As the sun sets on Rockaway Beach and the lifeguards are off duty, the boardwalk is still full of activity.
"This is the place to be," said Scott Ruscillo, a Rockaway Park resident. "Especially lately, it's become a lot more popular than in recent years, but as it gets dark completely, it becomes a problem."
That's because LED light fixtures don't always turn on. Hundreds of lamposts line the five-and-a-half-mile stretch of boardwalk, a $340 million project that took the city almost five years to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy. It fully reopened last summer.
"Now, we're stuck with a boardwalk to me, is not fully completed. Because after only one year, we have limited lights on the boardwalk. Some areas are pretty dark," Ruscillo said.
On a three-block stretch between Beach 105 and 108th Street, every light on the boardwalk is out, leaving only nearby street lights to illuminate the way.
"There are 24 light poles between the three concessions. Fourteen of the 24 are not working, and the ones that are working are very dim," said Patrick Reen, a Rockaway Park resident.
"You really have to be on alert," said Jeanne McInnis, a Rockaway Park resident. "As it is, when it's crowded, it's dangerous."
A 2017 press release from EJ Electric Company, the company responsible for installing the lights and power systems, called the technology cutting-edge while acknowledging the challenges due to the boardwalk's proximity to the beach and sand dunes.
The Department of Transportation is now responsible for maintaining the light fixtures. A spokesperson said the agency is aware of community concerns and actively working to address them.
Residents say with the new surge of dockless bike-sharing programs on the Rockaway peninsula, it's become a safety concern.
"The city provided this for people who don't have their own bikes, and there's no lights on the bikes and no lights on the boardwalk, so it's proven to be a very dangerous situation," said Colleen Mainieri, a Rockaway Park resident.
A situation these cyclists hope the city will shed some light on before another fall season is upon us again.