This Week: Speak Up for a Safe Bike Network in Queens

It’s a big week for the Queens bike network on the Streetsblog calendar. Later today, Queens Community Board 2 hosts its “workshop” to delay action on protected bike lanes. And on Wednesday, DOT will present the next phase of safety improvements for Queens Boulevard to the Queens Community Board 6 transportation committee [PDF].

Pedestrian injuries dropped 63 percent after earlier phases of the Queens Boulevard project were implemented in 2015 and 2016. Last year, DOT installed the third phase, adding protected bike lanes and pedestrian safety improvements between Eliot Avenue and Yellowstone Boulevard. DOT held a public workshop on the upcoming fourth phase in January, and the Wednesday meeting will provide the first look at what DOT is proposing.

Meanwhile, in Sunnyside tonight, Queens CB 2 puts on a “safety workshop” that’s intended to delay progress on DOT’s plan for protected bike lanes on Skillman Avenue and 43rd Avenue. CB 2 chair Denise Keehan-Smith says the event is about “safety ideas other than simply putting in a bike lane,” but the motivation is to stop a proven redesign because it would reduce the number of on-street car parking spots. Here’s what project opponents are circulating in the neighborhood before the meeting:

To speak up for a street redesign that does a lot for safe walking and biking, you can join volunteers with Transportation Alternatives at 6:15 tonight before heading to the meeting. They’ll be gathering at 43rd Avenue and 39th Street, where a driver struck and killed cyclist Gelacio Reyes last year.

More info on the workshop and other events below. Check the calendar for further details.

• Tonight: Queens CB 2 workshop on Skillman and 43rd avenues. Sunnyside Community Service, 43-31 39th Street, Sunnyside. 6:30 p.m. Meet at 43rd Avenue and 39th Street at 6:15 to join volunteers with Transportation Alternatives beforehand.
• Wednesday: NYU Rudin hosts a panel on the future of mobility, featuring representatives from Cruise Automation, 100 Resilient Cities, NYC DOT, and Lyft. 295 Lafayette Street, Manhattan. 6 p.m.
• Also Wednesday: Reporters on the MTA and NJTransit beat discuss covering transportation politics in the country’s most transit-oriented region. 1 Whitehall Street, 17th Floor, Manhattan. 6 p.m.
• More Wednesday: DOT presents safety plans for Queens Boulevard between Yellowstone Boulevard and Union Turnpike to the Queens CB 6 transportation committee. 104-01 Metropolitan Avenue, Queens. 7:30 p.m.

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