Queens Man remagines street with fence, gives DOT a taste of their own medicine

Restaurant annexes the curb

 

 Today is the day City Council has a remote hearing on a deranged and autocratic proposal by the Department of Transportation to give restaurants, BIDs and Transportation Alternatives and Open Plans connected groups the right to annex roads and steal parking spaces for privatization to continue the pandemic era "open streets" program that barricades streets and impedes traffic. 

A good example of this colonizing of the streets of New York for dining and drinking is this space hogging restaurant that built two shanties and stole multiple parking spaces where the aforementioned urbanist lobbyists have ties. 

Here's where you can testify via writing or zoom to finish this program once and for all.

 

Queens demands an end to the DOT e-scooter share cesspool PILOT

 

AMNY 

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is urging City Hall to put an “operational pause” on the ongoing electric scooter share pilot program in Queens, citing an epidemic of discourteous parking practices.

In a letter to Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, Adams—who leads the city’s legislative body while also representing neighborhoods like Jamaica and Springfield Gardens—said she has “profound concerns” with the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) e-scooter pilot, which launched in eastern Queens this summer following a yearslong program in the eastern Bronx.

Specifically, the speaker contends that scooter parking has been haphazard throughout the pilot area, with riders leaving their scooters on sidewalks or roadways and blocking pedestrian traffic flow.

 “The lack of orderly operation and enforcement when e-scooters are left on public streets and sidewalks with reckless abandon must be urgently addressed,” Speaker Adams wrote in her Oct. 7 letter to Rodriguez, which was shared with amNewYork Metro. “I am requesting a reset of the department’s E-Scooter Share program in Southeast Queens to ensure the necessary protocols and protections are enacted to prioritize the safety of all residents while supporting local transportation needs.”

The speaker suggests that the “operational pause” should be used to “properly address these many outstanding issues.” 

The pilot launched on June 27 in an approximately 20-square-mile area of eastern Queens between Flushing in the north and JFK Airport in the south, following what DOT deemed a successful pilot in the eastern Bronx. Both the eastern Bronx and eastern Queens are areas unserved by Citi Bike and relatively lightly served by mass transit, making them prime spots to test out new forms of micro-mobility.

The same three major scooter companies participating in the Bronx pilot — Lime, Bird, and Veo — also joined the Queens pilot. DOT says that since launch day, 37,000 riders have taken nearly half a million trips in Queens, while 5.7 million trips have been logged in total since the pilot began in the Bronx in 2021. Most rides begin and end in the same neighborhood, the agency says.

Unlike Citi Bikes, the scooters can be parked anywhere when a rider is done with them, except on busy corridors where they must be parked in designated “corrals.” Per program rules, scooters are allowed to be parked in the “street furniture” section of the sidewalk, where decorative aspects like street trees or bus stops are sited, but cannot obstruct the right-of-way for pedestrians on the sidewalk.

But since launch day, some Queens residents and pols have complained about riders disregarding those rules and parking scooters haphazardly, sometimes blocking sidewalks or entrances to people’s homes. Adams said that scooters “are too often chaotically left scattered on public and private spaces throughout Southeast Queens.” “For months, my constituents have witnessed and shared many accounts of e-scooters being left on sidewalks and streets, as well as in front of homes, driveways, businesses, places of worship, and beyond,” Adams wrote in her letter. “These conditions present potential hazards, especially to older adults and people with disabilities in neighborhoods.”

Update

 

Speaker Adrienne Adams is going to have a town hall about the DOT's e-scooter share pilot tomorrow at 1 pm with State Senator Leroy Comrie. I'm sure the corporations and the DOT that approved to put their product on the street against the objections of the communities affected will be there to defend their failure and beg for more chances to continue this PILOT. While waiting for that, here's the sequel to my documentary of this disaster scooter cesspool polluting the streets of South and North Queens.

Correction: Looks like I didn't notice the date on that town hall that took place Mid-August, but I'm not going to take it down because those clips from the second video were made around that time and it really emphasizes the City Council's speaker's negligence and obtuseness by making a photo op grand gesture for a pause of the DOT's e-scooter cesspool PILOT.

