Senior woman crossing (Getty Images)
Jan. 4, 2024 By Rachel Butler
A walk for seniors to highlight potential traffic dangers—as well as measures that have been put in place to make streets safer—will be taking place this Friday, Jan.5 in Jackson Heights.
The event, called Senior Walks and Traffic Talks, will begin at the NYPD 115th precinct stationhouse, located at 92-15 Northern Blvd., and will go down Northern Boulevard and conclude at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights. The 1.5 mile walk will begin at the stationhouse at 11 a.m.
The walk is being organized by the New York Coalition for Transportation Safety and is being hosted by Christina Furlong, the group’s administrator and a Jackson Heights resident.
Furlong is also the co- founder of Make Queens Safer, a neighborhood group that was set up to advocate for safer streets in Queens and to reduce traffic related deaths.
Cristina Furlong (File photo)
On the walk, Furlong and the seniors will visit the sites where three seniors were killed from 2017-2018 and look at what the Department of Transportation (DOT) has done since to make the intersections safer.
The three seniors were aged between 65 and 82 and died on Northern Boulevard and 90th Street, Northern Boulevard and 85th Street, and on 37th Avenue and 81st Street. One death occurred in 2017 and two in 2018.
“We are going to take a look at the three sites where the deaths occurred and explain some of the devices that can be used to make streets safer for senior citizens. These deaths were preventable and tragic,” said Furlong.
She will also be talking to the seniors about the role of the Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu, who was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams in February last year. It is his role to work with city government, community organizations and the private sector to create public spaces across the city.
“I would like to talk to the senior citizens about this role and how they perceive these changes,” Furlong said.
Seniors who plan on attending can get their free ticket on Eventbrite or turn up at the starting location at 11 a.m. Friday.
