Residents and community leaders in Long Island City, Queens, had begged the city for years to institute traffic-safety measures on the busy street where a teenage boy was struck and killed by a minivan this week, officials said yesterday.
It’s unclear whether the improvements requested could have saved the life of 16-year-old Tenzin Drudak, who was run down by an allegedly distracted driver, but community members say his death highlights dangerous conditions on Thomson Avenue.
“It’s impossible to spend any amount of time here and not think it could be safer,” said City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer.
The cluttered stretch — which features several schools, a public library and the busy 33rd Street subway station — feeds into the Queensboro Bridge.
Community Board 2 and Van Bramer had asked the city to consider safety improvements.
The students claimed the signals didn’t give enough time for pedestrians to cross, but the city in response said that timing was adequate.
A Department of Transportation spokesman said the agency had been mulling improvements on Thomson, including sidewalk extensions.