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| Courtesy Forest Hills Post |
The Department of Transportation has unveiled Phase 4 of its extensive Queens Boulevard redesign plan, but the project has lost one of its biggest original supporters.
Speaking before Community Board 6’s Transportation Committee last week, DOT officials detailed the agency’s proposal for the 1-mile section of Queens Boulevard from Yellowstone Boulevard in Forest Hills to Union Turnpike in Kew Gardens.
This phase of the project is similar to the past three, as it includes bike lanes along the median separating the service road from the main drag.
The stretch of roadway in question will also see the creation of a new crosswalk at 78th Avenue, redesigned slip lanes between the main and service roads, an improved pedestrian island on the north side of the boulevard at 75th Avenue, extended median tips, 200-foot-long left-turn bays at Queens Boulevard and Ascan Avenue and 10 new unloading zones for trucks.
To install the bike lane, the DOT will remove the service road’s parking lane along the median, which contains 220 spaces along the one mile stretch of road.
Originally a supporter of the plan, Koslowitz began to waffle last year, once her office started receiving complaints about the lack of parking and drops in business experienced by entrepreneurs that were blamed on the bike lanes.
The lawmaker said she did not know what kind of compromise could be had between cycling enthusiasts who vehemently defend the bike lanes and area residents who oppose them.
But what she did know, the lawmaker said, is that the boulevard project is both “saving lives” and “killing business.”
“They have to redesign it to where the stores have parking and people have their bike lanes,” she said. “How many people do you see riding bikes down Queens Boulevard? Hardly any. I drive all the way into Sunnyside and I can count the cyclists on one hand.”
26 comments:
There are 4 major subway lines running under Queens Blvd. There are express buses and the LIRR that service Central Queens. Why do we need bike lanes? Who in their right mind will ride a bike anywhere in NYC during dangerous air conditions in July and August? Who in their right mind would ride a bike during snow, sleet, and heavy rain? Go to a park and ride your bikes kiddies or grow up already.
There are at least 5 major subway hubs along QBLVD . Why can't bikers ride to these hubs and then hop the subway like so many do at 71av in Forest Hills?? There must be several hundred bikes locked up there on weekdays. No need for a bike lane that only a handful will use.
Also, I used to sit next to a biker in my office. And he reaked of body odor so much so that I had to put an air freshener on my desk!
I live right on this stretch and the parking spots that they will be removing are constantly being occupied, and they are all metered spots, generating revenue for the city. The empty bike lanes or even if they were heavily traveled, will generate not one cent. Maybe they can at least get rid of some of the bird brain metermaids. There are several restaurants along this strip also and lots of families park there and hold large birthday parties at these places, I guess they will go elsewhere when it gets too difficult to park. The surrounding streets are a nightmare for parking -with all the apartments, this whole thing is a mess, but deBozo pushes on!
Remove 220 MORE parking spaces from Queens Blvd. How insane is this, for the 1-biker-per-day the new bike lane would serve? And it will probably have a very deleterious effect on business along Queens Blvd, where parking has always been at a premium, resulting in more shuttered stores. Gee, how will DeBlASSio pay for his illegal criminal invaders, multigenerational welfare parasites, free shoot-up centers for druggies, legal fees for his many indictments, and hordes of lawyers to harass veteran teachers out of the schools?
What has been obvious to most of us in a week or two took her how many years? and millions wasted just to say that - act incredulous, but still not plainly say 'it was a mistake.'
Hard to think who is dumber - the pols or the people that put them there (and the biggest blame are the clubs as they are the biggest enablers of this farce.)
They did this shit all over Amsterdam, took away 1/2 the cars lanes then said to many cars on the roads.
Then the "magic fix" followed to remove all car's in private use buy issuing 3 different color license plates. (restrictive, commercial and private) To get a green license plate to drive in the city one must meet strict special requirements including active enrollment in a car pooling program, new late model no more then 3 years old, certain select model cars with special big $$ expensive insurance. The requirements are like getting a gun permit, and near impossible to meet.
Rental cars, visiting cars from other country's are exempt
It seems this mayor is copying everything word for word from the socialists who screwed up Europe. New York City is headed for the deepest shit on the planet, worse then Brazil and Venezuela combined if they dont get that sick bastard imperial rule progressive mayor out of office. How much more un-reversable damage can NYC sustain ?
More fucking bike lanes in a city that's degrading, except for the rich?
High priority ...,huh?
This is so stupid, I have rode that entire blvd. for decades, there is ample room on the blvd. to just paint a bike lane without taking away public parking spaces.
Karen knows there is problem and is so wishy washy she won't do a damn thing even though she is definitely aware how detrimental it is to businesses in her district. Open your eyes already before the boulevard will resemble the final scene of "The Last Picture Show"
Interesting story on how Amsterdam handles their traffic problems, it makes sense although it's a tad extreme involving insurance and car pooling, as it's modeled on cutting down on pollution but the last one is telling, the exemptions for rentals which shows they care more about tourists than they do the citizenry. Which is where de Faustio's program is truly inspired by, for the benefit of tourists and transients and not for his constituency that he blatantly, disrespectfully ignores.
