Installing This LIC Stop Sign Only Took 7 Years

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS - A new stop sign at the intersection of 46th Avenue and 5th Street already has a seven-year history. Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and the P.S./I.S. 78 parent-teacher association spent years lobbying the city's transportation department to address the dangerous intersection outside the school.

Van Bramer first requested the four-way stop sign in 2012, but the transportation department denied his request for not meeting their standards for installing a stop sign. Van Bramer and local parents began rallying in 2013 for the stop sign. In 2016, they installed a mock stop sign as a temporary fix. The transportation department re-evaluated the intersection, and the sign finally debuted in January.

Three people have been injured at that intersection since 2009, according to the city's Vision Zero data.

“For the last seven years, I have advocated with parents, students, and the Long Island City community for stop signs and other traffic calming measures along this busy corridor. I’m thrilled to announce that the DOT heard our voices and have installed an all-way stop sign at the intersection of 46th Avenue and 5th Street," Van Bramer said. "Nothing is more important than keeping our children safe, and the installation of this new stop sign is a hard-earned victory for the parents, students, and residents of Long Island City."

When the city's transportation department gets a request for a stop sign, the agency studies the intersection to determine the best marker — whether that's a stop sign, a traffic light or something else. The agency makes its decision based on that spot's crash history and how many cars and pedestrians pass by, a spokesperson said, and denies requests that don't meet those standards.

Van Bramer has fought for other safety improvements along 5th Street, like speed bumps between 48th and 51st Avenues and an all-way stop sign at the intersection of 5th Street and 51st Ave.

(Lead image: Office of Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer)