(From l. to r.) Councilman Barry Grodenchik, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, Assemblyman David Weprin
and Community Board 8 Chairperson Martha Taylor. Photo by Jenna Bagcal
TIMESLEDGER | Q 2 NS.COM | NOV. 5 - NOV. 11, 2021
BY JENNA BAGCAL
St. Mary’s Healthcare System
for Children held its annual
walk-a-thon fundraiser
this past weekend, which
raised more than $100,000 to
benefit the hospital and its
patients.
Hundreds of community
volunteers headed to
the Bronx Zoo for the Big
Hearts Walk for St. Mary’s
Kids on Sunday, Oct. 17.
The money will help to fund
programs and treatment
for children with medically
complex and special health
care needs.
“The pandemic has been
particularly traumatic for
families with medically fragile
children, so we’re thrilled
to finally be at the point
where many of us can come
together for this fun, outdoor
event. Not only are we raising
needed funds, but we’re
also raising the spirits of our
kids,” said Dr. Edwin Simpser,
president and CEO of St.
Mary’s Healthcare System
for Children.
St. Mary’s Healthcare System
for Children was founded
in 1870 and is New York City’s
only post-acute pediatric care
facility. According to the hospital,
the Big Hearts Walk is
one of its essential fundraisers
to help them continue to
provide high-quality health
care regardless of a family’s
ability to pay.
“The proceeds from the
walk will help ensure we
can continue to provide the
highest level of care to our
patients and we’re incredibly
grateful for the community
support we’ve received,” Dr.
Simpser said.
Following the walk-athon,
the volunteers were
given full-day access to the
Bronx Zoo’s annual Halloween
tradition, Boo at the Zoo.
See more photos from
the walk on QNS.com.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260-2583.
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Cyclists who pass through
Oakland Gardens now have
over two miles of new bike
lanes to use.
On Friday, Oct. 22, the Department
of Transportation,
elected officials and civic
leaders celebrated the unveiling
of the bike lane along
73rd Avenue, which connects
serves as the most direct connection
between Cunningham
Park and Alley Pond
Park and has become a popular
route for cyclists traveling
to the Eastern Queens
Greenway.
In addition to the bike
lanes — one mile in either
direction — DOT made other
street improvements in the
area like new left-turn lanes,
lane markings and high-visibility
crosswalks, to calm
traffic and make the wide
thoroughfare safer for everyone.
“Since the start of the pandemic,
thousands of cyclists
in eastern Queens have discovered
the joys of the Eastern
Queens Greenway, and
these improvements allow
convenient and easy connections
to safer riding,” DOT
Queens Borough Commissioner
Nicole Garcia said.
“However, the safety benefits
here also extend to pedestrians
and motorists, who will
no doubt discover what we
have found over and over —
including along the nearby
section of 73rd Avenue in
Fresh Meadows: That is, a
better-organized street with
bike lanes, new crosswalks
and turn bays reduces speeding
and deadly crashes. We
thank all our elected officials
for their strong support of
this critical safety project.”
Between 2014 and 2018, the
portion of 73rd Avenue where
the bike lane now stands had
twice as many crashes as an
adjacent stretch of 73rd Avenue
in Fresh Meadows, which
has had conventional bicycle
lanes for over 20 years.
The DOT’s new study,
Safe Streets for Cycling: How
Street Design Affects Bicycle
Safety and Ridership, showed
that the addition of new conventional
or protected bike
lanes reduced the number of
those killed or seriously injured
at a location by about
one-third.
“These traffic safety treatments
in Oakland Gardens
will go a long way in ensuring
the well-being of everyone
traveling through the area,”
said Assemblywoman Nily
Rozic. “I’m grateful for the
DOT’s partnership in working
with our offices and the
community to not only improve
traffic flow along 73rd
Avenue for cyclists and drivers
but also prioritize ease
of access to Cunningham
and Alley Pond Parks — two
thriving green spaces in our
community.”
On Twitter, Rozic said that
the idea for the 73rd Street
bike lane in Oakland Gardens
was born from an online
conversation with a Queens
resident.
“This extension of the 73rd
Avenue bike lane — a critical
artery for decades — will
make cycling to and through
eastern Queens safer. Cycling
is immensely and increasingly
popular in this corner
of Queens thanks to the Motor
Parkway section of the
Eastern Queens Greenway,
Cunningham Park Mountain
Bike Trails and the extensive
path network through
Alley Pond Park. DOT must
continue to expand the network
and upgrade its quality
to enable New Yorkers of all
ages and abilities access their
parks, schools, libraries and
stores by bike,” said Laura
Shepherd of Transportation
Alternatives’ Eastern Queens
Committee.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260-2583.
Participants at the Big Hearts Walk for St. Mary’s Kids.
Photos courtesy of St. Mary’s Hospital for Children
Big Hearts Walk event
raises $100,000 for
St. Mary’s Healthcare
System for Children
Making Queens ‘safer’
DOT, community leaders celebrate Oakland Gardens bike lane
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