Undermining Safety

Hello Neighbors,

It would be alarming for any resident to hear the statement "look beyond pedestrian safety" from a significant local organization. This is exactly what the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce intends to do by funding an additional study, disregarding and undermining the community's request to the Department of Transportation (DOT) earlier this year to study safety concerns on Austin Street.

The most recent “discussion” on the topic was during another elusive Wednesday morning meeting, organized by the Chamber and held at a physical location. Unfortunately, no recording of the meeting was made, so the only available description of what occurred comes from an article written by another neighbor. From that account, I can only conclude that the Chamber is doubling down, and not taking the concerns for safety seriously.

I placed “discussion” in quotes because it seemed the group went off the rails when a fellow resident expressed support for re-envisioning Austin Street. The resident was met with “utter vitriol and a complete lack of civility”. It is evident that these meetings require proper moderation and recording to ensure transparency and accountability.