Woodhaven, Queens Neighbors: 4 Years Later, Petition For Speed Hump Has Gone Nowhere
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A speed hump battle has been raging for years in a Queens neighborhood, as residents seek to get drivers to slow down.
But as CBS2's Valerie Castro reported, the city has not taken action on the request for speed humps so far.
William Ortiz and his neighbors said they are tired of the speeding.
"Like they're in a racetrack, they're trying to make that light," he said.
The speeding affects a stretch of 98th Street in Woodhaven, Queens.
"You got kids that play on this block," he said. "I'm a cyclist; there's a lot of cyclist that go to the park, and they need to slow these people down."
"I do know that it is an unsafe road," said Alex Blenkinsopp of the Woodhaven Residents Block Association.
Blenkinsopp said the unusually long roadway is perfect for picking up speed.
"It's 1,300 feet of totally uninterrupted road," he said. "People zip up this block because they know that there are no cross streets."
Four years ago, a resident took action and gathered 100 signatures for a petition to have a speed hump installed on the roadway. The city Department of Transportation said two speed humps were actually approved
But in 2014, CBS2 is told, a site survey found the chosen location wouldn't quite work. A new one would have to be picked out.
Fast forward to 2016, and there are still no speed humps.
"I think somebody is sleeping on the job. It should be done," Ortiz said. "If you're talking public safety and you're talking, you're going to wait until a tragedy happens, and then you're going to respond?"
Christine Ballek signed the petition four years ago.
"It's very dangerous, it really is," she said.
Years before the petition, Ballek was also the driving force behind getting a stoplight installed at the end of the stretch.
"Unfortunately, I think that's what the demon is, because when they come half way up, they see the green light so they speed up even faster," she said.
Now, Ballek wonders how much longer it will take to slow them down.
"It took three years for a light," she said. "I guess it's going to take longer for that bump."
The Department of Transportation said it is resurveying the area to see where it can install both speed humps as soon as possible.
