Dear Editor:
Any chance you can reach out to the Department of Transportation and see if they can take a look at easing our traffic here on Beach Channel Drive?
First, can they look at why the light for the Rockaway Freeway and Beach Channel Drive intersection is almost a minute long coming from the Freeway direction leading onto Beach Channel Drive?
Anyone that sits at this light regularly knows there is no justification for that long of a light when there is never that much vehicle traffic coming from the Freeway onto Beach Channel Drive! Having that long a light also allows the eastbound traffic to back up quite a bit. The light east bound should be much longer and that light much shorter and I guarantee the traffic will flow better
Secondly, maybe they can take a look or do a study to see if the left turn arrow that allows the west bound traffic to turn into the Stop and Shop parking can be moved to after the light turns red, rather than right as the light turns green, as it only delays the eastbound traffic even more.
Most times, the left turning vehicles are delayed making that turn for numerous reasons, and now the eastbound traffic is going nowhere for the majority of that green light. If they are delayed making the turn after the light has already turned red for the eastbound traffic, I believe the delay will be far less!
The vehicle traffic leaving Stop and Shop parking lot and heading west is usually not that heavy and there are two other ways to exit the parking lot.
On an average day from around 3 p.m. until 6 or 7 p.m., the traffic on Beach Channel Drive and sometimes Newport Ave is backed up to 123rd Street!
There has to be a better solution and maybe this can be it!
Mike Balfe