In 2018, an MS 216 student walking to school was hit by a car making an illegal zigzag right turn onto 174th Street from Fresh Meadow Lane, prompting the school to request a stop sign to deter future accidents. Two years later, the Department of Transportation concluded a stop sign was not necessary at the five-street intersection after completing a study in July when school was not in session.
The DOT conducted its study on July 16 and recorded 47 schoolchildren walking through the intersection, and 71 other pedestrians throughout three peak hours. During those same hours — 8 to 9 a.m., 2 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 5 p.m. — the DOT clocked 541 cars driving down Fresh Meadow Lane and 485 on 65th Avenue. The agency determined that neither pedestrian nor vehicle traffic was high enough to warrant the requested stop sign.
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