of Transportation will be installing all-way stop signs at two Hunters Point locations after years of requests from the community.
The stop signs will be installed at the intersection of 50th Avenue and Center Boulevard, with the other location being where 50th Avenue and 5th Street meet.
The DOT’s plans come after the agency conducted a traffic study to the area this spring to see if traffic treatments could be implemented along the roadways.
“DOT had received requests for all-way stops signs at these locations from various elected officials and other local stakeholders,” a spokesperson for the agency said. “We are pleased that these latest studies found that all-way stop signs met the criteria and are recommended at both locations.”
The study, announced in March, also follows renewed requests made in prior months from Community Board 2, elected officials, and local leaders for the agency to implement safety measures along the roadways.
Most of the community’s concerns center on speeding cars, the growing population of the neighborhood, and the influx of people along Center Boulevard during the summer months. While the boulevard has a mixture of cross-walks and stop signs, many say that stop signs are needed at every intersection.
50th Avenue and 5th street, where the DOT will be installing an all-way stop sign. (Google Maps)
Albert Silvestri, Queens Deputy DOT Commissioner, said in March that the agency had heard the community’s demands “loud and clear,” and was looking to “throw everything we have” to address them.
Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, who has held rallies along Center Boulevard calling for safety measures for over seven years, said the all-way stop signs are an important victory for the community.
“It is an important recognition by the DOT that we need to make Center Boulevard and other nearby streets safer,” Van Bramer said. “Every day there is not a full-way stop sign is another day people are in danger.”
Brent O’Leary, the president of the Hunters Point Civic Association, said he too viewed the announcement as a victory
“We think it is a great step in making our neighborhood safer, especially with the school nearby,” O’Leary said. He has had several meetings with the DOT to address pedestrian safety on Center Boulevard.
Van Bramer said that there is still more work to be done. Center Boulevard, for example, needs clear, painted crosswalks for pedestrians in its cobble stone portions.
“They are not marked or striped in any way that is familiar to pedestrians in the city of New York,” Van Bramer said. “The DOT needs to get creative with how to treat them and mark them.”
The DOT has said that paint work on the cobble stones is a tricky issue, given the cobble stones themselves.
The DOT also said in March that it was looking into whether 5th Street can become a full one-way street after a request from Community Board 2. The street is almost entirely one-way, except for a two-block portion toward Borden Avenue.
It is unclear if the agency has concluded their study into turning 5th street to a full one-way.
The DOT did not respond to additional questions on when the stop signs will be installed and whether it is still studying making 5th street entirely one-way by press time.
Update 5/24, 4:56 p.m. : Article updated with DOT statement.
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14 Comments
Thank you Jimmy for the leadership in this area! LIC is growing into a major player in the city because of people like JVB and the other community leaders.
This is not me by the way, so many people pretending to be me. But whoever you are, you are just nuts. Major player in the city? More like the major dumping ground for all Jimmys friends to make a buck. Jimmy Van Bramer has garbage cans in his neighborhood of Sunnyside. We do not. Jimmy has a private park with a key while we have businesses walking all ovet the rules of this city, thanks to Jimmy who protects his friends. Placard abuse, Jimmy will not do anything about it. Parking on sidewalks, fire hydrants get no help from Jimmy and his office. Litter, no traffic enforcement, good old Jimmy. Affordable housing, sure Jimmy supports housing for people that make 98 thousand or more. Real affordable. There is no leadership, Jimmy just steps in for the photo op after other do the work and do the yelling. Out of all these negative comments on Jimmy’s performance, do you think anyone here will believe this comment that Jimmy is a great leader? Go smoke some more!
There are marked cross walks at that location which mandate drivers are to yield to pedestrians who are in the crosswalks. The problem is most drivers don’t knows this (along with quite a few other rules of the road) and drive through the crosswalks being there is no traffic control device or sign. Now some places put fixed yellow cones in the street that state ‘yield to pedestrians in crosswalks’ to address this however for that you might as well put up a stop sign.
The waterfront parks and restaurants have become citywide attractions and consequently, there are visiting drivers speeding through the stop signs on Centre Blvd. We need traffic cameras on Centre Blvd.
On 5th street between 50th ave and 51st the DOT signs are a joke for residents
Cars cannot see them one is covered by a tree and stop sign on 51st is not very visible by drivers
What about a traffic light on Borden and Center. I am saying, someone will be killed this summer, been asking for two years now. It will be on useless Jimmy Van Bramers head when someone is killed. Why is someone posting as James E? They sound like me, but you are confusing people. I use my full name.
Do something about 5th St and 46th Ave intersection by Rockaway Brewing and NY Kids Club. Super dangerous.
you mean to tell me all you people are finally seeing the phony side of JVB welcome to
all of his constitutents world
JVB now is the time to clear 50 Th Avenue from cars
Usually cars are parked on sidewalk from 5th street and Vernon Blvd, but nothing done to solve this issue
5th Street fully one way is crucial. I live on the corner of 50th and 5th and witness giant semis trying to take a right onto 50th several times a week. They get stuck and block the entire intersection. When the do dislodge, they often have to keep going straight down 5 the wrong way to find an easier turn. Also, allowing parking on both sides of the street makes for a VERY narrow two way pass, even if only a few blocks. Sorry, but a 4 way stop isn’t enough.
The biggest problems on Center Blvd are between 48th and 46th – where Center is as wide as some highways with stop signs drivers cannot see. Those issues are compounded with the valet parking situation at the restaurants down there. We need speed bumps on center with legitimate crosswalks and/or flashing red lights.
I agree 100% with you on this. They need to put speed bumps all along down basin road so that the valet people don’t use that stretch as the Autobahn. Now with all the new areas that have no parking signs (next to blend and behind 4545 center blvd) are loaded with parked cars with “special” cards placed in their windows so they won’t be ticketed. I didn’t realized that all those spaces that are no longer available for parking are only for people with special privileges. It really is a joke. They block crosswalks and curb cuts so nobody can pass to cross the streets.
The Blend valet guys are a disaster.
This is good. So is the fact that I havent seen Good Morning Good morning for a good minute