Zero tolerance for cesspool scooter pilot

 

QNS 

Dozens of southeast Queens residents voiced their opposition at a town hall meeting last week against the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) recent expansion of its e-scooter program into their area. 

Homeowners from an array of southeast Queens neighborhoods, including Addisleigh Park, Cambria Heights, Laurelton and Springfield Gardens, were vocal in their opposition to the program, which they say has led to bikes being strewn all over the area since its launch on June 27. The program, which was initially introduced in the Bronx, covers 20 square miles—from Flushing in the north to Springfield Gardens in the south—and is part of a long-term contract between the city and participating e-scooter companies.

The residents gathered for the meeting on Aug. 17 at Archie Spigner Park for a conversation facilitated by Sen. Leroy Comrie’s office. They got to speak to Comrie, as well as DOT Queensborough Commissioner Nicole Garcia and representatives from participating e-scooter companies. Representatives from the Queens Borough President’s office and Council Member Nantasha Williams’ office were also present.

Since the program’s expansion into southeast Queens, many residents say that the riders are thoughtlessly dumping the bikes on the street when they are done using them, blocking sidewalks, driveways and bike lanes. Additionally, they expressed concern about rider safety and asked about the regulations. 

“There are things that the agency is looking into, to adapt it to address some of these concerns. This is a really important transportation option for a lot of folks. We’ve seen some pretty incredible numbers in the first four weeks that it’s launched,” she said to the crowd.

Within the first two months of the program, around 30,000 unique rider accounts have taken nearly 190,000 trips, according to the DOT. Additionally, the agency said that it has installed designated parking corrals in downtown Flushing and Jamaica, with plans underway for more parking areas to service eastern Queens. No riding and no parking zone installations were also included based on community input.

Representatives from the three participating e-scooter companies— Lime, Bird and Veo— manned info stalls at the town hall, where they discussed bike safety, ridership and e-scooter usage. 

The DOT told QNS that it decided to expand the e-bike program into southeast Queens based on what it claimed was its successful launch in the East Bronx.

“This expansion delivers a popular, safe and environmentally sustainable mode of transportation to underserved neighborhoods in Queens—and we’ve already recorded nearly 200,000 trips​,” a DOT spokesperson said.

Bird Partnerships representative Austin Spademan, who was present at the meeting, addressed concerns about improper parking practices. He explained that users must provide an end-ride photo to show that they parked properly, with a penalty system that can see a rider banned from the service if company policies are not met. 

Some residents expressed concern about minors using the bikes. Spademan said that riders must upload their identification for age verification before they can use them. Some attendees at the town hall also claimed the bikes were not being used.

Spademan told QNS that although there is vocal opposition, the data shows that riders are utilizing the scooters. 

“The fact of the matter is that our riders are also equally a part of this community, and there are 6,500 active riders every single day across the city. Queens has the most active users out of all the neighborhoods,” he said. He added that well over 25% of rides within southeast Queens are ending or beginning around transit, with large amounts of daily ridership.

Spademan said there is work to do in the neighborhood, including enforcing ridership rules in order to improve the relationship between Bird and the community.

“Complaints are going down each week in Queens because the rider behavior is getting better and our enforcement policies are going into effect,” he told QNS. Spademan added that Bird is happy to work directly with residents facing issues with e-scooters being parked on their premises. 

Residents were straightforward with their pushback against the representatives’ statements. 

“The complaints that have been reported to you are that [e-scooters] are strung around all over the place willy nilly, and we don’t want them in the community,” said Michael Scotland, an Addisleigh Park homeowner. 

Carl Cunningham, a St. Albans resident, told QNS he is not completely opposed to the program, but more needs to be done to stop the e-scooters from being abandoned on the street and out of the hands of underaged riders. “They can’t be dropped off on any street, anywhere at any time,” he said. “A lot of the teenagers I’ve seen riding them don’t look 18 to me. They’re using an older brother or parent’s or somebody’s [ID] and they’re leaving them on driveways and the sidewalks.” 

Albert Silvestri, Queens Deputy Borough DOT Commissioner, told the attendees that whoever’s information or ID was used to sign up for the e-scooter would be liable for any rider under 18 using the service. Riders must be 18 or older to use the e-scooters.

