Sometimes what you see can be quite deceiving.
This has proven especially true for one Country Club traffic triangle displaying the wrong version of a No Standing Anytime sign on its southern perimeter.
The green street triangle located at the intersection of Rawlins and Kearney avenues, has a sign displaying a single headed arrow instead of its original double headed version.
When first constructed in 2011, the island’s southern half contained a double headed No Standing Anytime sign, but it was damaged and soon removed.
Michael McNerney, Country Club Civic Association president revealed Community Board 10, Councilman James Vacca’s office, and the New York City Department of Transportation assisted in addressing and correcting concerns raised by this site.
He explained DOT resituated the intersection’s stop signs by locating one further up the triangle and the other on Kearney Avenue.
They also replaced the missing No Standing Anytime sign with the incorrect version during this same period.
According to McNerney, in a more recent response received from the DOT, they informed him it was not necessary to replace the single headed No Standing Anytime with a double headed version because there is not enough room for parking at the triangle’s south side.
This has since proven false as McNerney confirmed observing cars parked daily at the triangle’s Rawlins Avenue side.
He added these illegally parked vehicles only serve to obscure motorists’ line of vision as they attempt to travel pass the triangle.
“We’ve been fighting to correct this issue for a very long time now and the main reason behind this effort is due to several accidents which have occurred around this intersection as result of these parked vehicles obscuring motorists’ vision as they travel north and south from Rawlins Avenue,” McNerney explained. “There shouldn’t be so much red tape that has to be cut through in order to fix something as simple as this.”
Interestingly, McNerney was informed the triangle’s southern portion was originally slated for two car parking spaces, but was scraped as it would have transformed the area into a cluttered intersection.
A call for action was set forth following a petition which received overwhelming support and signatures from the vast majority of members present at a CCCA general meeting several months ago, McNerney shared.
According to Kenneth Kearns, Community Board 10 district manager, the board collaborated with the DOT in addressing a majority of issues raised about the traffic triangle’s misleading signage, yet the incorrect southern sign still remains. Kearns added the DOT is still investigating this issue.
“On behalf of the Country Club Civic Association, I have requested that this sign be amended to a double arrow, no standing sign. Currently, the Department of Transportation is studying the request. This traffic triangle is not for parking and DOT must rectify this issue,” Councilman James Vacca said.
On Tuesday, March 24, Senator Jeff Klein wrote to DOT’s Borough Commissioner Constance Moran about installing a corrected sign at the triangle.
“As a serious hazard to drivers, I strongly encourage the Department of Transportation to replace the ‘No Standing Any Time’ sign along the traffic triangle at Rawlins and Kearney Avenues. With a number of accidents already reported at this location, it’s critical we take action now to prevent future injuries to drivers and pedestrians alike,” Senator Klein stated.
“We’re almost there in fixing this concern and we’ve gotten so much accomplished here, but it’s not 100% complete. We all want to see this through until the very end,” McNerney expressed.
McNerney urged residents to call 311 if they see an illegally parked car at the triangle’s south side.
The DOT did not return requests for comment on this issue.
