GET TRUCKS OFF AVENUE

City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley (at podium) weighed in on the traffic and health problems caused by high volumes of commercial traffic on Grand and Flushing avenues. Other elected officials on hand at the press conference were (from left to right): City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, Rep. Joseph Crowley, Assemblywoman Marge Markey and Rep. Anthony Weiner. (photo: Ralph Mancini) Elected officials vented at a press conference in Maspeth last Friday, Mar. 5, against the continued use of Grand and Flushing avenues as a commercial “through truck route” citing the damaging effects of exposure to diesel fumes to the community.

City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley was joined by Rep. Joseph Crowley, Rep. Anthony Weiner, State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, Assemblywoman Margaret Markey, City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer and a host of community leaders in decrying the air pollution resulting from trucks that routinely use the connecting roadways to avoid traveling on the Long Island Expressway.

The public servants called on the Department of Transportation to alleviate the burden of vehicle congestion by turning the Grand Avenue-Flushing Avenue thorough- fare into a “local” route as part of a Maspeth Truck Bypass plan that was the brainchild of local civic leaders. The plan is currently the focus of a study being conducted by the DOT.

Council Member Crowley claimed that Queens is the only place where a route terminates at a borough boundary, causing trucks to clog up Maspeth’s primary shopping district.

“We have one of the highest asthma rates in the city,” she added, pointing out how non-stop convoys of 18 and 20-wheelers that travel down Grand and Flushing avenues are the source of constant noise and have become a hindrance to local economic development.

Congressman Crowley, the Council member’s cousin, was among those identifying the DOT as the main culprit in allowing the issue to degenerate into its present state.

“Every two to four years, we come here to decry the problems of truck traffic. We headed an effort for federal funding to begin a study … the time for studies is over. We need to address this immediately. These trucks are not here as props,” he said as he looked out to the numerous intersections blocked by large commercial vehicles.

The congressman was followed by his colleague in the House of Representatives, Weiner, who agreed that the truck dilemma is both a traffic and health problem that has turned the shopping experience along the connecting streets into a “full-contact sport.”

Addabbo recounted how a truck tipped over on Grand Avenue last summer and predicted that the same thing could very well happen again, which would endanger the lives of both pedestrians and motorists.

Those in attendance were informed by Markey of safety measures drawn up about 10 years ago to remedy the situation, but were never acted upon by the DOT.

Van Bramer also took issue with the agency for “dragging its feet,” and called its passive stance on the matter “absolutely unacceptable.”

The DOT, according to Community Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano, is currently conducting a study on the traffic predicament, but the results won’t be yielded until the end of September.

Maspeth residents, such as Manny Caruana, expressed their impatience with the process and demanded more urgency by the department.

“I’m the son of a 92-year-old father that has to use these streets on a daily basis. Nobody cares,” he offered. “Well, we have to start caring pretty soon … when people are pushed to the brink, we’ll take action. Are you listening, Mr. Mayor?”

Juniper Park Civic Association President Robert Holden recounted how his group actually planned on closing Grand Avenue with a protest back in 2006, but held back when the DOT made assurances that haven’t yet been realized.

“Here we are in 2010 talking about the same thing. How many people have died from emphysema and lung cancer?” asked the civic leader.

Joining the choir on the health risks posed by truck traffic was Maspeth Chamber of Commerce President James O’Kane, who openly wondered about the unknown damage carbon fuels can inflict on people’s lungs.

“Neighborhood residents are thrilled that the study for the Maspeth Bypass Plan is underway,” added Rosemarie Daraio, president of the Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET) civic association. “COMET is anxious to work with our elected officials and DOT to ensure that the study addresses the community's concerns and that it is completed as quickly as possible. Hopefully NYC DOT will consider installing signage as a preliminary step. We look forward to a safer and more environmentally friendly Grand Avenue.”

Maspeth residents were given a history lesson on the origins of Grand and Flushing avenues as colonial country roads connecting Brooklyn to the old Newtown section (Elmhurst) of Queens and how it was never meant to be a smaller version of Queens Boulevard.