Jackson Heights residents rally
against 34th Avenue Open Street
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TIMESLEDGER | Q 30 NS.COM |OCT. 22 - OCT. 28, 2021
Open Street on 34th
Avenue was a great
idea to bring her community
together. But,
as her daughter started
to use 34th Avenue to
get to school, Contreras
said that her daughter
almost got hit by a bicyclist
on three separate
occasions.
“My daughter’s life
is priceless,” Contreras
said. “It’s extremely
dangerous; these mopeds
fly through and
you don’t hear them
like you hear cars.”
Other members
have complained that
their once quiet street
has turned into a highspeed
track for bicycles
and scooters to weave
around pedestrians.
The group that protested
on Oct. 9, who
call themselves Resisters
United, was started
about four months
ago by Contreras and
another resident who
wants to be referred to
as Piper.
Contreras lives on
34th Avenue and said
she is tired of hearing
the exorbitant amount
of noise that comes
with the hustle and
bustle of Open Streets.
“My daughter sees
people drinking and
smoking weed,” Contreras
said. “I moved to
34th Avenue because it
was a beautiful, quiet
residential neighborhood.
I never had the
issues I have now.”
Piper said she is not
entirely against the
Open Streets program,
but doesn’t want them
in residential neighborhoods.
Instead, Piper
thinks they should
be moved to businessconcentrated
areas.
Along with safety
and quality-of-life concerns,
the members of
Resisters United said
Open Streets are inaccessible
to older adults
and have made it harder
to find parking and
receive packages.
The organization
called on Councilman
Daniel Dromm on Saturday
to meet with
them and hear their
concerns. Contreras
and the other member
said Dromm has not
taken them or their
concerns seriously.
“We’re fighting a giant,”
Contreras said.
“Dromm is the only
person who can make a
difference and he’s refusing
to listen.”
The group told the
Queens Post that they
are also considering
a class action lawsuit
against the city over
issues with emergency
vehicles and other
issues.
Dromm responded
to their criticism by
saying he stands with
the majority of his
constituents that support
the Open Streets
program.
“I represent 166,800
residents in my district,”
Dromm said in
a statement. “The overwhelming
majority are
highly supportive of
the 34th Avenue #Open-
Streets. The protest by
30 people last Saturday,
their unwillingness
to identify themselves
and the vitriol they are
spreading on Facebook
is harmful to the community.
The 34th Avenue
#OpenStreets is
here to stay.”
The DOT also said
they are supportive
of the group’s right to
voice their concerns
regarding the Open
Streets in their neighborhood.
“These protesters
are welcome to make
the case about why
they are opposed to
increased access to
open space, enhanced
safety for hundreds
of students in the six
nearby schools, as
well as communitycentered
activities,”
DOT Spokesperson
Seth Stein said. “Open
Streets, especially 34th
Avenue in Queens, are
an overwhelmingly
popular and now permanent
fixture of our
streetscape for good
reason. We always aim
to ensure our Open
Streets are accessible
and are open to improvements
that make
that possible.”
Some supporters
of the Open Street,
including Queens
Borough President
Donovan Richards and
Assemblywoman Jessica
González-Rojas,
are advocating for
the street to become a
linear park.
BY JULIA MORO
About 40 Jackson
Heights residents rallied
against the 34th
Avenue Open Street on
Saturday, Oct. 9, citing
safety and quality-oflife
concerns.
The Open Streets
program launched in
the summer of 2020,
closing select streets
for certain parts of the
day in order to promote
safe, outdoor dining
during the pandemic.
However, the Department
of Transportation
(DOT), which oversees
the program, has
pushed to make the 83
miles of Open Streets
in New York City permanent.
Though this program
has been credited
with giving city
dwellers more room to
be outside and saving
local businesses that
were struggling during
the height of the
pandemic, some residents
don’t want it in
their neighborhoods.
The rally on Saturday
on 34th Avenue was not
the first time residents
of the area protested
the often-referenced
Open Street.
Admittedly, Gloria
Contreras thought the
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