Many residents seemed perplexed as to why the expansion moved forward after it was voted down by community boards 12 and 13. 

“I’m a property owner in Cambria Heights. We never wanted this. We voted against it in Community Board 13 and Community Board 12,” said James Johnson at the town hall meeting.

Department of Transportation suggests transportation alternatives to avoid rigged bus cameras to disabled and elderly churchgoers

 

 Queens Chronicle

For months, members of Grace Episcopal Church in Jamaica have complained of being hit with traffic tickets when they drop off elderly people and those with limited mobility in front of the church on Jamaica Avenue, where the city’s Department of Transportation installed a busway in late 2021. Since then, parishioners have been working with area elected officials and the DOT to find a solution.

With tickets starting at $50 for parking in the busway and increasing up to $500 after several offenses, the cost has weighed on churchgoers. But part of the problem, says church vestry member Annette Manigault, was the lack of clarity on how the street and bus cameras ticketing drivers worked.

“We’re trying to make sure we can get the parishioners, especially our elderly or disabled, into the church, because no one was in knowledge of how the cameras are working, as well as the location being not accessible for cars coming down Jamaica Avenue,” she said.

She added that the nearest parking lots are several blocks away, making the need to drop off those with limited mobility all the more vital.

Under busway rules, no through traffic is allowed on Jamaica Avenue from Sutphin Boulevard to 168th Street, seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; cars on the avenue must make the first available turn off of it.

In a recent walk-through of the site, which was attended by Queens Commissioner Nicole Garcia, the DOT clarified to parishioners that the busway does not prevent cars from accessing a given block of Jamaica Avenue — it tickets drivers from continuing down it for more than a block. Therefore, there are several ways churchgoers can drop off their loved ones in front of the church without facing tickets, as detailed in a DOT pamphlet the agency said it handed out at the walk-through.

If traveling south on Parsons Boulevard, drivers can turn right onto Jamaica Avenue, stop in front of the church, then turn right onto 153rd Street. Drivers coming from the east on Archer Avenue can turn right onto Parsons Boulevard before turning left onto Jamaica and making their drop off, then continuing onto 153rd Street. From the west, drivers on Archer Avenue can turn left onto 153rd Street and then right onto Jamaica Avenue. After stopping, they can turn right onto Parsons Boulevard and then right onto Archer again. The latter does, however, require churchgoers to cross the street.

 

Transportation Nihilists and Delinquents

NY Post 

 Two of the Big Apple’s top transportation honchos — known for talking tough at traffic scofflaws — need speed themselves, data reviewed by The Post reveals.

Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez and his baby mama Christina Melendez, a top director at the Department of Education, have racked up a staggering 66 traffic violations totaling at least $5,600 in fines the past decade using the same vehicle – including 14 since 2019 for speeding in school safety zones, according to city records.  

The chair of the City Council’s Transportation Committee, Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Queens), has cruised in a family car that racked up 25 tickets over the past 16 months, including 20 for speeding near schools and another for blowing a red light, records show. 

 It’s unclear how many of the summonses were handed out on Melendez’s Nissan Rogue when Rodriguez was behind the wheel. 

As DOT commissioner for the past two years, he’s enjoyed the perk of having a city vehicle that comes with an assigned driver.

“Ydanis Rodriquez, who gets chauffeured in a giant SUV, and Selvena Brooks-Powers are prime examples of ‘do as I say, not as I do,'” fumed Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens).

They’re “hypocrites who act as if laws don’t apply to them,” he added. 

Other lefty pols with a long history of being speed demons who’ve racked up plenty of traffic violations include Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.

Rodriguez regularly drove Melendez’s Nissan to work at City Hall when he was a Manhattan councilman — even obtaining a parking placard for it — but he and his former domestic partner, who share two daughters, have since split, according to sources. 

The vehicle was slapped with six speeding tickets during the final five months leading up to Rodriguez’s January 2022 appointment by Mayor Adams as DOT commissioner.

Since then, the Nissan has received six parking tickets – including two for misusing a parking permit—and was caught speeding in July and November of last year.  

