FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 17, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
City moving forward with proposed Queens Greenway
connecting park space for cyclists and pedestrians
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Queens elected offi cials are enthusiastic
about the city’s proposal to link park
space across the central and northeast
areas of the borough. NYC Parks and the
Department of Transportation announced
the completion of a conceptual planning
study that identifi es gaps in the existing
greenway routes and ways to improve and
transform key green spaces into both a
destination and a thoroughfare to increase
access.
“From Flushing Meadows to Alley Pond
and beyond, parks are critical cornerstones
of our communities, connecting Queens
families to nature and to one another,”
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards said. “With the Destination:
Greenways! plan we can better connect
our northern and eastern Queens neighborhoods,
improving the well-being and
quality of life of thousands of residents in
the process.”
Th e proposal would create a route for
cyclists and pedestrians from Flushing
Meadows Corona Park through Kissena
Park, Cunningham Park, Alley Pond Park
and Joe Michaels Mile in Bayside.
“Th is initiative will create a safer environment
for pedestrians and cyclists to
travel and visit the landmark parks with
friends and family, especially as we get closer
to the warmer months,” Councilwoman
Vickie Paladino said. “Flushing Meadows
Corona Park was home to two World’s
Fairs and remains a refuge for families to
spend time away from the bustling city
streets. Especially along waterfronts, these
greenways will promote greater accessibility
for the community.”
State Senator John Liu, an avid cyclist
who last June rode his bike more than 160
miles from Bayside to Albany, supports
the city’s proposal.
“Queens parks are places of refuge and
recreation for our neighborhoods, but
they’re fragmented and cut off from each
other,” Liu said. “Connecting parks and
open spaces throughout Queens via greenway
has been a longtime dream of our
community, and today we are one step
closer to making that dream a reality.”
Community input was essential to the
conceptual planning process. At public
meetings held in fall 2020, residents
expressed their desire for improved
safety and maintenance while increasing
connectivity between parks.
“Th e Destination: Greenways! has
served as an inclusive tool to solicit feedback
from the community and I’m glad the
NYC Parks and NYC DOT have returned
to provide us with updates from studies
previously conducted to propose meaningful
improvements,” Assemblywoman
Nily Rozic said. “Safety and accessibility
improvements to the greenway throughout
Queens are long overdue and I look
forward to learning more about the
next step in the planning process with
neighbors and advocates alike.”
“More than ever we need to look at ways
to eff ectively transform and improve our
green spaces such as Flushing Meadows
Corona Park as we create a more resilient
city for all,” Councilman Francisco
Moya said. “Destination: Greenways! has
been an example of creating a process
that not only provides a roadmap but that
also integrates community input, I look
forward to the continued work on this.”
If funded, the implementation of this
project will improve approximately 20
miles of quality open space. In Queens,
the plan integrates greenway routes into
neighborhoods that have been historically
disconnected from each other.
Courtesy of NYC Parks
The city has completed a conceptual planning study that would connect Flushing Meadows Corona
Park to other green spaces to the east in a route for cyclists and pedestrians.
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