To the Editor,
The following is an open letter to NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez regarding the Bronxdale Avenue Road Diet printed at the request of the author.
I am writing to you about a dire situation that may have contributed to a resident’s tragic death and continues to pose a danger to our community.
The Bronx DOT made a presentation at the Bronx Community Board 11 in March 2021 which was not listed on the board’s agenda, so the public was not even aware of this proposal. At this meeting the former Bronx DOT commissioner promised to return to the board which was not done.
Many residents informed me that they were not notified of this Bronxdale Road Diet and the street markings made driving and crossing confusing. I reviewed all the minutes and videos and confirmed that CB11 did not vote on this major transportation project. The board confirmed they did not vote on it nor were notified when the project started. At this month’s board transportation meeting, I brought all this up to DOT’s attention as well as these unpainted bike lanes that cause confusion. The following day, the bike lanes were painted.
As an environmental and social justice group, we ask the commissioner to put a halt on this project until it is presented to the community and there is an official vote. DOT held several meetings regarding the Morris Park Road Diet yet none regarding this Bronxdale Road Diet. Why the inequity? Environmental injustice exists when marginalized communities are not involved in the decision-making process nor even notified of these decisions that impact their community.
Also, the Bronx deserves a Bronx commissioner and the lack of a Bronx DOT commissioner may be contributing to the recent lack of transparency and mismanagement. The interim commissioner wants to only deal with Transportation Alternatives, community boards and businesses improvement districts (BIDs) while bypassing the residents that live 24/7 in the impacted areas. Other examples are the one-way Rhinelander conversion and the recent White Plains Road/Bronxdale Avenue north bound 39 bus stop island.
Roxanne Delgado,
Founder of Friends of Pelham Parkway
