Call for bike paths to new Kosciuszko
City too slow with proper cycling and pedestrian paths on roads leading to it: Stringer
BY BILL PARRY
While Governor Andrew
Cuomo was celebrating the
ribbon-cutting of the second
span of the new Kosciuszko
Bridge, which opened on time
and four years later, Comptroller
Scott Stringer demanded
answers on why the city was so
far behind in providing proper
infrastructure that would protect
cyclists and pedestrians
trying to make their way onto
the bridge’s 20-foot wide pathway
that has been provided
for them.
Stringer fired off a letter to
DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg
on Aug. 29, the day the
span opened, requesting requesting
a full accounting of
why upgraded bike lanes and
pedestrian walkways were not
ready on the approach roads
that lead to the new K-Bridge
in time for its opening.
“Just as no transportation
department would open up a
highway before constructing
on- and off-ramps, it is utterly
baffling that a new bike and
pedestrian path could be introduced
without sufficient
connecting infrastructure, on
Governor Andrew Cuomo opened the second span of the new K-Bridge Thursday, but cyclists and pedestrians
had difficulty finding safe passage on to it and Comptroller Scott Stinger wants answers
from the city on why. Courtesy of Governor’s offi ce
Day One,” Stringer said. “The
rebuilt Kosciuszko Bridge
and the new pedestrian and
cycling path are critical arteries,
but without protected bike
lanes, sufficient lighting, and
high-quality signage in the
immediate vicinity, cyclists
and pedestrians could be
placed in harm’s way.”
Stringer’s letter highlighted
the urgent need for action
as the city confronts cyclist
and pedestrian safety across
the five boroughs. Already
this year 19 cyclists have
been killed, nearly twice the
number in all of 2018, which
according to the DOT have
occurred disproportionately
in primarily industrial areas
that have experienced significant
population growth.
“This is a matter of life and
death,” Stinger said. “At a time
when the city is reeling from
a spate of cyclist fatalities,
a comprehensive plan must
be implemented.”
Stringer also called for
traffic calming measures
on and around the K-Bridge.
The DOT says a plan is in
the works.
“Markings and signage
work begins next. We had been
planning to implement in the
fall, though the State accelerated
the opening of the path,”
a DOT spokesperson said.
“Most of the lanes will be standard
on-street, though Laurel
Hill Boulevard will be protected,
we are exploring protected
bike lane connections on both
sides for the future as noted in
the Green Wave plan.”
The $58.4 million Green
Wave plan was announced by
Mayor Bill de Blasio in July
which will expand the bike
lane network and increase
law enforcement across the
five boroughs.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by email at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
Queens remembers 9/11 with vigils and memorials
Astoria
The Port Authority and the
United Community Civic Association
host Musical Sounds
of Remembrance Thursday,
Sept. 12, at McManus Memorial
Park located at 81st Street
and Ditmars Boulevard. The
PA Pipe Band will be joined by
the Department of Correction
Pipe Band to glorify and celebrate
with song and prayer the
thousands of innocent souls lost
on 9/11. The program begins
at 7:30 p.m.
Glendale
Continuing to remember
the 42 residents of Glendale,
Middle Village, Ridgewood
and Woodhaven who perished
in the 9/11 attacks, hundreds
will gather for a vigil at the
9/11 Memorial Garden located
in the Dry Harbor Playground.
Participants will gather at the
Memorial Stone for a reading
of the names on Sunday,
Sept. 15, at 12:30 p.m. Dry
Harbor Playground is at the
corner of Myrtle Avenue and
80th Street.
Forest Hills
The fourth annual Run for
Rickie 9/11 Memorial Motorcycle
Ride to honor the memory
of Richard “Richie” Allen
Peralman, the youngest first
responder lost of 9/11. On Sept.
8, hundreds of motorcycles and
emergency vehicles will drive
from Aqueduct Racetrack to
Ground Zero and back in memory
of Pearlman, who was a member
of the Forest Hills Volunteer
Ambulance Corps. The event,
which begins at 1 p.m., is sponsored
by the NYC Punishers
Law Enforcement Motorcycle
Club and all proceeds go the Forest
Hills Volunteer Ambulance
Corps. To register, visit the
run’s Eventbrite.
Jamaica
The third annual 9/11 memorial
Service presented by the
JFK Chamber of Commerce will
be held at the ball field at Building
141 at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11. A
piece of World Trade Center steel
will be positioned on the field
with wreaths and flags to commemorate
the fateful day, while
St. Michael’s Cemetery in East Elmhurst, known for its stunning
memorials to those lost in the Sept. 11 attacks, will no longer host
a memorial ceremony. Many others will be held around the borough.
Photo by Bill Parry
moments of silence accompany
the names of those who perished
are read aloud as the Remembrance
Bell tolls.
Bayside Hills
The Bayside Hills Civic Association
will again pay tribute
to the victims of 9/11 at 7 p.m. of
Sept. 11. Representatives of the
Police and Fire Departments,
local scout troops, religious leaders,
the Bayside Business Association
and the Bayside Village
Business Improvement District
will gather at the northern corner
of Horace Harding Expressway
and Bell Boulevard at the
Memorial Garden. Officials will
rename the corner “Bayside
Hills 9/11 Memorial Way.”
Howard Beach
The headquarters of Engine
Company 331/Ladder Company
173 in Howard Beach will host
the neighborhood’s 9/11 memorial
with a ceremony beginning at
7:30 p.m. at 158-57 Cross Bay Blvd
on Sept. 11. The evening will include
prayer, words of comfort
and music.
Middle Village
Juniper Valley Park held
one of the biggest vigils in New
York City in the days immediately
following the 9/11 attacks.
The park will once again host
a candlelight vigil on Sept. 11
from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the ballfields
located near Juniper
Boulevard South and 78th
Street. The program includes
music, poems and reflection
and participants are asked to
bring lawn chairs, an American
flag and either candles or
a flashlight.
Kew Gardens
The Friends of Maple Grove
Cemetery will host a general
ceremony honoring the dozen
of 9/11 victims who are interred
there on Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. at 83-15
Kew Gardens Rd.
TIMESLEDGER,4 SEPT. 6-12, 2019 QNS.COM
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