Two separate massive thunderstorms swept through the area Friday, dumping copious amounts of rain and knocking out the traffic lights at the very busy intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue.  This occurred during rush hour on a Friday afternoon -- all the ingredients needed in a recipe for disaster.

Vehicles traveling along Jamaica Avenue were seeing a flashing red light.  Vehicles going up and down the Boulevard were getting a flashing yellow.  The rain was still coming down -- and at times, it came down pretty hard.  So, visibility was a factor and everyone was in a rush to get home.

Look at the scene below -- you've got buses and trucks trying to get across, while cars are trying to squeeze through -- and in the midst of this chaos an ambulance is trying to get past.  It does eventually get through, by the way -- if you check out the short video below, you'll see this particular scene. 

Now, try and imagine walking across Woodhaven Boulevard during this mess.  We spoke to a few people who said it was pretty scary and, watching the way the cars were fighting to get through this intersection, we could see why.   

Here's a short video to give you an idea of how it looked:

Now, here's something that was a bit disturbing about this afternoon.  As you probably saw in the video, a traffic officer drove right into the traffic mess -- and kept going.   

Hello?  You are a Traffic Cop.  Look around.  This is a huge traffic jam you are in the middle of.  Does it look familiar?  Didn't they teach you this in traffic cop school? 

We arrived at this intersection around 5:15 and a bystander told us that the police had been notified.  Twenty minutes later, when no one had arrived, we called 311 and ended up also speaking to the 102nd Precinct.  Twice we saw NYPD vehicles drive through the scene, but neither of them stopped.

By 6:15, there was still no one in charge.  As far as we know, no accidents resulted from yesterday's mess, but that seemed like pure chance.  This situation didn't receive the attention it deserved and when we left, it was still chaos.  

Note:  You know the traffic cameras?  The ones that flash when people go through a red light?  It was having a field day.  We certainly hope people don't get tickets in the mail a few weeks from now.   

If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.  

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