Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

U.S. Rep Joe Crowley Goes Full NIMBY on Skillman and 43rd Avenue Bike Lanes

Soon to be ex Congressman Joe Crowley — still fighting, still wrong. Photo: Flickr/Office of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

Congressman Joe Crowley -- the powerful Queens Democratic Party boss angling to replace Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House -- has weighed in on a pressing matter of national significance.

Crowley is against DOT's plan to make Skillman Avenue and 43rd Avenue safer for biking and walking by adding protected bike lanes, he said in a series of tweets this afternoon.

Replete with the obligatory feints toward supporting "biking as a healthy, affordable transportation option," Crowley's Twitter thread couched his opposition to the safety overhaul in the language of fair-minded reasonableness while calling for "major and fundamental changes," which he of course did not specify.

Is it reasonable to call for the city to scrap plans for protected bike lanes on streets with a history of fatal and life-threatening crashes? Only if you value on-street car storage more than the well-being of your constituents.

Last year, one cyclist was killed and another severely injured in the span of 10 days at the intersection of 43rd Avenue and 39th Street. Between 2012 and 2016, drivers injured 61 people walking in the area that's in line for safety upgrades, according to DOT.

DOT's plan relies on techniques that have substantially reduced traffic injuries on New York City streets. It would repurpose about 115 parking spots to make room for parking-protected bike lanes and pedestrian safety improvements. That's provoked some backlash from merchants, which has led local Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer to vacillate on the redesign.

It's not clear what prompted Crowley to weigh in on a local street safety project. But he is facing a primary challenge, and yesterday afternoon his opponent, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, called the bike lane "a good idea."

Both Crowley and Ocasio-Cortez appear to buy into the argument that repurposing a few parking spots per block will threaten the bottom line of local businesses. But those concerns have proven unfounded. On retail streets where protected bike lanes have been added, like Columbus Avenue in Manhattan, the initial fears of merchants were not borne out by sales tax receipts.

Crowley claims to be listening to the “community,” but plenty of his Sunnyside constituents want to see the redesign happen. This evening, people who want a safer Skillman and 43rd will form a “human-protected bike lane” at 43rd Avenue and 39th Street. The action starts at 6:15.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Wednesday’s Headlines: Gonna Have to Pay for That Edition

We're going to need a lot more money to handle storms like the one we saw on Monday. Plus more news.

July 16, 2025

Appeals Court Halts Adams’s Impending Bedford Ave. Protected Bike Lane Demolition

The judge's ruling came just as the city was set to begin the bike lane demolition process Tuesday evening.

July 15, 2025

New Yorkers Threaten Legal Action If Eric Adams Makes Bedford Ave. Less Safe for Cyclists

Brooklyn cyclists pledged to sue the city if they are killed or injured on Bedford Avenue after Mayor Adams makes it less safe.

July 15, 2025

E-Bike Fans and Foes Agree: Adams’s 15 MPH Speed Limit Won’t Make Streets Safer

A public hearing about the mayor's proposed speed limit devolved into a debate about e-bike licensing, naturally.

July 15, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Wet Wet Wet Edition

New York City experienced its second rainiest hour in history. Plus more news.

July 15, 2025

Civic Panel Dings Adams For Cutting Bike and Bus Lanes Out of Fifth Av. Redesign

Mayor Adams's scaled down redesign of Fifth Avenue isn't a "real solution" to safety issues on the packed retail corridor, Manhattan Community Board 5 said.

July 14, 2025
See all posts