On March 2, 2023, the vehicle was slapped with two tickets totaling $160 for illegally parking in a spot in lower Manhattan on Warren Street reserved for state senators and assembly members.

The traffic agent noted in the tickets that the car was flashing a Department of Education parking permit. Melendez works nearby as the DOE’s $195,000-a-year executive director of Family and Community Engagement.

A Post photographer on Thursday spotted Melendez getting into the vehicle, which was illegally parked 

Rodriguez, who has cheered congestion pricing and speed cameras and has helped promote City Hall’s anti-car agenda, earns $243,171 and now gets a free ride to work in a city vehicle.

He has not driven his ex’s car since being appointed commissioner two years ago “and is confident he has not received any [traffic] violations in this role,” said DOT spokesman Vincent Barone.

The DOE and Melendez declined to comment.

Brooks-Powers has been a longtime proponent of using speed cameras to help curb traffic accidents and has pushed legislation seeking to reward New Yorkers who report hit-and-run drivers fleeing deadly crashes.

However, a 2019 Nissan the pol has said she shares with her husband Demetrius Powers II racked up 25 tickets totaling $1,395 in fines since September 2022 — including the 20-speed cam violations, records show. 

 

 NY Post

Some New York City agencies are using the viral image of Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce screaming at head coach Andy Reid during the Super Bowl to push their policy agendas.

“OUTDOOR DINING TAKES UP LESS THAN .5% OF STREET PARKING IN NEW YORK CITY. PUBLIC SPACE IS FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST CARS,” posted the city Department of Transportation Monday on X, along with a photo of Kelce jawing on the sidelines at a stone-faced Reid.

Some critics slammed DOT for using the photo of Taylor Swift’s boyfriend barking at his coach to drive home anti-car policies advocated by Transportation Alternatives and other advocacy groups.

“Instead of focusing on filling potholes and installing speed bumps in a timely manner, the DOT prefers to tweet nonsense that New Yorkers couldn’t care less about,” fumed Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens). “The Department of Transportation Alternatives needs a major change in leadership.”

DOT spokesman Nick Benson quipped that he’s “notoriously bad at lip reading, but I think it’s a safe assumption that Travis Kelce was vociferously expressing his support for outdoor dining in New York City.”

The guy photographed above is Vin Barone, he's in charge of media at the Department Of Transportation Alternatives which includes their obnoxious twitter account (which is also stupidly known as X).

 

Trees of strife

 

NY Post

A tree grows in Queens — in the middle of the sidewalk.

Astoria residents are baffled over four trees that were planted smack in the center of the sidewalk on 29th Street, off of Broadway, on Dec. 26.

One of them was placed right in front of 31-38 29th St. and Erick Elias, the superintendent of the building, said he first got word of it when a tenant sent him a photo.

“The day after Christmas, he sent us a picture of it that said, ‘Did the landlord order a tree?'” he told The Post.

“So I went outside and was like, ‘Holy crap, it’s real. There’s a tree in the middle of the sidewalk.'”

Elias, 39, said three others were also planted on his block that day, also in the middle of the sidewalk, on the other side of the street.

“And apparently I’m hearing that it’s happening in a couple of other places in Astoria and also in Sunnyside,” he said.

About a week and a half prior, he heard what he thought was construction in front of his home one morning.

“At 7 a.m. on the dot, we started hearing jackhammering. When we leave to go to work, we see this dirt patch right in the middle of the sidewalk and we’re like, ‘What the hell is this?'” he recalled.

“We’re all thinking pipework or something. None of us are thinking ‘tree’ because it’s in the middle of the sidewalk.”

Neighbors have taken to social media to express their concerns with the out-of-place plantings.

“Anyone know why they’re putting trees in the *middle* of the sidewalk on 29th St in Astoria?,” @vidiot_ posted on X on Dec. 29 along with a photo of one, which is across from Elias’ building.

The conversation on X included a link to the Reddit discussion over the tree planted in front of Elias’ building, which started with a photo and the caption, “All about planting trees, but this seems a little odd.”

A Reddit user even found the permit for the tree pit, issued in November.

“Who approved this brilliant idea ?!?!!! Trees in the middle of the sidewalk??? WTF” Debra Roy Vecchio wrote on the Facebook group Astoria Centric, along with a photo of one of the trees.

