Sunnyside Gardens/Woodside Slow Zone
August 3, 2014 By Christian Murray
The Department of Transportation has put forward detailed plans that are expected to bring two slow zones to the residential streets of Sunnyside and Woodside by the end of the year.
The plans call for a slow zone that would cover the northern section of Sunnyside/Woodside and a separate zone than would cover the southern section of Sunnyside/Woodside.
Slow zones, upon entry, are marked by large blue signs that state the 20 mph speed limit. Within a zone, speed bumps and 20 mph markings are on some of the streets.
The two zones were selected by the Department of Transportation after the agency reviewed Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s request for them, which provided details such as the number of crashes, schools and daycare centers in the area.
The zone that covers the northern section of Sunnyside/Woodside has been named the “Sunnyside Garden-Woodside Slow Zone” by the Department of Transportation.
That zone is bound by 43rd Street to the West; Queens Blvd and Roosevelt Avenue to the south; 38th Avenue and Barnett Ave to the north; and 58th Street to the east.
Since 2007, there has been one death in that zone, with many people severely injured. Furthermore, there are six schools/daycare centers in the area.
The Department of Transportation proposal calls for the addition of 19 speed bumps to the “Sunnyside Garden-Woodside Slow Zone,” on top of the 13 that are already there. In addition, there would be 19 entrances to the slow zone that would be marked by the blue 20 mph gateway sign.
Meanwhile, on the south side of Queens Blvd, the slow zone—called the “Sunnyside Slow Zone” is bound by 36th Street to the west; 51st to the east; Queens Blvd to the north; and Laurel Hill Blvd to the south.
The Department of Transportation plans on adding 20 speed bumps to the existing eight speed bumps. There will be 32 entry points that will be marked by blue 20 mph gateway signs.
There have been four deaths in this zone since 2007, with many serious injuries. There are also four schools in the zone.
The DOT of transportation said that the speed zones help reduce injuries and deaths. It said that a pedestrian hit at 40 mph only has a 30% chance of surviving, while one hit at 20 mph has a 95% chance of surviving.
Community Board 2 is planning on holding a public meeting on the plans that is likely to take place within the next two weeks.
Full Presentation:
2014 09 02 Slow Zone Sunnyside and Sundside Gardens Woodside(1) by Queens Post on Scribd
Featured Events
28 Comments
Once Again Northern Woodside is left out of the loop. It’s funny how we pay taxes, have All of the car dealerships racing around here, have a major dangerous intersection ( Broadway & Northern Boulevard), have 3 schools ( p.s. 151, 152, & Bryant High school) , have the ONLY public housing in Woodside, and are NEVER considered when it comes to ANYTHING concerning Woodside.
I welcome any and all efforts made to slow traffic on Skillman Avenue which has clearly become a shortcut for traffic to the 59th street Bridge.
Once very peaceful and safe, it is slowly becoming a highway with trucks, cars and motorcycles speeding at up to 50- 60 mph making our area unsafe and noisy. Cars and trucks honking. Motorcycles revving up their engines not giving a shit about residents.
Clearly something needs to be done. Our quality of life depends on it, the safety of the residents and many families living in the neighborhood.
Enough.
What do pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers have in common? They’re all human… At one time or another humans don’t know how to obey rules, regulations and laws. They’re also, at times, self serving. I do all of the above, I drive, bike and walk….. when I walk I realize that if I make a mistake or don’t follow certain laws it may cause me my life. Basically no matter what we do, especially since we’re too overcrowded in this area, is to try to obey the rules that apply to what we are doing at the time, walking, cycling or driving. I know this may not be on the forefront of discussion in our area, but there is another mode of transportation that nobody talks about because of the area we live in. Boating…… I boat also. Have been for 50 years. If you think that pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers not learning and obeying the ” rules of the road” is dangerous, try NOT knowing or obeying them when your on the water. Not too safe. Drinking and boating or just stupid behavior can cause big problems when your on the water. The only thing that can comes close is driving on snow or ice, you don’t have direct control of your vehicle. Probably most of you don’t care about the latter example of boating, just realize it’s there and be glad that your not exposed to those situations daily.. Have fun and stay safe……..
It looks to me that the NYCDOT is more interested in annoying residents who drive than actually improving road safety.
Relatively slow local streets (made worse by potholes, badly paved asphalt and sometimes double parking) get speed bumps while streets that see their fair share of lead foots get nothing!
I’m still scratching my head on how 50th Street between Skillman and 39th is slated to get two speed bumps while other side streets in the neighborhood gets nothing. It’s not a particularly fast street to begin with.
Does this mean the #7 train will also be going 20 MPH…..several people are killed each year by trains and if the trains were only going 20 MPH their chances of survival would have been much greater according to the laws of physics…..
20 mph? might as well walk instead of drive.
Why aren’t there any speed bumps on the avenues? There are so many joyriders who drive down 47th avenue toward 39th street. I’m surprised that wasn’t added to the list!
Can someone tell me why the streets around PS 150 and Lou Lodati park/playground, especially on Skillman Avenue section where cars speed all day, every day, was not included in this plan? Now that the Cpl Noonan playground on Greenpoint Ave is under renovation Lou Lodati has never been busier! As school has just restarted the number of kids, parents, grandparents, nannies around that area has just dramatically grown. Senseless and irresponsible not to make this plan go to 39th Street as its western edge.
