The 20th Ave Protected Bike Lane — Almost Totally Functional, But Not Quite

In the spring, NYC DOT striped a two-way, parking-protected bike lane on 20th Avenue connecting to the Astoria waterfront, but for weeks drivers kept parking in it. Queens residents tweeted their frustration with car owners failing to observe the new parking regulations:

The 20th Avenue protected lane is part of DOT’s effort to improve biking and walking access around Astoria Park [PDF]. Last month, the agency provided this statement to Streetsblog about the cars obstructing the lane:

DOT had yet to add green paint, which the agency is holding off on until utility work in the area wraps up.

The bike lane is still missing the paint, but conditions appear to have improved substantially. On Wednesday, Streetfilms’ Clarence Eckerson captured the above footage, and the lane was mostly clear of parked cars.

A few parked cars continue to obstruct the eastern end of the bike lane, which runs between Shore Boulevard and 37th Street. One car in particular has been sitting there for days and seems destined for the tow pound, Clarence says.