LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

DOT doesn't ever listen to us

Posted

To the editor:

(re: “Neighbors unite for a street fight,” Nov. 14)

The recent story by Kirstyn Brendlen accurately describes local resident frustration, anger and outrage at the city’s transportation department.

We believe Riverdale’s natural beauty of tree-lined streets, green space and parks is now marred by an over-constructed sidewalk in a quiet residential area.

Surprisingly, no crash studies, accident studies, or community impact studies were conducted by DOT to justify their heavy-handed action. Supposedly, a single request for a stop sign and crosswalks were the origins?

DOT acknowledged community outreach was non-existent, yet the construction continued ignoring local officials and residents alike to modify the size.

Undeterred, DOT continued construction, and so on the corner of Palisade Avenue and Kappock Street, we now have two over-sized north-south “concrete blocks to nowhere.”

Making matters worse, DOT narrowed Palisade by the 2727 Palisade driveway, creating an “accident waiting to happen” situation.

Again, residents voiced their complaints that a further narrowing of this street makes for unsafe two-way traffic, especially for trucks and schools buses. Yet again, DOT refused to restore the original width of Palisade Avenue.

So now, under Vision Zero and tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars later, a situation exists where Kappock and Palisade is more dangerous than ever before.  DOT has come into our neighborhood and has unilaterally imposed unrealistic, unsafe, unnecessary measures.

Local residents of Kappock and Palisade will continue to work on restoring our area to the safe beautiful corner it once was.

Mary Harrington

The author is a member of the Coalition to Save the Neighborhood.

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Mary Harrington,

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