“Absolutely ridiculous. This requires a lawsuit,” added Maria Dourmas Hriso Mallis.

A pedestrian river runs through Conduit

It took the Department Of Transportation Alternatives long enough to do this. Ozone Park residents had to risk their lives and a woman got killed trying to cross this landscape to the Linden Center Mall which opened over a half decade ago. But lets be honest here, this was primarily built so "deliveristas" can cut across on their ebikes and unlicensed motorcycles to make deliveries from Taco Bell.

What is a "Bike Boulevard"?

 

33rd Avenue from Utopia Parkway east to Francis Lewis Blvd. 

 

 

 

They removed the center lane, but it's still two-way traffic; and they narrowed the traffic lane by painting the white lines for the parked cars, making it more dangerous for the moving vehicles and the bicycles, who are supposed to share the road. 

 

 

 

 Unless the ultimate goal is to make it "bikes only"?

 

This is the Department of Transportation Alternatives trying to drive residents crazy on purpose and also malign them for owning their own vehicles, because that sign has no merit. This is not a "bike boulevard" it's what called a "shared street" which I and thousands of others have been riding on for decades before the regulatory captured DOTA came up with a brand for them.

 

 

Citibikelash bash

 

 Queens Chronicle

A few weeks after an 18-slot Citi Bike station was installed at the corner of 97th Street and 23rd Avenue, some residents of East Elmhurst ended the summer with a rally to call for its removal.

Holding signs that read “Ban Citi Bike,” the East Elmhurst Corona Alliance along with community residents banded together last month to protest against the bike share company’s placement of docking stations in roadbeds on residential streets.

The group also started a Change.org petition, which was sent to David Risher, CEO of Lyft — which owns the service. The petition had garnered 323 signatures at the time of publication.

Frank Taylor, an East Elmhurst resident, community activist and chairman of Community Board 3, argues that the bike racks should be placed in commercial areas as opposed to residential, and that parking spaces are being taken away from residents.

“You can put them where people are actually going to use them, such as outside schools, shelters, hotels, parks — even over by Citi Field, where there’s a lack of bikes — but not outside of people’s property,” Taylor said. “Parking spots are valuable, especially in the East Elmhurst community, because we have a lot of seniors here who are not riding bikes.”

He also said the placement of the docking stations was in poor taste, due to their proximity to the East Elmhurst homes of late civil rights leader Malcolm X and the late former Queens Borough President Helen Marshall.

Giovanna Reid, district manager of CB 3, said that the Department of Transportation approached the board for feedback on the placement of the docking stations in East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and North Corona, but did not adhere to its recommendation to avoid installing them on residential blocks.

“Your average biker is not going to come to these locations. They are strictly residential, and there’s no real bike path to these homes,” Reid said. “I think they could have better planned for this. They should revisit their placement of these bicycles.”

The DOT says it has received minimal negative feedback during the outreach and installation process of Citi Bikes. The agency recognizes that station siting does impact parking but said it uses sidewalks and street spaces left open at corners for “daylighting” — improving drivers’ line of sight — where feasible.

The agency strives to maintain a network density of 28 bike stations per square mile, to ensure that riders do not have to walk more than a few minutes to get to the closest station.

Mona Bruno, a spokesperson for the DOT, added that Citi Bike has become a wildly popular transportation option in New York City in recent years, and that ridership has soared since the pandemic.

“We’re excited to continue expanding service in Queens to help offer residents a sustainable and efficient way to get around — and we always try to best balance the various uses and needs of our streets and sidewalks,” Bruno said.

Jon Orcutt, advocacy director at Bike New York, a nonprofit that promotes and encourages bicycling and bicycle safety, said that Citi Bike is one of the best-used bike-share systems in the world, but that it could be improved in certain ways to make sustainable transportation easier for New Yorkers in transit deserts.

“I think the city could better link small mobility elements, like bikes, to the transit system. For example, if you don’t live right on Roosevelt Avenue, the 7 train might be a long walk, but it might only be a 10 minute bike ride or less,” Orcutt said. “There’s a lot of strategies you can put together to make it easy for people to get around without cars in a city like New York. While we are the transit capital of the United States, we don’t do some basic things that other places with really good, sustainable transportation systems do, and one of them is linking bikes and transit very explicitly.”

