By Rebecca Henely
Astoria legislators praised the city Department of Transportation Tuesday for installing a speed hump on 21st Avenue between 26th and 27th streets.
Legislators and civic activists in the community had been requesting a traffic-calming device in the area ever since Konstantinos Stayropoulous was killed at the intersection of 23rd Street and 21st Avenue Nov. 13, 2009.
“For too long cars have treated this as their own personal speedway,” state Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) said in a statement about 21st Avenue. “Hopefully, this speed hump will get drivers to slow down.”
Scott Gastel, spokesman for the DOT, said in an e-mail the department installed the speed hump recently, and is also studying three locations along the area for signals.
“Safety is our top priority and we will continue to work with the community to identify additional ways to enhance safety in the area,” Gastel said.
Stayropoulous was killed while crossing the street Nov. 13, 2009.
In November of this year, legislators and civic leaders held a rally urging the DOT to take action. At the rally, Brian Beard, president of the Long Island City Alliance, said the corner of 21st Avenue and 23rd Street had 12 accidents since Stayropoulous’ death. Beard said many motorists travelling down 21st Avenue, which had no traffic lights from 21st to 28th streets, would speed when driving westbound so they would not catch the traffic light on 21st Street.
Despite this, Democratic District Leader Costa Costantinides said at the rally that the DOT had taken no action because five traffic studies done in the area since 2006 had convinced the agency that the measure was unnecessary. Costantinides said the DOT had studied the number of cars going down the road, but not the speed of the cars, which was a problem for residents.
“This will make this stretch of 21st Avenue safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists and hopefully end the speedway that the previous situation allowed,” Costantinides said of the new speed hump. “I truly hope that DOT will go beyond this good first step and install additional traffic-calming devices on this stretch to help prevent another avoidable tragedy like the one that befell Mr. Stayropoulos.”
The legislators and activists said a speed hump was important because there are three schools near the area, including pre-school Kid Krazy II at 21st Avenue and 22nd Street, PS 122 at 21st Street and Ditmars Boulevard and St. John’s Preparatory School at 21st Avenue and Crescent Street. The speed hump is near St. John’s Prep.
“This speed hump is a much-needed protective measure for our residents and young students of PS 122,” City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) said in a statement.
Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at rhenely@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
