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Activists in Costumes to Stake Out 'Scary' Intersection as Call for Action

 Advocates are pushing to get a traffic light installed on 21st Street at 33rd Road in Astoria.
Advocates are pushing to get a traffic light installed on 21st Street at 33rd Road in Astoria.
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Flickr/grendelkhan

ASTORIA — A group of transit advocates will don costumes for a Halloween-inspired stunt this weekend, calling on the city to install a traffic light at a busy Astoria intersection it says is "scary" for pedestrians. 

There's currently no stoplight or crosswalk at the intersection of 21st Street at 33rd Road, creating a harrowing experience for residents trying to cross there, according to advocacy group Transportation Alternatives

Its members plan to stake out the dangerous corner Saturday afternoon wearing Halloween costumes, including one person who will dress up as a "fairy godmother" and help pedestrians safely cross the street. 

"It's sort of a light-hearted way to let people know there's an issue here, to show how scary the intersection is," said Steve Scofield, a volunteer with Transportation Alternatives' Queens committee.

The group, along with local leaders, has been eyeing 21st Street for the last several years for traffic safety improvements, naming the heavily trafficked roadway as one of the neighborhood's most dangerous. 

Five people were killed on 21st Street between Hoyt Avenue South and Queens Plaza from 2009 to 2013, according to the Department of Transportation.

The DOT began work on a series of changes along the street this year, including putting a traffic light at 29th Street, improving lighting and extending the curbs at nine intersections to make the distance to cross the street shorter.

And while these improvements will help, they're just a start, transit activists say.

"We want to see more," said Scofield, who plans to dress as an umpire Saturday, where he'll declare "safe" after they they make it to the other side of 21st Street. 

The DOT has conducted a study about the feasibility of installing a traffic light at 21st Street and 33rd Road, and should have a decision soon, according to the agency.

Transportation Alternatives is also pushing for stoplights on 21st Street at 28th Avenue, 30th Road, 39th Avenue and between 34th and 35th avenues, as well as bike lanes and pedestrian islands.