Department of Transportation Alternatives plans to induce bike lanes in Fresh Meadows.

Change.org

We, the undersigned residents of the neighborhood surrounding 53rd Ave between Bell Blvd and 188th Street, wish to express our deep concern and opposition to the implementation of the proposed bike lanes in our area. Our concerns stem from the following points:

 1. Removal of Street Parking: The proposed bike lanes threaten to remove much-needed street parking, severely inconveniencing residents and visitors alike.
 2. Safety Concerns: The sudden changes could inadvertently draw the attention of car vandals and thieves, posing a threat to the safety, peace, and tranquility that our beloved neighborhood has enjoyed for years.
 3. Lack of Transparency: The city did not adequately inform or involve the residents before making decisions that have significant implications for our lives. Many of us were left blindsided by the sudden erection of “No Stopping Anytime” signs, causing distress and confusion.
 4. Community Feedback: At the recent Community Board 11 meeting, it was evident that a majority of residents either oppose the new bike lanes or desire a plan that better accommodates the parking needs of the community.

Given the above concerns, we urge the city officials and the Department of Transportation to:

 • Reevaluate the Decision: Consider alternative routes or modifications that would not disrupt the tranquility and parking of our neighborhood.
 • Increase Transparency and Engagement: Proactively communicate with residents, ensuring that we are part of the decision-making process. We deserve a say in decisions that directly impact our lives and community.
 • Hybrid Meeting Options: Implement hybrid meeting options and online registration for future Community Board meetings, ensuring accessibility for all residents.

We believe in the significance of our voices and trust that our collective concerns will be given due consideration. Through this petition, we hope to work collaboratively with the city to find solutions that are beneficial to all parties involved.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

 

Queens is burning again: Fire destroys Willets Point DOT warehouse building

 

 Eyewitness News

At least four firefighters were injured while battling a massive fire at a New York City Department of Transportation building in Queens.

FDNY officials say the five-alarm fire started at around 10 p.m. at the NYC DOT Harper Street Plant, a warehouse and maintenance space located on Harper Street in Willets Point.

Video from the Citizen App shows an orange glow lighting up the sky as smoke and flames pour out of that DOT facility.

As the fire grew in size, more fire crews were sent to the scene. Approximately 200 firefighters were tackling flames.

Officials say it took them over four hours to get the fire under control, with firefighters still dealing with hot spots into Tuesday morning.

Once all the hot spots have been put out, the fire marshal will investigate how the fire started.

Jamaica gets extra pavement

 

 

Cityland

On August 10, 2023, the New York City Department of Transportation and Department of Design and Construction announced the completion of their pedestrian safety improvements in Jamaica, Queens. The goal of the pedestrian safety improvements is to create a more inviting space for residents to enjoy Downtown Jamaica and reduce the amount of car crashes resulting in serious pedestrian injury in the area.

On Parsons Boulevard between Jamaica Avenue and Archer Avenue in Queens, sidewalk space has more than doubled, the distance to cross Parsons Boulevard has been significantly reduced and there is a new pedestrian island. All improvements come from the Jamaica NOW Action Plan which utilizes community visions to revamp Downtown Jamaica. Public space improvements have been at the top of the community’s wish list, with safety improvements specifically to Parsons Boulevard between Jamaica Avenue and Archer Avenue being at the forefront of discussion.

DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez stated, “New Yorkers deserve streets and public spaces that are safe, vibrant, and welcoming for all. This project will make Parsons Boulevard safer and better for the community and those who visit. I thank our partners at DDC, the New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative, elected officials, and community members for their collaboration.”

Council Member Nantasha Williams stated, “This investment into pedestrian safety is much needed and greatly appreciated. Parsons Blvd and the Downtown Jamaica area grow more vibrant every day, and we look forward to making this neighborhood an even more walkable community where constituents can live, work and play in safety.”

