Bicycle Safety

Make Queens Boulevard a Complete Street

Last February, 22-year-old Asif Rahman was hit and killed by a truck while riding his bicycle on Queens Boulevard. Though the infamous "Boulevard of Death" is a lot safer than it used to be, it still produces far too many injuries and fatalities. Asif's family, Council member Jim Gennaro, and Transportation Alternatives held a press conference yesterday, covered by Streetfilms' Elizabeth Press, calling on New York City government to transform Queens Boulevard into a "complete street," with a physically-protected bike lane and safer pedestrian crossings. Queens Council Members John Liu and Eric Gioia also signed on to a letter urging Mayor Bloomberg to complete Queens Boulevard.

By Aaron Naparstek

9:32 AM EDT on July 28, 2008

Last February, 22-year-old Asif Rahman
was hit and killed by a truck while riding his bicycle on Queens
Boulevard. Though the infamous “Boulevard of Death” is a lot safer than it used to be, it still produces far too many injuries and fatalities. Asif’s family, Council member Jim Gennaro, and Transportation Alternatives held a
press conference yesterday, covered by Streetfilms’ Elizabeth Press, calling on New York City government to transform Queens Boulevard into a “complete street,” with a physically-protected bike lane and safer pedestrian crossings. Queens Council Members John Liu and Eric
Gioia also signed on to a letter urging Mayor Bloomberg to complete Queens Boulevard.

Aaron Naparstek

Aaron Naparstek is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparstek's journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. He was also one of the original cast members of the "War on Cars" podcast. You can find more of his work on his website.