TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES COMING TO PS11 AFTER MONTHS OF COUNCIL MEMBER JIMMY VAN BRAMER’S ADVOCACY
TODAY, following months of Council Member Van Bramer and area parents advocating for improved safety conditions, New York City Department of Transportation has announced plans for traffic calming measures on 54th Street in front of PS11. Currently, this dangerous intersection poses a threat to the hundreds of school children who cross this street daily, but the installation of traffic signals will alleviate safety concerns and protect students.
“We came together as a community to demand that DOT do the right thing, and they’ve heard our voice,” said Council Member Van Bramer. “This is a great win for the PS11 families, the Woodside community and our children’s safety. I am happy that DOT is taking this seriously and plans to install two traffic lights in front of the school before the end of May. DOT is currently reviewing the area around PS343 and will be concluding their work there soon. After speaking with the DOT, I am hopeful that their current work will produce results. I will continue to advocate for needed traffic calming measurers throughout the district, especially in areas where children’s safety is so obviously at risk.”
“We thank Council Member Van Bramer and the parents, teachers and children at PS 11 for their continued support for safer streets for everyone who uses Skillman Avenue,” said DOT Queens Borough Commissioner Nicole Garcia. “These two signals now make it easier for everyone in the community to cross, especially the growing number of students who are heading to and from school or visiting the Woodside Library.”
In January, Council Member Van Bramer held a rally demanding that the New York City Department of Transportation address dangerous street crossings at P.S. 11 in Woodside. The Council Member was joined at the rally by P.S. 11 PTA President Mindy Bichler-Greene, P.S. 11 Principal Elizabeth Peña-Jorge, students and parents from P.S. 11, and members of the Woodside community.
Both Council Member Van Bramer and the P.S. 11 PTA had previously called on the Department of Transportation to address this dangerous crossing by introducing traffic calming measures. The PTA has also submitted a petition to the Department of Transportation with over one thousand signatures calling for safety improvements to be made.
