After Years Of Complaints, DOT Installs Speed Bump Near Gravesend School
Elected officials, school staff, and parents celebrated the installation of a new speed hump along Van Sicklen Street in front of Gravesend’s P.S. 95 (345 Van Sicklen Street) yesterday.
The Department of Transportation [DOT] agreed to install the traffic-slowing device after years of requests from school advocates, local politicians, and residents — including neighborhood activist Vincent Sampieri.
“All schools should have speed bumps and other safety measures to ensure the safety of our children. They are the future of this great country and must be safe coming and going to school. We should not wait until someone is injured to install safety measures. Children cannot fend for themselves and that is why we must act to make sure that children, parents and staff are safe,” said Sampieri, who spearheaded the effort several years ago.
The new speed hump will help reduce the speed of vehicles traveling along Van Sicklen Street is intended to improve safety for students, staff and parents as they walk to and from the school between Avenue U and Gravesend Neck Road.
Councilman Mark Treyger, who took up the issue immediately after entering the City Council last year, praised the DOT’s decision.
“The safety of our students, staff and parents as they travel to and from their school is paramount. There have been problems with drivers speeding past this building and endangering lives for many years now, so getting this speed hump installed was a top priority for me after taking office. This will help ensure the safety of the P.S. 95 community and will provide parents with a little more peace of mind as their child leaves for school each morning,” said Treyger.
Assemblyman William Colton echoed the councilman’s sentiment.
“The installation of a speed bump in front of P.S. 95 represents the efforts of parents, school personnel, community activists and elected officials working together to make a street safer for children. I want to especially thank Council Member Mark Treyger for all his work in achieving this success. I am proud to have been part of this joint effort,” said Colton.
Teachers and members of P.S. 95’s administration said the speed bump would go a long way to ensuring students’ safety when walking to and from school.
“This speed hump will go a long way towards slowing down drivers in front of our school and improving safety for the staff and students. As a parent and PTA president, I am extremely happy that Council Member Treyger understands the importance of keeping our children safe and took up this cause over the past year. Parents of P.S. 95 students are ecstatic to know that this speed hump is in place and appreciate Council Member Treyger’s work on behalf of our school and community,” said P.S. 95’s PTA President Lulu Elaza.
