Council Member Sandra Ung on Friday morning invited Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on a walking tour of downtown Flushing to discuss some of the transportation issues affecting the area. 

The intersection at Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue is the third busiest in the city behind only Times Square and Union Square, while the transit hub in Downtown Flushing is the busiest train-to-bus transfer point in the entire borough. 

“I want to thank Commissioner Rodriguez for visiting Flushing today and seeing what a vibrant and lively community we are,” said Council Member Ung. “The neighborhood is home to a busy transit hub and a bustling business community that attracts visitors from all over the northeast who shop at our unique stores and supermarkets and eat in our restaurants.”

The council member and commissioner discussed ways to ease traffic congestion on 37^th Avenue and 40^th Road, as well as the impact on the neighborhood following the recent demolition of a large parking lot along 138^th Street. 

The council member also stressed the need to enforce alternate-side parking regulations on Union Street near 37^th Avenue. Vehicles ignoring the regulations prevent street cleaners from sweeping all the way to the curb, which in turn leads to a buildup of trash that affects small business owners in the area. 

The council member and commissioner also discussed the busway on Main Street that stretches from Northern Boulevard to Sanford Avenue. Specifically, the council member requested that DOT improve signage warning motorists they are about to receive a fine for entering the busway. 

The council member sent a letter to DOT last month after learning that drivers were sometimes receiving multiple fines for inadvertently entering the busway. The busway restriction is enforced by a camera.

The council member also requested that DOT consider scaling back the hours of operation for the busway to address the concerns of local small business owners, who say they have experienced a drop in revenue since the busway was put into operation in January of 2021.

“The commissioner and I discussed some of the issues that have been affecting the community since the busway was installed, specifically the hours of operation and better signage to alert motorists they are about to enter the busway,” said Council Member Ung. “I was pleased that DOT was responsive and agreed to take the community’s concerns into consideration.”