Traffic agents taking on congested Dyker strip

A traffic congestion issue stemming from illegally parked trucks at 65th Street and Seventh Avenue will finally be seeing a fix thanks to actions taken by Councilmember Vincent Gentile and the NYPD.

As first reported in this newspaper last spring, illegally parked delivery trucks outside the Forum Supermarket have led to a backup of traffic spanning several blocks in Dyker Heights, halting pedestrians, ambulances, school buses, cyclists and drivers.

Recently however, Gentile announced that traffic agents would be deployed in order to combat the congestion, which Dyker resident Carlo Scissura, who drives there daily, called, “An issue that has gotten worse and worse over the past year. Some days there are two trucks; some days there are three. It is really bad because the area there between 65th and 66th is supposed to be two lanes. With these trucks it becomes one lane.”

“After much discussion with the NYPD, I am pleased to announce that NYPD Chief of Transportation Thomas Chan has informed me that effective immediately, two NYPD traffic agents will be deployed at the aforementioned intersection to direct traffic flow from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Monday through Friday.” said Gentile.

In addition to the traffic agents, the 68th Precinct will conduct and produce a Traffic Information Report in order to create a more long-term solution to the problem.

Gentile also announced plans to work closely with Brooklyn Department of Transportation (DOT) officials to redesign the offending intersection.

A long-term solution is on the mind of President of Dyker Heights Civic Association Fran Vella-Marrone. “Having traffic agents there will definitely help in the short run, but we cannot have traffic agents there forever,” she said. “It is about getting stationary trucks to move, something that will have to come down to the police enforcement. I do think that the long term issue is continuing enforcement.”

A person who answered the phone at Forum Supermarket declined comment, saying only that the DOT was working with the store to create a truck loading zone.

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