Lentol demands safety measures on McGuinness Boulevard

Says Greenpoint street where woman was killed is ‘treacherous’

January 2, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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In the wake of an accident that killed a 32-year-old woman on McGuinness Boulevard on Sunday, Assemblyman Joseph Lentol is demanding that the city immediately install safety measures on the heavily trafficked Greenpoint street.

Calling McGuinness Boulevard “treacherous,” Lentol (D-Greenpoint-Williamsburg) said it’s time for the city to act. Lentol said he wants the de Blasio Administration to install speed cameras, red light cameras and other traffic calming measures to increase safety in the community. “We need the new mayor to act swiftly because cameras would slow traffic down and make the entire thoroughfare safer,” the assemblyman said.

On Dec. 29, Nicole Detweiler, 32, was struck by a BMW and then an Isuzu box truck while she was crossing the street at McGuinness Boulevard and Nassau Avenue.

Both drivers remained at the scene following the fatal accident, according to NBC New York, which reported that the motorist behind the wheel of the box truck was arrested and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

There have been several accidents at the intersection of McGuinness Boulevard and Nassau Avenue in recent years, Lentol said. “Another heartbreaking accident at this deadly intersection calls for swift action in the New Year under the new mayoral administration to install red light cameras, speed cameras, and new traffic calming measures,” he said.

Lentol charged that he has been pushing the city for years to do something about the dangerous intersection, but that nothing has been done. “I have letters asking for safety improvements going back at least five years, probably more,” the exasperated lawmaker said.

It’s not just the intersection at Nassau Avenue that’s dangerous, Lentol said. He charged that several spots along McGuinness Boulevard are treacherous for pedestrians to cross.

“I pledge to make this a top priority. Everyone knows McGuinness Boulevard is treacherous. Last year, I voted to approve new locations for speed cameras in school zones, and McGuinness Boulevard by PS 34 should be first on the list to get one,” Lentol said. PS 34 is located on McGuinness Boulevard and Norman Avenue.

“Residents should be able to walk to and from the stores on Manhattan Avenue, the G train and wherever else they may be going without putting their lives in danger by simply crossing the street. People here aren’t afraid of getting mugged. They’re afraid of getting hit. It’s a real fear. It’s a valid fear. Sadly, that is how serious the problem has become at the intersections along McGuinness Boulevard,” Lentol said.

Lentol said 2014 offers the new city administration the opportunity to accomplish the task of installing cameras, slowing traffic and creating safer crossings for pedestrians.