JACKSON HEIGHTS — The city extended walk times along several intersections on 37th Avenue to give pedestrians more time to cross before cars, following the death of a local resident in a crosswalk.
The Department of Transportation installed two more Leading Pedestrian Intervals, or LPI, at the intersection of 76th and 77th streets and 37th Avenue two weeks ago.
The program was already installed at 74th, 78th, and 79th streets, according to the DOT.
It gives pedestrians seven seconds to cross before cars get the green light.
Residents had called for safety measures at intersections at a public meeting held after Uber driver Dinesh Bhattarai, 45, struck and killed Henry Boimel, 67, who was walking in the crosswalk at 37th Avenue and 76th Street.
Police charged Bhattarai with failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
Councilman Danny Dromm reached out to the DOT after the meeting for safer streets, he said.
