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Community Corner

Locals Discuss Median At LiNeck Train Station

Westmoreland Association holds open forum with Queens Transportation Commissioner to talk about traffic at LIRR station.

For the dozen or so motorists illegally stopping to drop off or pick up people at Little Neck's Long Island Rail Road station, Queens' Transportation Commissioner Maura McCarthy has a warning for you.

"If the DOT needs to have police start enforcing the posted 'No Standing,' 'No Stopping,' signs around the station then we will do that," McCarthy said, addressing a room of concerned residents at a by the Westmoreland Association.

was established last year at the 'at-grade' rail road crossing on Little Neck Parkway at the Little Neck train station.

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But irritated residents immediately started voicing concerns over what many have called a "."

"The median that was installed last year at that location is an absolute nightmare and needs to be removed immediately," Rosemary Zito told commissioner McCarthy Monday night.

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And Zito, who lives in the Little Neck Bay section of Queens wasn't alone with her suggestion.

"The median is more than just a traffic hazard—it's also a public nuisance," said Larry Sheehan, former captain of the ., and long time Little Neck resident.

Sheehan stressed that excessive honking during rush hour in the mornings and afternoons was now a big part of this increasingly untenable situation.

"Come here between five and seven at night and you will see how bad it really is," he told the commissioner.

Still, having the median removed might not be that easy.

"Before we do anything, the DOT will have to conduct a study to determine the best course of action," McCarthy said.

Some suggestions floating around the room Monday night included:

  • Converting the taxi stand, near the entrance of a parking lot adjacent to Little Neck station, to a passenger pick up and drop off location.
  • Installing a series of one-way streets around the Westmoreland section of Little Neck that immediately abut the LIRR tracks.
  • Posting a Stop sign at the intersection of Little Neck Parkway and 39th Road.

Even so, some of the people who showed up to Monday's meeting felt that the best resolution would be for motorists to start observing the 'No Parking' and 'No Standing' signs in and around the area.

"Most of the guilty parties who do the illegal parking or standing aren't even from Little Neck and don't really care, so having stepped up enforcement in, would definitely make a difference," Sheehan said.

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