Qns. bridge shops sue city after multiple crashes

The New York Post reports on a lawsuit filed against the city by two store front owners who claim that faulty traffic planning has resulted in multiple incidents of cars plowing into their storefronts.

Two Queens shops shuttered after out-of-control cars plowed into their storefronts not once but twice — and within just nine days of each other — have filed a $1 million lawsuit, blaming a 59th Street Bridge exit ramp.

Espinal Caribbean Restaurant II had been open four years in Long Island City when the first crash happened in March 2011.

“It was a major setback and years of work evaporated,’’ owner Tony Espinal said. “But then the second crash!

“And then the third crash!” he said, referring to yet another in which a car sped toward the shops, only to be stopped by scaffolding erected after the earlier accidents.

 

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The city did install more signs and added barriers to the sidewalk — which would prevent cars from launching into the stores, said Queens state Sen. Michael Gianaris.

“The way to ensure a more permanent and comprehensive fix would be to redesign that small piece of roadway coming off the bridge,” said Gianaris, who made the request to the city for additional signage and barriers.

 Read the full article here.