For latest news visit qchron.com 26THthe ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF QUEENS • 2023
QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, June 22, 2023 Page 6
C M CEL page 6 Y K
The expanded joys of cycling New, safer lanes abound — for pleasure, commuting, shopping and more by Deirdre Bardolf Chronicle Contributor
love for cycling as well as the adventures they have embarked upon here. The goal is “to form a stronger and more supportive cycling “Life is like riding a bicycle,” Albert Ein- community within our great Queens borstein said, “To keep your balance you must ough,” according to the page. Though there is still room for improvekeep moving.” And that is evident here in Queens, where ment, like more accessible paths in undercycling is on the rise and the infrastructure to served parts of the borough and safer conditions on the existing routes, many acknowlsupport it is keeping up the pace. Nabil Ahmed Khatari, a 27-year-old soft- edge how far biking in the borough has come ware engineer from Flushing, has replaced — even those from neighboring boroughs. “Queens has come such a long way in the most of his car trips with bike rides. “It’s both recreation and primarily how I bike infrastructure arena,” said Allison Cline, a Brooklynite who is part of the Queens get around,” said Khatari. “Commuting to work, doctor’s appoint- Cycling Club. “I remember hurtling down the Queensments, grocery runs, even dropping off my younger sister to school,” are all done on two boro [Bridge] onto some sketchy pavement with fading, cracked bike lane paint. And wheels now, he said. Khatari commutes to Manhattan, often now? Sweet, smooth fresh paint bike tracks to trekking through the cyclist-friendly and sce- welcome you to Queens,” said Cline. “They have a long way to go, but what a nic 34th Avenue Open Street in Jackson Heights and hitches a cargo trailer to the back start,” she added. “Nothing like riding your of one of his three bikes to run errands when bike over some freshly laid bike path.” And Cline is not the only Brooklyn native he’s not shuttling his sister off to high school. “I wouldn’t say it replaces cars necessarily boasting about the riding Queens has to offer. because it’s not always practical in Queens, Melissa Duchan moved from there to Rego but replacing some car trips, I think it would Park and recently started commuting to her office in Midtown. make people happier, healthier,” he said. “I find that the infrastructure where I am For recreation, he says he enjoys biking now is much better than where I grew through the beautiful parks Queens has up in Brooklyn,” Duchan said. to offer, such as Kissena and CunThere are protected lanes from ningham, and checking out the her apartment all the way to progress made on paths like the FUTURE work. Vanderbilt Motor Parkway. Some of the improvements are Khatari is not alone. TRANSPORTATION thanks to connecting different Cycling in New York City has bike paths together, an effort that reached an all-time high, the remains underway. Department of Transportation “Queens has some spectacular announced in April. Last year, for and unique bike infrastructure,” said the first time ever, more than 24,000 trips were recorded over East River bridges Jessame Hannus, also of Rego Park. “You could do a trip from the Queensboro during an average, in-season weekday, Bridge to Flushing Meadows Corona Park according to the agency. Communities have also arisen throughout and back and be on bike lanes just about 100 Queens that celebrate biking and share percent of the way,” Hannus said. “Much of events and regular rides, all for free and that is protected and downright lovely.” And the work continues to ensure safe and open to the public. The Queens Social Ride meets every Sun- smooth spins. The DOT is on track to install a record day at 9 a.m. at the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona Park for a 15- to 30-mile number of protected bike lanes this year, to ride to different parts of Queens. Participants “harden,” or add barriers, to more than 10 miles of existing bike lanes and to use sturdier go from 8 to 13 mph on their journeys. The Queens Cycling Group on Facebook materials in new ones, it announced along has over 1,000 members. Members share a with the ridership boom.
Beauty and utility: One ride parked before Queens’ best-known symbol makes for an elegant nighttime shot, while another on a Flushing sidewalk demonstrates pure practicality.
Cyclists take a break near Fort Tilden in Rockaway during this year’s Pineapple Ride, held June PHOTOS BY NABIL AHMED KHATARI 10. The annual event benefits a different charity each year. “Upcoming protected bike lane projects include a range of high-ridership corridors, bridges, priority investment areas in underserved communities, and innovative bike boulevards,” the agency said at the time. Improved locations include the Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge to Cross Bay Boulevard as well as Vernon Boulevard from the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge to the Esplanade Entrance. Open Street redesigns are in the works for 33rd Avenue from Utopia Parkway to 215th Place in Bayside and 31st Avenue in Astoria. The first phase of a community bike network is coming to Community District 11. Protected bike lanes are on the way for Astoria Heights and Cypress Avenue in Ridgewood. Procurement is taking place for the DOT’s Better Barriers program. The agency will test new curb materials at targeted locations citywide, including on 11th Street and Jackson Avenue in Long Island City. Bike lanes on Queens Boulevard have been expanded and hardened, including three-quarters of a mile of delineator-protected bike lanes with Jersey barriers from 72nd Street to Grand Avenue back in May. That built upon 3.7 miles of bike lane hardening on the notoriously dangerous boulevard last year, for a total of 4.4 lane miles. “Hardening bike lanes across Queens to making the Joseph Addabbo Bridge more accessible to cyclists and e-bike users are direct investments in equitable street safety, and I thank the DOT for its partnership in protecting all who use our roadways,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards in a statement back when the DOT made its ridership and infrastructure announcement. Richards said he looks forward to “doubling and tripling down” on future shared efforts.
“We’re focusing on thoughtfully expanding our existing bike network with new lanes in underserved communities; new connections across bridges; and comprehensive neighborhood networks — all while developing innovative new bike boulevard designs that reduce vehicle volumes and prioritize cycling safety,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez explained back in April. Events, too, will encourage the biking movement. On July 29, the citywide Summer Streets program will come to the LIC and Astoria waterfront, where it will run along Vernon Boulevard from 44th Drive to 30th Drive. “Summer Streets is a must-do for walkers, runners, bikers, or anyone who wants to celebrate the summer in New York,” said Laura Rothrock, president of the Long Island City Partnership, in a release about the event last week. Beyond the obvious benefits of biking for health and the environment are innovative new ways to maximize the paths, something that was seen in Rockaway earlier this month. Thanks to a multiagency effort, a $16.6 million infrastructure project that rebuilt Beach 108th Street from Beach Channel Drive to Shore Front Parkway was completed, bringing not only protected biking but expanded pedestrian space and enhanced traffic safety to the corridor. The kicker? It features porous pavement that will allow nearly 1.3 million gallons of stormwater to be absorbed into the ground each year, aiming to reduce flooding. In a prepared statement about the project, Rodriguez said, “These changes improve safety for all road users and support safe, sustainable, and efficient transportation options for Q New Yorkers.”