Residents concerned about speeding on their local streets have been heard.
Councilman Ritchie Torres was able to work with the NYC Department of Transportation to get three speed bumps installed in a three-block stretch on Prospect Avenue between East 182nd and East 183rd streets.
One was installed on each of three blocks between the two intersections.
The recent installation comes after decades of speeding on the quiet, residential street, said local residents, who gathered with Councilman Torres on Friday, October 2 to celebrate the installations.
“You have an active community here in Twin Parks which had been clamoring for some kind of traffic improvement for years,” said Councilman Torres. “Obviously there is a lengthy process of studying traffic, and after the process was done, we were able to persuade (the Department of Transportation) to install speed bumps here.”
Torres credited Constance Moran, Bronx DOT commissioner, as a strong partner in the effort.
He said he had personally reached out to her and she was unfailingly responsive.
The community also demonstrated overwhelming support, he said.
“We believe in the mayor’s vision of Vision Zero,” he said. “It is important that we put speed bumps in place to prevent traffic fatalities and injuries; pedestrian safety is a priority in this community.”
Francene Miller, president of the nearby Twin Parks LP Tenants Association said that speeding on the street had been in issue for years.
One of her friends was killed by a speeding car at Grote Street and Prospect Avenue in the early 1990s, she said.
“She was on her way to church,” said Miller. “She stepped off the curb and a car backing up killed her.”
It was at that time that she and her neighbors began petitioning and advocating for traffic safety.
Later, another senior was knocked off of her motorized scooter on Prospect Avenue, she added.
She was pleased with the change, the culmination of about 20 years of efforts.
“People slow down now when they get here because they cannot go fast,” she said, adding “We have a lot of children in Twin Parks crossing from one side (of the street) to the other.”
Lorreine Matthews, who has lived in the community a year and a half, said that speed humps are a big change in terms of traffic.
She commended Councilman Torres for his help.
