Traffic Congestion
From The Peopling of New York City
The notoriously plain-in-sight issue of traffic congestion is one of the most common complaints that Smith’s interviewed residents had of Flushing. One long-time resident voiced, “The new Flushing…looks like hell" with "too much traffic, filth, and chaos." It is no doubt that the estimated 100,000 Chinese and Koreans that have shifted to Flushing since the late 1970s contribute to the overcrowded nature that thrives in downtown Flushing (Warsnop).
City Councilman Tony Avella believes that traffic issues and overburdening of infrastructure have peaked because of the utter out-of-control development. He views the current traffic congestion situation as something “terrible” that is destroying the quality of life, affirming that the City is taking no steps to improve this desperation.
Community Board 7 Director Marilyn Bitterman explained to us that the people of Queens have the “mentality” that they must park right in front of their destination. She points out that those shopping at Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, on the other hand, do not see it as an issue to find parking further away from the mall entrance and walk a longer distance to get there. Hence, since Queens people cannot seem to put up with distant parking spots, overcrowded areas like those in Flushing that bring about tight parking spaces become especially problematic for them.
Lifetime Flushing resident, Jay Williams, admits, “I kinda feel remorseful, I miss the good old days…when you could drive your car somewhere in the park and get out back. Now you gotta ride around and search for parking to go anywhere.” This is especially true in the case of Main Street, which is where dwellers familiar with the area can safely advise travelers to avoid parking there (Roleke).
