Businesses in one of the last-standing industrial corners of Long Island City say they can only take so much gentrification — and that a planned new bike lane has put them over the edge.
Local industries argue that the cyclist carve-out in the trendy Queens neighborhood will be dangerous for their truck drivers — not to mention the bikers.
“Not every street is safe for a bike lane. You wouldn’t put a bike lane down the middle of the LIE. It’s just not safe. And this is similar,” argued Matthew Dienstag, co-owner of the local LeNoble Lumber.
But the city — which touts on its transportation Web site that nearly 1 million New Yorkers regularly ride bikes — is plowing ahead with plans to connect the Pulaski and Kosciuszko bridges for bikers.
The connection will come by way of Borden, Starr and Review avenues — a dangerous sector of Blissville infamous for its big-truck congestion.
“It’s like, ‘This is what we’re doing, we don’t give a s–t.’ Excuse my French,” griped Michael Diamond of J&S Supply Corp, a 75-year-old insulation and roofing distributor company, to The Post, referring to the city’s stance.
J&S Supply is one of the dozens of warehouse businesses, as well as a city Sanitation Department waste management facility, that contribute to the heavy stream of truck and forklift traffic traveling in and out of the corridor.
Massive box trucks already swerve across both lanes of traffic to enter and exit their warehouses, a tricky maneuver made even more difficult by the overcrowded streets’ chronic double-parking problem.
Local civic associations and the community board requested the bike lane as a solution to the safety issues.
With space allotted for parking on both sides of the road, just about 22 feet would be left for moving traffic — a significant slice that business owners say they cannot give up.
“There probably will be more truck accidents than there are now,’’ Dienstag argued. “When you have a tractor-trailer pulling into any one of these buildings there to put to back in or to pull out, they’re almost hitting those cars afterwards.”
The business owners said cyclists would be in danger, too.
In a span of one hour Friday morning, The Post observed four cyclists pedal down Review Avenue, including one who opted for the sidewalk path rather than the busy street.
“There’s a lot of trucks, so it’s better this way. No one’s around,” said Richard Derba of Maspeth, Queens, who cycles to Greenpoint along the Review Avenue sidewalk twice a week.
When asked if the incoming bike lane would be beneficial, Derba said it wouldn’t make a difference to him because the vehicular traffic would still be too heavy for his comfort.
The DOT argument to justify inducement of bike lanes would be a little more credible if their data for cycling wasn't two years old. But like the man said, they don't give a shit.
6 comments:
It’s amazing how they put Citi bikes on Maurice Avenue at the corner of 53 Drive. It’s a very heavy with trucks loading and unloading. Sometimes the traffic is backed up so bad because the truck is trying to back in.
The city doesn't care about what the people want. They just do whatever they feel like doing. The worst is these stupid scooters they have everywhere now. Instead of making people dock them at stations, they are allowed to leave them in front of people's driveways and on sidewalks blocking the handicap Ramps. It's just disgusting how much the city loves to ruin things.
A lot of hogwash from the NY Post.
You can't hate the bike lobby enough. There's not enough hate on earth to hate them like they deserve.
There are two things that are nearly inviolable in NYC. 1. If a black person is getting on the subway, they won't pay. 2. A bike or e-bike rider will run the stop sign or red light. Both of these things happen in about 90% of cases.
Yes, it's a bad place for city bikes. What were they thinking?
Last time I checked, it's cars that are doing all the killing in NYC, not bikes.
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