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THE WEEK OF JULY 17, 2003
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The City of New York can put all the red lights, barriers and traffic enforcement agents that the bureaucrats deem necessary on Queens Boulevard. But the death rate will remain astronomically high as long as there are bad drivers on the roads and foolish pedestrians on the streets.
Two young women—who were patiently waiting for a light to change so they could cross the boulevard at 78th Avenue in Forest Hills—were killed last Thursday because an inexperienced motorist blew a traffic signal.
To walk across this multi-lane corridor in one shot is almost impossible. There are medians in the middle and pedestrians usually wait at those corners for a second chance to continue the journey across.
It’s a game of chance every time the light changes and each neighborhood that Queens Boulevard transgresses presents its own set of problems.
Starting in the vicinity of Hillside Avenue and continuing westbound to the Queensboro Bridge, the roadway—whether in Briarwood, Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Rego Park, Elmhurst, Woodside, Sunnyside or Long Island City—is a challenge for pedestrians.
There are turn-offs for major highways such as the Grand Central Parkway, the Long Island Expressway and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, plus other tough crossings.
All have to be on their toes when using this artery and unfortunately, the city is filled with bad drivers who barely know the rules of the road. Many make up their own sets as they cruise along.
Reportedly, the motorist responsible for the recent deaths of the young women had a “history of blackouts.”
He allegedly ran a red light, crashed into another auto, which in turn soared upward and crashed down onto the innocent bystanders.
The unsuspecting driver of the car that was hit landed upside down on the unsuspecting women, and also became an innocent victim of the tragedy.
It doesn’t matter if all the world’s brilliant traffic engineering minds were put in the same room—they still couldn’t come up with any answers to stem the tide of deaths on Queens Boulevard.
Their calculations are based on logic, and the human factor debunks any theories they can produce.
Many drivers are medically and mentally impaired. Others are too old, while some are too immature. Many more are inconsiderate fools who think they own the road.
There are also daredevil pedestrians who dart across the street, taking high-risk gambles that all too often go wrong. A man was once killed by a bus there while running backwards, making an obscene gesture.
Like the description in the old song, Queens Boulevard is “the street of sorrow, the boulevard of broken dreams.” It will continue on as long as humans are walking and driving.