Location Is Outside Prestigious Girls
School; Local Residents Are Shocked
By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
BAY RIDGE — It’s a “no go.” Community Board 10 members and Fontbonne Hall Academy officials reacted with gasps and shock upon hearing that the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) rejected a request by the board for a traffic light outside the prestigious girls school on Shore Road and 99th Street.
It’s a corner deemed by officials as very dangerous to students, who risk life and limb. The city’s decision is a big blow to the school and neighborhood, but supporters vowed to keep pushing for the light, seeing this as a temporary setback.
“The request for a traffic light at Fontbonne Hall Academy was denied,” said District Manager Josephine Beckman of Community Board 10. Many board members gasped when she made the announcement at the board meeting on Monday evening at the Shore Hill Community Room, just half a mile north of Fontbonne.
However, she said, a light request for Third Avenue and 71st Street in the commercial area was given a “go” signal, which was no surprise.
Over the years several students were nearly struck or suffered minor injuries at the Shore Road crossing. The latest episode took place in September, when a student was tossed 15 feet. Traffic blind spots and speeding cars are a problem at the site, where parents drop off and pick up their children.
It was in September that the problem, with the latest incident, was dramatically brought to the board’s attention. Its Traffic and Transportation Committee, headed by Craig Eaton, proposed that the board send a letter to the DOT requesting a feasibility study. The board approved the proposal, and Beckman sent a letter to the DOT on Sept. 24.
The DOT monitored the site, said agency spokesperson Seth Solomonow. From its on-site feasibility study, the DOT determined that a traffic light was unwarranted, despite the deeply expressed concerns of the academy and the board.
Shore Road curves out of sight south of 99th Street, with tall apartment buildings blocking the view of traffic. “Speeding traffic heads in both directions toward and away from the Belt Parkway at 101st Street,” said Beckman in the board’s letter to the DOT.
‘Shock’ at Fontbonne Hall Academy
Tuesday morning when word reached Fontbonne about the DOT’s rejection, coming a week before Christmas Day, people were shocked by the decision. If the request had been approved, the light might have been installed by Dec. 20, according to Solomonow.
Beckman called Fontbonne’s principal, Sister Dolores Crepeau, Tuesday morning about the DOT’s decision. “She was very upset and shocked,” said Beckman. “The board will revisit this and we’ll be talking to the DOT’s borough commissioner about this.” Joseph Palmieri is the DOT’s Brooklyn borough commissioner.
Previous to the accident in September, two other students were almost hit, Crepeau noted. The September accident, she said, would have been preventable if a traffic light were installed. The closest traffic lights are at Third Avenue, one long block south of 99th Street, and at 95th Street, four blocks north.
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues.
So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net
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