Belmont Community calls for road safety improvements at busy intersection
An intersection in Belmont is once again at the center of controversy.
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An intersection in Belmont is once again at the center of controversy.
Just two blocks away from Little Italy is where Lorillard Place and East 188th Street meet.
"You have to be careful over here, cause everybody flies, it's a school zone and nobody cares," said Tony Durakah, who lives nearby.
The intersection is right outside of Jeff Vargons window, who has lived in the same building since 1986.
"I find it really disturbing to see people just driving through here that there's no stop signs, there's no human beings that exists and watching kids to see if they can cross the street as opposed to it being the other way around," said Jeff Vargon.
News 12's cameras rolled for roughly an hour Wednesday afternoon. In that time, our crew saw two cars almost collide, a pedestrian who had to run through the crosswalk to avoid being hit and multiple cars roll through or completly neglect the stop signs.
It's why Vargon and his neighbors have been advocating for at least five years for improvements to be made, especially after a driver was killed in 2021.
"A stop light is the only thing that's gonna stop the drivers from rolling through or speeding through the signs," said Vargon.
The Department of Transportation installed a bike lane in 2022 along East 188th Street.
It says the purpose is to visually slow drivers down. However, people who live in the neighborhood say the opposite has happened.
"The bike lanes, the electrical bikes they go right through, without stopping or nothing," said Carmine Roscigno, who lives nearby.
Community Board 6 has also brought the concerns forward, but the district manager says they have hit a dead end.
"DOT could potentially put a camera here to track peoples speed, the problem is there isn't enough accidents at this intersection for DOT to take other actions in the meantime, I know that can be very frustrating," said Rafael Moure-Punnett, district manager for Community Board 6.
Moure-Punnet says they are considering filling out a request for a speed bump to be installed on Lorillard Place.
"There needs to be like a bump, or another red light for me," said Tony Durakah.
The Department of Transportation wrote in a statement:
“NYC DOT is committed to improving street safety and will review any community requests regarding the intersection of Lorillard Place and East 188th Street. We encourage residents to provide community feedback about their concerns.”
