NYC Department of Transportation’s Morris Park Avenue plan
opposed; residents will go to court to stop proposed ‘road diet’
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ris Park Avenue, as much as the city
would like to portray otherwise, isn’t
a life and death issue.
“The reasonable approach made by
the Morris Park community should
be listened to and given due respect at
City Hall,” said the assemblyman. “A
road diet should not be forced on the
people of Morris Park and Van Nest
against their wishes.”
Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez
and Councilman Mark Gjonaj
also offered remarks.
Fernandez said that the two hospitals
at the eastern end of Morris Park
Avenue need clear roadways for ambulances
(which cannot be blocked
in a single lane of traffi c in an emergency).
Gjonaj said that with a planned
Metro North Station and up-zoning in
play for Eastchester Road, more traffi
c congestion could occur and a study
needs to be conducted to measure the
impact of the proposal when all the elements
are in place.
The councilman said he would oppose
the road diet because as the councilman
he will abide with the will of
Members of the Morris Park Community Association, along with invited guests, look on as the community members spoke about their feelings
concerning NYC DOT’s Morris Park Avenue ‘road diet’ proposal at a town hall meeting on Wednesday, November 28.
Photo by Odette Scofi eld
the people.
Those speakers at the town hall,
who mostly spoke in opposition, cited
a number of other issues, including
loading and unloading for businesses
along the commercial corridor, and
Orchard Beach renovations
discussed at Lehman H.S.
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son to make the area a year-round
destination, rather than a seasonal
one.
For the beach’s south yard, which
is currently off limits to the public,
some suggested bringing in food
trucks, a beer garden or a seasonal
holiday village with a skating rink,
additional fi reworks shows, along
with a slew of other creative uses.
Increased cleanliness and improved
transportation services were
high on the list of ‘wants’.
The Parks’ new policy that removed
the litterbins that once dotted
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 90 ECEMBER 7-13, 2018 BTR
that they felt the road diet plan didn’t
appear to work in communities near
Morris Park.
A handful of speakers spoke in favor
of the project, with one, Roxanne
Delgado of Pelham Parkway, telling
the Bronx Times she is in favor of the
bicycle lanes because she believes that
it might encourage would-be motorists
to use alternative forms of transit.
DOT didn’t comment as of press
time.
The Orchard Beach Pavilion. File Photo
Some of the suggested attractions that could come to Orchard Beach.
Schneps Community News Group/ Alex Mitchell
the beach’s sand during the beach
season was not popular with many
Bronxites. Instead they demanded
more garbage cans and more frequent
pickups.
Community Board 10 member
Bob Bieder requested that Parks allocate
a good portion of the beach
budget to additional maintenance
funding.
“If you’re going to expand use and
service it’s important that clean up is
included in that,” he said.
Also, if Orchard Beach were to become
a year-round destination, the
seasonal Bx12 Orchard Beach bus
would need to have its service extended
past September, an attendee
noted.
Nilka Martell, president of the
Friends of Pelham Bay Park hopes
that a project like this would encourage
the city to expand its ferry service
into the east Bronx. She also suggested
incorporating environmental
education and community space into
the renovation’s plan.
While she supported the creation
of a holiday village, Martell explained
why a skating rink wouldn’t
fair well at Orchard Beach.
“The seasonal rink at Van Courtlandt
Park only lasted two years
because there wasn’t a good water
source to maintain the ice. That
would probably happen here as well,”
she said.
In the meantime, Parks along with
Manhattan-based Marvel Architects,
will spend the next two years scoping
out the project and evaluating the
beachgoers’ recommendations. After
that they expect to get the shovels in
the ground.