The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Sign This Petition NOW! (please), part deux

If you're the type prone to sign now and read later, I give you this, courtesy of neighbor Madeline Fix-Hansen: Flatbush/Ocean Intersection - FIX IT NOW!

You know it; I know it; anyone with a car, bike or legs knows it. That damn intersection is a death trap - it's only a matter of time before one of our neighbors is killed. Carrie over at Hawthorne Street Blog put in massive hours and created a killer proposal for traffic calming, which was essentially ignored by the DOT and other powers-that-be.

What's wrong with this picture?? A concerned citizen puts together a crack panel of experts, basically does all the work for the bureaucrats, and officials STILL can't recognize a life threatening problem right in front of their noses? I mean look at this friggin' spot-on document Carrie's coalition put together, downloadable from this archived page of HawthorneStreet.

Think this kind of wheel-squeaking doesn't make a difference? Just look at what PLG Public Works (Carrie's group) got accomplished up at the corner of Empire and Flatbush. (And no, I'm not talking about the killer new Wendy's fries...apparently the ghost of Dave Thomas though up THAT brilliant idea on his own)

And now, enter another brave soul who's clearly prepared to take up the mantle and get this thing done. Madeline's mom had a brush with death AT THAT VERY INTERSECTION. (Me too, although in my case I was tempted to drag a speeding corner-hugger out of his SUV, but thought better of it when I saw the look on his face and the baseball bat riding shotgun. Or was it a shotgun riding baseball-bat? My memory's kinda hazy) I'm betting the time is right, what with the Park's big Lakeside project underway, to get some traction.

Here's Madeline's plea, for those who prefer to read THEN sign:

Hello neighbors;

Traffic at Parkside Avenue & Ocean Avenue continues to be completely dangerous.

As such, I have created a Parkside & Ocean traffic calming petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/bring-traffic-calming-plan-to-parkside-ocean-avenues-brooklyn

and have attached a copy of the Lakeside traffic calming plan developed by Sustainable Flatbush & Transportation Alternatives.

Please circulate this information to individuals, families, friends, groups and others who you think may sign the petition and be interested in the traffic calming proposal.

The petition will be delivered to Senator Adams' office & to Councilperson Mathieu Eugene on June 15, 2011. The goal is 500 signatures.

Thanks!
Madeleine Fix-Hansen

1 comment:

MJMcBee said...

Just signed it and posted it on my facebook. There's nothing that wakes my sleeping "mama bear" like that corner. Suddenly I find myself magically fluent in my ancestors' Italian and screaming like a Banshee (I'm Irish too. It's a good cocktail to have in my blood in those moments.)