SLOW DOWN!
Speed bumps, signs, and other “visual pollution” only coming because drivers ignore the speed limit signs.
What about the trucks just raacing over speed bumps in the Gardens to build new condos?
What about pedestrians racing across red?
There are way, way, way too many signs in Sunnyside Gardens already. All those speed bump signs and gateway signs are going to be a nightmare. Perhaps a blue line at the cross walk at each end of the block would be enough to signal the zones to drivers.
I really wish you developers had put the Bronx or Staten Island in your sights instead of Queens. Enough urbanization, already.
Rabbits
Rapids Island, very good question. It’s way out of control over there with the speeding.
@ann “totally disfigure the neighborhood”? hyperbole much?
Each speed bump now has 4 ugly large signs, 2 telling you that you are approaching a speed bump and 2 telling you you have LEFT a speed bump (like you didn’t know, you just drove over it).
They are so ugly, visual pollution, and totally disfigure the neighborhood. Can the city figure out a way to put in speed bumps without adding so many more ugly signs?
Similar fanfare was created when safety legislation regulating commercial pedal bikes and e-bikes was enacted two years ago. Both laws are universally ignored. Why should we expect a different result with this speed zone scheme?
0 2 100 real quick!
There is a speed bump on my street that did not keep them from plowing. The real problem is that all the cars shovel snow back into the street so they can park. All that money spent to plow the roads so people living on my residential road can have a free parking space to store their car. What a deal. Wonder how much of my taxes pay for that?
One of the worst streets for speeding in the zone is 39th Ave between 43rd and 48st yet there are no proposed speed bumps?
Every time there is an article on slowing down vehicular traffic, there are a bunch of letters complaining about pedestrians and bike riders, as if they share equally in the problem. It’s my experience that most of the bike issues are caused by men delivering food; probably your dinner. It’s not fair to say that all bike riders are guilty of riding the wrong way and on sidewalks when the majority of the problems come from commercial bike traffic. All bike riders should proceed with caution and respect for others, but the real problems is not your neighbor but the guy delivering your neighbor’s food- he probably grew up in a different world and is barely aware that his behavior is so controversial.
Pedestrians, like every other species on earth, are not inclined to walking in lanes and adhering to prescribed traffic regulations. Pedestrians walk naturally, from point A to point B. Sure, people are distracted; we all have a lot on our minds, but remember, we do NOT naturally walk in straight lines. Teaching people to be careful is important and accidents are inevitable. It’s NOT natural to have fast moving vehicular traffic in the midst of a densely populated urban environment. At any given time, pedestrians outnumber moving vehicles, but we’re the ones confined to the sidewalks, and we’re the one that get killed when we make a mistake.
99% of the burden should be on the driver- sure, they’d love wider roads, faster speed limits, and free parking everywhere; it’s always a struggle to assert the rights of the pedestrian. As drivers zip through the streets of Sunnyside, a/c blowing, music playing, it’s obvious that they are annoyed by our presence. They honk their horns freely, they resort to road rage, and drive even more aggressively when they are frustrated.
Sure, blame the pedestrians; they’re the problem.
I hope you all know that there will now be little to no snow plowing with all these speed bumps.
I agree with Novak too many moronic people walking into the middle of traffic like a car will stop for them because it’s them.
No clue at all. Go watch them on queens blvd and 46th street even people with small children crossing on reds and cars on 45th. Stupid stupid stupid.
Thanks JVB it’s about time you woke up from your nappy nap nap.
Mayoral resume padding. Waste of time.
Mike Novak is right.
Pedestrians are walking around like zombies, wandering into traffic, not paying any attention, crossing against the light so I have to stop the car when I get the green light and the cars behind me start honking. People who cross busy streets like they are taking a stroll on the beach and admiring the sunset. Bicyclists zipping past me on my right when I’m making a right on green are a menace too. Then there are the idiots who open their car doors on the traffic side without looking. There are plenty of jackasses out there, not just drivers.
Dear Mike Novak,
Move to LA or keep your fellow bikers (age 13+) off the sidewalk and ask them to start following traffic laws. Too often, bikers are endangering pedestrians of all ages. You and your wheels are more dangerous than any New York City pedestrian.
*have
Why on earth is 44th excluded that area where cabs speed all the time to catch the green light on greenpoint? I go to post office and see the speeding cars all the time, they also blow red light because they go as soon as it’s WALK for pedestrians. Do they explanation for excluding 44?
I am all for that. But what about pedestrian responsibility?
As a bike rider and a driver, I have seen more and more pedestrians behaving irresponsibly when crossing the street, endangering not only themselves but everyone else on the road. Most of the time these folks are talking/texting, totally preoccupied, as they wander into the street…usually against the light and in the middle of the block, totally oblivious to the danger that they put themselves, and others into.
With all the rhetoric and bluster by the city and its agencies about lowering the accident/death rate on our streets, precious few words are directed in the direction of pedestrian responsibility. Everyone who shares the streets must burden some responsibility to ensure that our street will be safe.