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Sept. 22, 2022 By Christian Murray
Drag racing is a problem throughout Queens—from Sunnyside to Fresh Meadows–and a Flushing legislator is looking to clamp down on the problem.
Assemblywoman Nily Rozic is introducing legislation that would authorize the city to extend the hours that existing speed cameras are in operation in areas known for drag racing. The cameras would be allowed to operate in troublesome areas from 10 p.m. through 6 a.m.
The city, in accordance with state legislation passed last year, is permitted to operate speed cameras in school zones from Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., year-round. The city is currently rolling out as many as 2,000 cameras.
Rozic’s legislation, called Fighting Underground Racing in Our Streets (FURIOUS) Act, aims to expand the scope of the existing speed camera legislation in order to combat the problem that typically happens at night. Her bill would allow the city to extend the hours– but with the permission of a local community board.
Photo courtesy of DOT
“The status quo is simply unacceptable,” Rozic said. “We need to hold reckless drivers accountable and make it clear that this dangerous behavior will not be tolerated on our streets, particularly during a pandemic.”
New Yorkers across the city have been filing complaints about the surge of illegal racing, which puts motorists, pedestrians and cyclists in peril and keeps locals awake at all hours of the night with revving engines, screeching tires and squealing brakes.
City data shows 1,057 complaints were made to 311 about drag racing between March 20, 2020 and September 10, 2020 – nearly five times the 239 calls made during the same period in 2019. In August alone, 214 complaints were made — compared to just 73 in August 2019.
Rozic’s bill is being sponsored in the state senate by Brad Hoylman of Manhattan.
Drag racing is currently a persistent problem throughout Queens, with regular gatherings of speed racing in the parking lots of the Fresh Meadow Shopping Center and Cunningham Park.
In western Queens, Center Boulevard in Long Island City has become a hotspot for drag racing as well as 43rd Street in Sunnyside, Shore Boulevard in Astoria and the parking lot outside the former National Liquidators on 48th Street on the border of Long Island City and Sunnyside.
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19 Comments
Gun Shot and Gang activity now running rampant Fridays and Saturdays in our diamond in the ruff Sunnyside Gardens. No wonder everyone is moving out. Where the F is Jimmy Van B and all his cronies? Its chaotic in our neighborhood and you vanished!! Where are the neighbors who used to complain about colored windows and Dog shit? You guessed it home with tail between legs
Anonymous- What a ridiculous over exaggeration.
Willet point blvd between francis lewis blvd and utopia parkway in whitestone. Plus cross island parkway North between exit Francis Lewis to Bell blvd . Every singles night.
Drag racing is a professional sport, STREET RACING IS NOT! Call it what it is, STREET RACING!
Great having the legislation, who is going enforce this?
social workers that work for free, since deblasio has no money left.
Support this and all restrictions and enforcement of overly loud vehicles. Noise pollution coming from illegally altered bikes and cars menaces a lot of people in this neighborhood and all around NYC.
Trains= fine. Garbage trucks= fine. Buses = fine.
Cars and bikes that purposefully make loud noise as some sort macho show of force by illegally altering their mufflers = gotta stop.
Go to the old national liquidators parking lot across from stop n shop and look at the pavement. You will see circle tire marks. They will spin their cars in a circle at a high speed with many people surrounding this show watching and filming with their phones. One slip with the car and some one will definitely be hit. Happens around 11:30 – 12:30 on some nights. Called 911 4 times already. Something should be done where with the old parking lot is not of such a big open flat space.
I live on 43rd Street in Woodside. The drag racers make U-turns at the intersections of 48th and Greenpoint Avenues, both of which have traffic lights. Are there cameras already installed here?
It’s a huge problem in Sunnyside. And it’s not just at night. It’s all day. In particular there’s some guy in a tricked-out Civic who just circles the neighborhood all day with his ridiculously loud exhaust. Meanwhile, I can’t remember the last time I saw a police car in Sunnyside. Hey, maybe send one car to drive around the streets a couple times a day?
i laugh every time i see it. its a civic. there is literally nothing lower, bottom of the barrel, you can get, and they suped it up. hilarious. i took pics and shared with people at work when we had a zoom call, just so i can see their reaction. took a while for them to stop laughing.
good to hear. i’m tired of the noise in the middle of the night.
I hear them right now in Sunnyside. Jimmy Van B, help us out!
Targetting men in women’s clothes who drive fast is transgender profiling!
The LGBT community will no allow this blatant discrimination and injustice to continue!
This sounds all well and good in principle, but a little bird told us it’s actually a shadow plot to get rid of all private vehicles in a “CAR-FREE NYC.” Why are they menacing us older and less active NYers who NEED THEIR CARS? TA is a cult plain and simple. LOL
Sunnyside to Fresh Meadows? Hello!!!!! What about the rest of Queens? It’s a huge problem in Rockaway maybe the worst in the city. Why can’t a straightaway be set up somewhere and these idiots be allowed to race legally?
who will pay for it? we dont even have real parks in Sunnyside. good luck getting this.
Start with the black Honda with the wickedly boosted sign on the dashboard with license plate N.Y.usually around 46th Street & Skillman Ave. I guess boosted means no muffler.
Yes I hear them in the middle of the night.