Astoria Residents Rally For Safer Streets

Steven and Brian Beard of the Long Island City Alliance, Democratic District Leader Costa Constantinides and (in rear)Assemblymember Mike Gianaris, along with members of the community rally for a safer 21st Avenue. Area residents have long considered 21st Avenue, especially between 21st and 28th Streets in Astoria, a dangerous thoroughfare. Along that portion of the avenue, there are no lights, stops signs or speed bumps to slow speeding traffic. On Friday, November 13, Konstantinos Stayropoulos was killed crossing at the intersection of 21st Avenue and 23rd Street. At the Rally for Safer Streets that took place at 11 a.m. on December 5 at that lethal corner, many concerned residents expressed their sadness over the tragic death, and urged the city of New York to take steps to ensure that nothing like it would ever happen again.

The rally called for measures to slow traffic on the avenue, especially as P.S. 122, the Kid Krazy Daycare Center, and St. John’s Preparatory H.S. all lie along the seven-block stretch. City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. has formally requested a traffic study of the area, stating that numerous traffic accidents have occurred on 21st Avenue over the past 18 months. Vallone had asked for the traffic study in 2006, and residents have long been writing to the city Department of Transportation about the situation. Despite these efforts, no action has been taken by the city.

At the rally, attendees called for new traffic-calming measures. A local petition drive and letter-writing campaign were kicked off as well, to encourage the DOT to act quickly. Assemblymember Michael Gianaris declared, “DOT must take swift action to install traffic controls at this intersection and ensure this tragedy is never repeated. Our streets are full of pedestrians and cyclists, many of them children on their way to and from school. We can and must do a better job protecting them."

Democratic District Leader Costa Constantinides echoed the Assemblymember’s concerns. “Every day that DOT delays in dealing with this dangerous dilemma, the children attending the schools and daycare center, people with disabilities and all residents crossing the avenue are at risk. As a lifelong resident of Astoria, I know that the drivers in this community use 21st Avenue as the quick route to avoid the traffic of Ditmars Boulevard, rendering it the speed-lane of Astoria. Today, we stand together to wave the caution flag and fight to end the race to protect our neighbors.”

Eddie Hernandez, chairman of the Transportation Alternatives Queens Volunteer Committee, added, “This wonderful, walkable community needs to be protected from the scourge of reckless drivers. Only changes to the street layout can effectively reduce automobile speeds and enforce compliance with the law. The community demands safety.”

Brian Beard, President of the Long Island City Alliance, said, “With the increasing congestion plaguing our neighborhood, the city needs to take the adequate measures to build our infrastructure to handle the increase in population and vehicles. The Department of Transportation should evaluate our neighborhood and determine the areas with the most traffic and pedestrians, in addition to areas by hospitals and schools, and put in safety measures to ensure that the residents of Astoria/Long Island City can safely cross the street without any danger from oncoming vehicles.”

Kimberly Lancial, a local citizen, concluded: “As a resident of 21st Avenue and a mother, I find it very disturbing that the DOT has failed to recognize the need for more attention to the increased traffic on 21st Avenue and the speed at which it travels. Is it going to take another fatality to get their attention?"