community news Sunnyside launches borough’s first ‘Bike Friendly Business District FRIENDLY STREETS BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO The bicycle wheels are going round and round in Sunnyside. On Aug. 23, the neighborhood became Queens’ first “Bike Friendly Business District.” A Bike Friendly Business District is a system of businesses, cultural institutions, and community organizations dedicated to boosting safe bicycling, according to Transportation Alternatives. The advocacy organization has established Bike Friendly Business Districts in the East Village, Lower East Side and along Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn. “The launch of Sunnyside’s very own Bike Friendly Business District is an opportunity for our neighborhood to showcase its diversity as well as its eclectic mix of shops, restaurants and cafes,” said Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who helped launch the district with Transportation Alternatives, local business owners, cyclists and pedestrians. “Cyclists should come out to Sunnyside and shop at the over 70 participating businesses. As ridership climbs in our city, and the cycling infrastructure grows here in western Queens, Sunnyside hopes to capitalize by highlighting all we have to offer.” The businesses that support safer conditions for both cyclists and pedestrians will offer special commercial discounts to members of Transportation Alternatives. The business owners are looking to transform Queens Boulevard to include safe spaces for pedestrians, protected lanes for cyclists and dedicated lanes for buses. “Designating Sunnyside as a Bike Friendly Business District means that we’re committed to making the neighborhood safe, accessible and fun for everyone,” said Rachel Thieme, executive director of the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District. For a map of the Bike Friendly Business District and participating local businesses, visit transalt.org/ Photo courtesy of Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s Office issues/bike/business/directory.
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