This bike lane is more to foster gentrification to Forest Hills than to promote safety. I guess the city sees Forest Hills has the next hip destination for the hipshit sect to move to once the L train goes down for a year, that way they have a nice lane to ride their bike or skateboard.
This will probably lead to the areas around the Queens Blvd for the new electronic motor bike share program that's going to drop on Rockaway and Coney Island in a month.
Karen's wishy washy ambivalence actually makes sense. It's only a natural reaction of a obeisant party loyalist with no power to challenge the gentrification industrial complex.
There are 4 major subway lines running under Queens Blvd. There are express buses and the LIRR that service Central Queens. Why do we need car lanes? Who in their right mind will drive a car anywhere in NYC during beautiful summer weather in July and August? Who in their right mind would drive a car during snow, sleet, and heavy rain? Go to a go kart track and drive your car kiddies or grow up already.
The dislike and hate on bikes in NYC is astonishing !
Why isn't the political party TransAlt not fighting for better subways and rail service? Why aren't they fighting to stop Uber from invading our city and clogging our roadways and blocking bike lanes?
The hate on bikes is not astonishing if you consider that New Yorkers are already taxed (mentally, physically and otherwise) and frustrated by not being able to get around their city as they were able (in cars and buses) until just a few years ago. The increase in the number of bicycles (unless you are a fearless teen or twenty-something) does not help this. Lucky you. But for those who still and always will rely on cars, it is a nightmare.
I agree with the writer that says the dislike for bike riders in NYC is astonishing. If you can do this without removing the parking spots as someone with experience riding this route has indicated than do this but learn to share the damn road. Those who are frustrated might even find a way of reducing their frustration by riding a bike and exercising. The safer you make it for riding a bike you might even find less of a need for parking spots as more individuals might actually ride a bike to do some errands or is that too hard to envision as you sit on your couch binge watching Netflix?
Is the mayor determined to bankrupt every business in Queens?
>To get a green license plate to drive in the city one must meet strict special requirements including active enrollment in a car pooling program, new late model no more then 3 years old, certain select model cars with special big $$ expensive insurance.
In other words, only the rich can afford them? So much for the promise of equality under socialism.
Look up the word useless in the dictionary and you will see a picture of Karen Koslowitz. I've posted before, please retire already. Take your multiple pensions and leave us the fuck alone.
How is that chain smoking bozo wig wearing clown still alive?
The dumbass city may see Forest Hills as the next hip destination for the hipshits but that aint happening. The Hipshits are sick and tired of Jewish landlords constantly raising rents, rules and are taking Corona by storm compounded by all the bars, transportation, cheap apartments, cheap eats and bodegas!
Corona will be the new Williamsburg.
Forest hills has nothing but a rotting tennis stadium, expensive dining and expensive housing. The old people call the cops on you over a fircracker.
In corona they welcome fun fireworks, music.
We NEED bike lanes! They are the ONLY open lanes available for emergency response vehicles to use in traffic gridlock NYC!
I recently witnessed an ambulance using a bike lane when they couldn't get through the traffic jam!
That, folks, was their REAL ntended purpose from the get go.
Re: corona new williamsburg.
That is good analysis and prophecy. I was thinking of moving there too. It's also near Flushing Meadows were there have been lame ass overpriced food festivals and a concert festival at the summer (even if it takes place in the damn parking lot!).
Screw Jay Z and kanye's hip concerts where you get shot or stabbed
Isn't flushing meadows having some kind of burning man, burning ball, fire dragon boat fest or something?
Bulletin: food vendors are leaving the night time food festival In droves and the organizer is desperately looking for
new participants .
re kanye and jayz concerts
news flash, the majority of people that attend those festivals featuring those two rappers are white.
^JQ and Corona-Anon are both correct to an extent.
Boring, over-priced FH is already overplayed, and full of killjoy, grouchy old people waiting to die, and nouveau-rich upper-middle-class Asians and the like (and crazy mansion building Bukharians, lol).
Corona is great, and the Bklyn masses have a hardon for turning places like that and parts of sunnyside into New-New-Williamsburg.
Ultimately if old neighborhood institutions can accommodate new influxes (and still turn a profit), it's the best outcome, if they can't (or won't) then they get replaced by hipster shit, simple capitalism.
To the topic at hand, no amount of bike lanes will bring in new people, just annoy existing drivers...
To Tommy, I hope you are including your old parents i’m sure your parents must be very proud of you. Why are you so against people no matter what the ethnic background working hard to give their family a better life? Could there be a bit of jealousy? May I suggest that you look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself why !!!!
Give me the bike lanes and improved pedestrian safety. There are plenty of subway stops on Queens Blvd to get wherever you want. I own a car. I use it to drive out of Queens, not to the restaurant 4 block away. Combine the bike lanes with Citi Bikes at Union Tpke, and we will see much safer conditions for Queens Blvd.
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