INWOOD — A group of Girl Scouts is fighting to make an intersection safer for its neighbors.
The Girl Scout Junior Troop 3205 has collected nearly 500 signatures to add a red blinking light and rumble strips to the intersection of Seaman Avenue and 218th Street since launching a petition last month, according to troop leader Cassandre Collazo.
“That’s a very dangerous street, and people have said it’s only a matter of time before something bad happens,” Collazo explained, adding that the troop — which includes 16 8- to 10-year-old girls — have canvassed the neighborhood, posted petitions inside Inwood buildings and also posted fliers online.
“We went to the farmers market this Saturday at stood there for four hours,” Collazo said, adding that the girls got help from Dichter Pharmacy, which has helped them by printing out fliers for free.
Collazo has been working with the Scouts since 2011, when her now-9-year-old daughter, Kassandra Fjotland started with the program. She said the troop conducted research prior to launching the project, even visiting the intersection one Saturday afternoon to observe and document the traffic.
“We just stood there are clocked how many cars drove by,” Collazo said. “In less than a minute, we saw 15 cars pass through without stopping. I stood there thinking, 'This is a joke!’”
Collazo said she plans to present the petition to the Department of Transportation at Community Board 12's Traffic and Transportation Committee meeting Monday night. Ultimately, she hopes to have a resolution passed supporting the girls' campaign.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Collazo said, “but this is definitely something the girls want to see change.”
The DOT said it has not yet received any official complaints or requests for traffic-safety measures at the intersection, noting a previous request for a signal was denied after a study of the area because it did not meet federal guidelines.
"We are, however, looking into re-evaluating the area for any possible safety measures," a spokeswoman said.