Meanwhile, a mere 2 blocks away on Jamaica Ave, Ydanis and the DOT made some public spaces that are pretty vibrant and welcoming too. Safe? Not so sure. Also not sure how much they spent on usurping parking spaces for lounging by busy traffic and a bus lane. 

 

Department of Transportation Alternatives truck has traffic violence explosion

 

LIC Post

 

An explosion stunned lunchtime crowds along Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City Wednesday afternoon.

A truck from the city’s Department of Transportation was parked on Vernon near 47th Avenue when it caught fire and exploded just after 1 p.m. on July 5. The four DOT employees who were working on pothole repairs in the Long Island City area parked their truck and went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. They noticed the vehicle smoking and it eventually caught fire before ultimately exploding, causing the evacuation of several stores and restaurants along the corridor.

None of the four DOT employees were injured in the blast.

“Safety of our employees and others is a top priority and we will investigate today’s truck fire,” a DOT spokesman said.

The Department Of Transporation Alternatives will put a two way bike lane on the Addabbo Bridge.

 

Queens Chronicle

The city Department of Transportation has announced it will begin work on safety improvements for the Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge this month, with markings scheduled to begin this week.

The repairs aim to fix unsafe conditions on the bridge, which runs from Howard Beach to Broad Channel. The project limits are Cross Bay Boulevard from 165th Avenue to the Kite Board Launch, the DOT confirmed to the Chronicle.

In the plan, the DOT detailed the southbound bike lane will become a two-way protected bike lane, and the northbound bike lane will become a protected single bike lane. The plan also includes adding painted pedestrian islands and updated corridor markings.

The project maintains the existing number of vehicular travel lanes, though some will be narrowed. The western bike lanes will be protected by new Jersey barriers. The sidewalks will not be affected.

In a statement to the Chronicle, state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) said, “These repairs are necessary to ensure the safety of the many New Yorkers who cross the bridge every day ... We shouldn’t have to wait for an accident or fatality to occur before we take action.”

 Why put a two way bike lane when there's a bike lane on the other side? While these will protect cyclists from cars, they won't protect pedestrians from bikers. Especially ebikes and unlicensed mopeds. The DOTA needs an enema.

Firefighters have to push planters to get to an emergency on the open streets

Every second counts.
Footage from 34th Avenue Open Street ("Paseo Park").#SafetyLast on #34AveOpenStreets #OpenStreets@infopobn @ImpunityCity @VoicesofJH @berrystalliance pic.twitter.com/XGuRB79Tni

— serpenttoes 🐍 (@serpenttoes) May 3, 2023

 

 

These open streets are not only putting residents in danger, but firefighters are going to injure themselves moving those fucking things.

 

 This post is dedicated to Voices of Jackson Heights who recently had her twitter account suspended. She has been reporting about these hazardous open streets since it started which is now subjected to a current lawsuit to end them. And also dedicated to the Department Of Transportation Alternatives, Shekar Krishnan and the simping agency captured elected officials who continue to support this 85 million dollar boondoggle.

Breaking News@VoicesofJH, the most consistent voice against the notorious 34th ave open streets is now silenced on @Twitter. This comes after she posted a video of @NYC_DOT contractors working OT and wouldn't say who they were

This is happening while they are being sued pic.twitter.com/ctIq0DuVPU

— JQ LLC (@ImpunityCity) May 3, 2023

Department of Transportation Alternatives forces open street in Sunnyside

 

Sunnyside Post

The city’s Dept. of Transportation (DOT) is likely to convert one of the main commercial strips in Sunnyside into an Open Street next month, although some business owners and residents are opposed to the plan and say they have not been properly consulted or informed about the decision.

The DOT plans to close off 46^th Street, between Queens Boulevard and Greenpoint Avenue, from vehicular traffic from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Sundays under a program that aims to create more public spaces across the city.

The street is instantly recognizable due to a large arch known as the “Sunnyside Arch” which marks the entrance to the one-way, southbound street.

The Open Street, known as a “limited access” plan, calls for a temporary barrier to be put in place to block non-delivery vehicles from entering the strip during these hours. Delivery trucks will be permitted to enter during these hours and volunteers and workers for Sunnyside Shines, the organization that oversees the business improvement district (BID), will move the barriers to let the trucks in and out in order to make deliveries. The Open Street will run until Oct. 31.

