Gerritsen Beach residents are aggravated that the Department of Transportation is installing a traffic signal one-half block from the school where the safety measure was sought.
“This is not what the neighborhood wanted,” said local Maryanne McLinden. “This light is in the middle of the block, far from the intersection where kids are crossing to get to school.”
The community of PS 277 has been calling for traffic-slowing measures at the busy intersection of Gerritsen and Channel avenues for years, parents say. The cross streets lead to one of PS 277’s entrances and dozens of youngsters cross past speeding motorists there every morning, added Kathy Ene, another PS 277 parent.
Locals were pleased in August when the city approved the flashing yellow light, but were shocked last week to see that it would be placed about 150 feet from where they want it, as first reported by gerritsenbeach.net.
“It doesn’t make sense,” said Ene, who has two 8-year-olds attending PS 277. “This doesn’t solve the problem at all.”
The city said that it installed the flashing beacon in the middle of the block so that cars will slow down before the intersection.
“This pair of signals will help reinforce the reduced speed [limit] signs currently in the area,” said Department of Transportation spokeswoman Nicole Garcia.
But people aren’t buying the city’s explanation.
“The cars will slow down for the light in the middle of the block, but then speed right up again to reach the intersection,” McLinden said.
Gerritsen Avenue, which stretches about a mile from Nostrand Avenue to Plumb Beach Channel, only has three traffic lights. There have been eight traffic accidents at the intersection of Gerritsen and Channel avenues from 2005 to 2010, according to NYPD statistics.