QUEENS — One of the most crash-prone areas of Kew Gardens may soon undergo a major safety overhaul, city officials said.
Park Lane South between Park Lane and Myrtle Avenue is a less than a mile-long stretch in a quiet portion of the neighborhood on the edge of Forest Park. But the poorly marked street has confused drivers and pedestrians, becoming a source of multiple concerns, local residents and officials said.
“They’ve had a lot of car accidents there, including fatalities,” said Lisa Gomes, district manager for Community Board 9, which covers Kew Gardens.
According to statistics provided by the city's Department of Transportation, 89 people were hurt there between 2010 and 2014, including 16 pedestrians, one of whom was severely injured.
In July 2015, a motorcyclist was struck and killed at the intersection of Park Lane South and Beverly Road, officials said.
The DOT said it has received numerous requests from local elected officials as well as residents who signed a petition pushing for traffic safety improvements in the area.
Last year, the agency conducted a study, which found “significant speeding [on Park Lane South] between Metropolitan Avenue and Myrtle Avenue,” the DOT wrote in its presentation discussed at a CB9’ Transportation Committee meeting last week.
The agency proposed numerous improvements at four major intersections in the area, which would result in the loss of 10 parking spaces.
Among the proposed changes, the DOT is planning to expand the concrete triangle island in the middle of the intersection of Park Lane, Park Lane South, Beverly Road and Onslow Place, where nine crashes occurred between 2010 and 2014.
The agency would also add pedestrian signals and crossings at the intersection, as well as a right turn bay in front of park entrance stairs.
The city is also planning to install so-called "leading pedestrian interval" signals at the intersection of Park Lane South and Metropolitan Avenue, where 33 crashes occurred between 2010 and 2014. The signals would allow pedestrians to begin walking before allowing drivers to turn, making them more visible to turning cars, the agency said.
Pedestrian crossings and a concrete triangle island would be added to the intersection of Park Lane South and 115th Street, and the existing crosswalks would be widened to accommodate park goers at the intersection of Park Lane South and Myrtle Avenue.
The agency is also planning to add a concrete traffic circle at the nearby intersection of Grenfell Street and 82nd Avenue as well as install speed bumps along Grenfell Street, near Lefferts Boulevard.
Lisa Gomes, district manager for Community Board 9, said the proposal would “reduce a lot of accidents and people getting hurt.”
“And the traffic is going to flow a lot better,” she noted.
But some residents said the proposal doesn't go far enough and focuses on the area of the neighborhood lined with single-family homes and doesn't include many changes requested by those who live in apartment buildings.
"We have an outstanding request for speed bumps on 116th coming up on our second year. We have a signed petition by the coop/apartment dwellers of 116th Street," said Mk Moore, a local resident known for his work at Forest Park. "The request for traffic control on 118th Street is many years old."
Alana Morales, a spokeswoman for the DOT, said that when drafting the proposal, the agency "included community concerns from the Kew Gardens Civic Association, the community board, as well as various elected officials ... along with our data-driven approach to Vision Zero pedestrian safety improvements."
She also noted that "DOT has been in contact with other community stakeholders and is currently looking at possible safety improvements for additional areas of concern."
CB9 will vote on the proposal at its next meeting scheduled for April 13, Gomes said.
SEE THE FULL PROPOSAL TO OVERHAUL PARK LANE SOUTH BELOW
NYC Department of Transportation Plan to Overhaul Park Lane South by DNAinfoNewYork on Scribd
