קווינס ישיבה באסעס - שטערן שכינים
קווינס באסעס שטערן שכנים
| 03/15/2007 |
| Yeshiva Officials Sorry About Speeding Buses |
| by Colin
Gustafson , Assistant Editor |
Three months after a controversial yeshiva opened in Glendale, tempers continue
to flare among residents, who claim the school's bus drivers are flouting
traffic safety rules and straying from their agreed-upon routes.
At a
Glendale Civic Association meeting last Thursday, neighbors claimed that drivers
were taking shortcuts down quiet side streets to avoid the congested roads they
agreed to follow when the yeshiva opened in December. Buses are also barreling
down the block at speeds faster than 40 mph, disgruntled residents said.
''I see them almost every morning when I'm out running around 5:30
(a.m.),'' said Timothy Kilpatrick. ''I know that is an early time for somebody to
be outside, but the way these buses are moving down the street is totally
unacceptable. They are going to flatten somebody some day.''
He added,
''One of the drivers almost took me out the other day.''
On three
consecutive mornings, Glendale Civic Association President Kathy Masi said she
witnessed buses racing down the block, then stopping in the middle of 88th
Street to unload scores of passengers outside the yeshiva — and not within its
fenced-off perimeter, as promised.
But every time Masi tried to relay her
concerns to yeshiva officials, they simply referred her to a public relations
official at the United Talmudical Seminary in Williamsburg. ''This is a dangerous
situation, and you are the only line of communication we have,'' Masi told Rabbi
David Neiderman, a spokesman for the Brooklyn seminary, who appeared at last
week's meeting.
The rabbi contended that most yeshiva drivers were, in
fact, sticking to their routes, but apologized for the few who had flouted
traffic rules, saying the speeding was ''totally disrespectful and should not be
tolerated.'' Neiderman vowed to arrange a private meeting between local yeshiva
officials and civic leaders later this month.
Since plans for its
construction were first unveiled in early 2004, the yeshiva has drawn heavy fire
from residents, who say the school's 11 buses block roads and tie up traffic
daily, as more than 1,000 students arrive from Williamsburg at 6 a.m. and depart
at 10 p.m. There have also been complaints about bright security lights that
illuminate residents' homes at night.
Tensions boiled over last September
when the yeshiva held a weekend fundraiser that drew thousands — in the process,
blocking driveways, disrupting traffic and prompting a few minor altercations
between residents, fundraiser guests and police. Amid heavy public outcry,
yeshiva officials decided to cancel a second fundraiser earlier this year,
Neiderman said.
''I realize Glendale is not the same as Williamsburg, and
I want to make sure there is harmony and respect between all of us, because that
is what you deserve,'' he told residents. ''We want to be good neighbors, and will
give you no lip service.''
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18085124&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574901&rfi=6
 |
|
|
