By Bill Parry
Patrick Tunney has seen a lot of “scary accidents” from the windows of his restaurant over the last 20 years. The Copper Kettle sits at the corner of 51st Street and Skillman Avenue and until this week that intersection didn’t have a traffic light.
“There’s been a lot of fender benders and near misses,” Tunney said. “We even had a car hit our front door. It’s a big surprise that no one’s been killed at this intersection the way cars speed through.”
After two pedestrians were hit by speeding vehicles, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) began working with the residents of Woodside to develop a grassroots campaign to secure a traffic signal for the heavily trafficked location. As a result they collected 265 signatures on a petition that helped expedite the installation of a traffic light last week.
“While the installation of one traffic light may not seem like it would make a difference to some, to us here in Woodside it makes a world of difference,” Van Bramer said at a gathering Monday. “On top of Woodside’s new traffic signal we are expanding the Neighborhood Slow Zone program into Sunnyside and Woodside. With the combination of these two new Vision Zero safety improvements we will also help put an end to reckless driving and speeding throughout the community.”
Before the light was installed, drivers heading downhill on Skillman Avenue would often speed up to make the next light at 50th Street, according to Tunney. “Most never looked at cars trying to make a left hand turn right in front of the Copper Kettle. There were many, many close calls over the years,” he said.
Eight people were injured at the intersection between 2007 and 2013 according to the DOT.
During the press event, residents, safety advocates and children from PS 11 praised the installation of the traffic light. “My biggest fear was that someone or maybe even myself would be hit by a speeding car rushing down Skillman,” resident Rosemarie Deptula, who was once struck on Skillman at 48th Street, said. “This traffic signal is going to save lives and make Woodside safer,”
The Department of Transportation began installing the Slow Zone in recent weeks, from 43th Street to 58th Street between Queens Boulevard and Barnett Avenue. The speed limit has been lowered to 20 mph in the area.
DOT studies have shown that a pedestrian hit by a vehicle travelling 40 mph only has a 30 percent chance of surviving, while one hit at 20 mph has a 95 percent chance at survival. The project is expected to be completed by the end of spring.
“The new traffic light and the introduction of the new Slow Zone are the latest in a series of positive steps,” Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White said. “The traffic calming will help make the new Sunnyside Bike Friendly Business District even more inviting for residents and visitors who bike or walk.”
And it will provide a relief for area business owners, too. “It’s all good,” Tunney said. “It’s a civilized world around here now.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
