The lack of any speed controls near a park commonly occupied by children and dog walkers has residents concerned.
Matthews Muliner Playground, located between Matthews Avenue, Muliner Avenue, Rhinelander Avenue and Morris Park Avenue, is one of the few parks in the Bronx without a speed bump nearby.
According to a DOT spokesperson, a speed bump was installed on Matthews Avenue between Morris Park Avenue and Rhinelander Avenue to slow traffic in April 2008.
Unfortunately, this speed bump is over 100 feet away from the park, creating an unsafe scenario for residents who enter or exit the park. At the other side of the park on Muliner Avenue, there is no speed bump at all.
The current setup surrounding Matthews Muliner Playground allows drivers to increase their speed once they’ve cleared the bump, eventhough the area’s speed limit is now reduced to 25 MPH.
Amid the area’s speed limit reduction, drivers are reportedly still speeding by the park as early as 7 a.m., which presents a safety hazard for the park users.
A DOT spokesperson has since stated that the DOT will continue to monitor the location and refer it to the 49th Precinct for enforcement.
“This scenario is unsafe for pedestrians and especially children who utilize the park,” said Tony Signorile, president of Morris Park Community Association, who discussed this issue with other MPCA members at a meeting on Wednesday, December 3. “Something has to be done regarding this situation, because I know for a fact that residents in this neighborhood don’t want an innocent child being struck by a vehicle.”
Signorile continued to express his worry regarding the situation, hoping that Community Board 11 gets in touch with the DOT to discuss the matter.
“Hopefully we can receive help regarding this situation from community officials,” said Signorile. “Of course, my concern is about the safety of all residents, but especially the safety of all children within the circumference of the park. Taking the right precautions to make (Matthews Muliner Playground) and its surrounding streets and sidewalks safer could save a child’s life.”
According to CB 11, it was determined that there were too many driveways within the vicinity of the playground on the park’s outlying streets.
This finding originally halted any opportunity of installing a speed bump closer to the park. CB11 believes that there is new hope regarding this situation and it should be revisited.
“Residents of Morris Park, especially those who live near the park, need to put a petition together concerning this situation,” said Jeremy Warneke, district manager of CB 11.
“Once that petition is presented to us, we can then move forward and take the petition to the DOT.”
