This Week: Keep Queens CB 11 Honest on Northern Boulevard

The DOT project calls for six miles of protected bike lanes on Northern Boulevard and other streets near Joe Michaels Mile. Image: DOT
The DOT project calls for six miles of protected bike lanes on Northern Boulevard and other streets near Joe Michaels Mile. Image: DOT

In June, Queens Community Board 11 endorsed DOT’s plan create safer bike connections to the Joe Michaels Mile bike path, including what would be the first stretch of protected bike lanes on Northern Boulevard. The project is ready to move forward, but some members of CB 11 are looking to gum up the process before implementation starts.

Though the project has been presented publicly and the board reached a verdict last month, the CB 11 transportation committee will be holding another meeting about it tonight. Word is that committee co-chair Bernard Haber wants to revisit his suggestion to implement the Northern Boulevard bike lane using land currently occupied by Alley Pond Golf Course, which was already rejected by DOT as too time-consuming and expensive without providing the safety benefit of narrowing all the asphalt currently devoted to motorized traffic.

At first, the committee seemed ready to go about undermining the previous public process up until this point in secret, but tonight’s meeting will be open. If you want to see this project come to fruition, show up and tell CB 11 to keep its word.

Here are this week’s highlights from the Streetsblog calendar. Check the full calendar for more info on these and other events.

  • Today: The Queens CB 11 transportation committee will discuss the Northern Boulevard bike lane at the board office, 46-21 Little Neck Parkway. 7:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday: Transportation Alternatives hosts a design and writing training for activists. 111 John Street, Suite 260, Manhattan. 6:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday: The City Council transportation committee will discuss a bill to assess the need for pedestrian countdown clocks at intersections near parks and schools. 250 Broadway, 16th Floor, Manhattan. 11:30 a.m.
  • Wednesday: On the agenda at Manhattan CB 4’s transportation committee meeting: A play street for 18th Street and a community presentation on protected intersections. 353 West 30th Street, Community Room, Manhattan. 6:30 p.m.
  • Saturday: Join Eastern Queens bike advocates for the “Tour de Flushing.” RSVP on Facebook and Eventbrite. 9 a.m.
  • Also Saturday: TransAlt’s People First on Atlantic Avenue campaign transforms the area under the LIRR viaduct at Atlantic and Nostrand Avenue into a space for fun, games, and socializing. 10 a.m.

Watch the calendar for updates. Drop us a line if you have an event we should know about.

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