by Marcus Ramos
Queens Community Board 5 held a meeting on July 10 in the “Christ the King High School” cafeteria. The most notable report of the meeting came from Transportation Services and Public Services, which informed the board about several infrastructure changes that will occur in the area near Cypress Ave. And Vermont Pl.
Eric Butkiewicz, speaking on behalf of Transportation Services and Public Services, notified the community board of upcoming changes to the area near the Ridgewood reservoir and the cemeteries within the area. A plan was set in motion by the DOT to reduce the sanitation hazards within the area, such as illegal dumping. There is also a plan to increase walkability in the area with new sidewalks and accessibility ramps.
“We heard about illegal dumping along the cemetery. In that part of the neighborhood there’s a ton of illegal dumping. It’s very bad. It’s actually no standing yet there’s parking, you’ll see people there barbecuing, illegal car washes putting chemicals in the sewers, trash dumping along the cemetery. It’s a sanitation issue. among other things. (With the DOT plan) that would be completely blocked off. You physically would not be able to illegally park there. You physically will not be able to illegally dump there because there are going to be barriers. There are not a lot of sidewalks over so there will be sidewalks put in, there will be crosswalks, there will be accessibility ramps if you’re in a wheelchair or you otherwise need a ramp you have a ramp to get up.”
In addition to these changes made to combat the sanitation hazards in the area, Butkiewicz explains that the DOT also has plans to implement new bike lanes as another method of making transportation in the area more diverse.
“You could cross through that stretch by the cemetery much easier if you’re biking because now you have a bike lane. It’s a two-way bike lane and it’s going where the illegal dumping was, where it was a no standing zone to begin with. We think this is going to be good for the neighborhood and really make things better on multiple fronts. On safety, accessibility, sidewalks for walking and getting to the reservoir, for biking, for sanitation, for sewage, for everything. It’s really going to help us out.”
Member of the board Fred Haller illustrated the possible concern of traffic worsening in the area due to the addition of bike lanes, thus reducing the available car lanes. Butkiewicz ensured that the impact on cars will be minimal.
Fred Haller (far left) and Eric Butkiewicz (far right), photo courtesy of CB5 Queens YouTube channel
“The car situation really does not change. There’s one very large lane that really seems like it’s large enough for two lanes of traffic but it’s really one lane of traffic right away. There’s still going to be turning lanes. This should not impede car traffic in any meaningful way.”