Community Board 2’s Transportation Committee unanimously voted to approve the initiative at a transportation committee meeting on April 4 and the board then wrote a letter to the DOT in support of the plan. The vote came four weeks after Dirk McCall De Palomá, the executive director of Sunnyside Shines, presented plans to the committee at its March 7 meeting.

McCall told the Queens/Sunnyside Post that the BID had consulted with residents and the business owners who operate along the 46th Street section before the plans were submitted to the DOT. He said residents were overwhelmingly in favor of the plan and that the vast majority of business owners along the commercial area supported the initiative.

During Community Board 2’s monthly meeting on April 13, some of the residents who testified voiced support for the plan, saying that it will create much-needed public space for residents in the heavily built-up area and will also help generate more foot traffic to the businesses on 46th St.

Others opposed the plan, arguing it would be detrimental to the businesses, as shoppers who rely on vehicles will not have access to the street. Opponents also said it would cause trucks to get backed up on Queens Boulevard, and 46^th Street would still be unsafe for children given the trucks will still be permitted to enter.

Amin Siad, who owns Fresh n’ Save supermarket, which takes up the entire east side of the 46th St. stretch, said at the April 13 CB2 meeting that all the business owners along the street are opposed to the plan. Siad said he was initially in favor of the plan, but now opposes it.

“We do not want — and the small businesses in the area do not want — a pedestrian promenade there because at first, I believed it would help businesses, but it turns out it won’t,” Siad said.

Siad did not go into detail as to why he feels it would negatively impact businesses. However, he said it made little sense to create an open street where delivery trucks could still access the area.

“I was told that someone would put up a barrier and remove a barrier ongoing for 12 hours… what’s the purpose then?” he asked.

Forget it Jakie, it's the Department of Transportation Alternatives

 

NY Post

The city Department of Transportation struck out on this one.

Big Apple DOT officials botched a Queens road sign for the Jackie Robinson Parkway, misspelling the color-barrier-busting baseball Hall of Famer’s name.

The sign at Myrtle Avenue and Forest Park Drive features a likeness of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ great — atop the words “Jakie Robinson Parkway.”

“It’s embarrassing,” Glendale native Kira Incantalupo told The Post on Sunday. “Poor Jackie Robinson.

“That shouldn’t have happened,” said Incantalupo, 37. “I mean, nobody wants to have that. It’s a memorial for somebody. It should be corrected.”

Local resident Quana Martin, 32, found the typo disrespectful.

“I just feel it’s a little odd because how do you not know how to spell his name? He’s a well-known figure.”

Queens teen JP Ward had a harsher take.

“It’s f–king stupid,” the 17-year-old said. “I wouldn’t say it’s disrespectful, but it’s definitely stupid.”

Robinson became the first black ball player in Major League Baseball when he was called up by the Dodgers in 1947, breaking the sport’s decades-old color barrier.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, a decade before his death.

“This spelling mistake is absurd,” City Councilman Robert Holden added of the road-sign typo on Sunday. “You don’t have a few eyes looking at these signs? DOT is a mess.

Question: When did anyone call number 42 "JR"?

The Department Of Transportation Alternatives have stolen parking spaces from people and privatized them

 

DOT twitter 

Today we announced the expansion of our citywide carshare program. This 5-year pilot (really, aren't pilot programs usually a few months?) has proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions & personal car ownership. Our ambitious goal for 2023 is to add several hundred more spaces by working with Zipcar, Getaround and TruqIt

DOT Figurehead Commissioner and private car owner and public parking space user Ydanis Rodriguez: “Convenient access to carshare frees New Yorkers from the burden of car ownership – while helping to fight climate change. Thanks to Mayor Adam’s support, we will build on the successes of our pilot program while supporting efficient use of space at the curb.” 

 

 Over the next two weeks, we will install signage for 80 new, dedicated curbside parking spaces for carshare service. Spaces will be installed in Brooklyn and the Bronx starting today, with site installations in Queens taking place next week. 

 

 

Co-op sues DOT and Lyft for inducing Citibike racks on parking spaces by their apartment buildings