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QUEENS WEEKLY, JULY 7, 2019
BY JENNA BAGCAL
The State Legislature
recently passed a
long-awaited bill
commissioning a study
to extend the Long Island
Motor Parkway Trail in
northeast Queens.
On June 28, lawmakers,
bike advocates and local
residents celebrated
the Motor Parkway
Connection bill’s passage,
which was carried by
Assemblyman David
Weprin in the Assembly
and by state Senator John
Liu in the Senate this past
legislative session.
The New York
State Department of
Transportation (NYSDOT)
will complete a feasibility
study and report for the
proposed expansion, which
would extend the parkway
east from Winchester
Boulevard to Little Neck
Parkway. The car-free path,
which is used by bicyclists
and parkgoers, currently
runs from 210th Street to
Winchester Boulevard.
“The Long Island
Motor Parkway is Queens
county’s hidden gem. A carfree
verdant landmarked
path that travels through
the Queens neighborhoods
of Fresh Meadows and
Hollis Hills. It’s part of the
Brooklyn Queens Greenway
which is a system of trails
that stretches from Coney
Island to Bayside,” said
Joby Jacob, co-founder of
Motor Parkway East. “For
the past five years, we’ve
advocated to link these two
trails and are very happy to
see the bill passed. We also
hope that filling this critical
gap will allow the Brooklyn
Queens Greenway to serve
as a link to the Empire
State Trail, which runs
from Manhattan to Canada,
as it will be able to finally
include Long Island.”
In 1908, William
Kissam Vanderbilt II built
the Vanderbilt Motor
Parkway as the first
roadway designed solely for
automobile use. Originally
built as a racecourse, the
roadway was eventually
transformed into a major
thoroughfare.
Today, NYC Parks
maintains part of the
parkway as part of the
NYC Greenway program.
The stretch, which runs
through Cunningham
Park, is used by cyclists
and those traveling
on foot.
Several local bike
organizations have been
advocating for years to see
the expansion come into
fruition, both to preserve
the trail as part of New
York history and as an
“untapped” park space for
people to enjoy.
“After six years of
advocacy, the residents
of northeast Queens who
have fought for this bill
can celebrate a huge
victory with its passage,”
said Senator Liu.
Read more at QNS.com
Assemblymembers Ed Braunstein, Nily Rozic and
David Weprin, Senator John Liu and bike advocates
Photo courtesy of Senator John Liu’s office
Grossed out in public parks
Study: Park bathrooms in Woodside & Sunnyside rank worst in Queens
A study by City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office found that Woodside and Sunnyside have the worst park bathrooms in
Queens. Photo via Getty Images
BY BILL PARRY
When City Council
members joined
officials from the city
Parks Department in
Queensbridge Park
Thursday, where they
touted this year’s budget
windfall that includes
the largest expense
investment in city parks in
nearly three decades, they
heard complaints about
the park’s bathrooms.
“For too long Parks
have been seriously
underfunded and the
New Yorkers who depend
on them have had to
suffer the consequences,”
Speaker Corey Johnson
said. “Queensbridge Park
users have told us that…
sometimes the bathrooms
aren’t stocked in the
way that they need to
be stocked. Or
sometimes they’re
completely closed.”
At about the same time,
Comptroller Scott Stringer
released a report that
showed the problems at
NYC Parks bathrooms are
far worse than how they
are stocked, or whether
they are even open to
the public, but some are
in such foul condition
they represent a public
safety risk.
S t r i n g e r ’ s
investigation found that
of the city’s 1,428 park
bathrooms, 100 were
deemed to be unacceptable
due to a failure to maintain
basic cleanliness.
“Our parks are
essential public spaces,
offering children, seniors,
and all New Yorkers a
safe and secure place
to relax and enjoy the
outdoors,” Stringer said.
“But the city’s investment
and maintenance of
our bathroom parks is
woefully inadequate.
Our bathrooms should
be comfortable, but our
report reveals many of
them just stink.”
The investigation
revealed “unacceptable”
conditions at more than
100 park bathrooms and
53 of them had hazardous
conditions due to
exposed wiring and
insufficient lighting.
In Queens, the highest
concentration of foul
bathrooms were found at
parks in Woodside and
Sunnyside where 25%
were rated unacceptable.
Jackson Heights and
North Corona were found
to have the least number
of bathrooms in parks and
those neighborhoods and
Howard Beach and Ozone
Park have fewer than 8
NYC Parks bathrooms per
100,000 residents.
“Every neighborhood,
including low to moderate
income areas, deserves
quality public spaces. NYC
Parks must expand the
number of these bathrooms
in neighborhoods in need
and provide resources to
bring existing facilities
to an acceptable standard.
Here’s the bottom line,
we all have to go. It’s the
city’s responsibility to
make sure there is a safe,
clean place to do so in
our parks.”
Stringer’s study also
found that more than 1,000
Parks bathrooms do not
have changing stations.
NYC Parks dismissed
Stringer’s audit claiming
they don’t even have 1,000
bathrooms in city parks.
The agency has only 690
bathrooms and Jackson
Heights and North Corona
have few park bathrooms
because they have the 2nd
lowest amount of park
space in the entire city.
“This administration
has invested in the
construction and
reconstruction of more
than 15% of our park
comfort stations, 27 have
been completed, and 76 are
active capital projects,”
a Parks spokeswoman
said. Since 2015, we have
worked to standardize
their design and each
facility includes changing
tables, in the men’s and
women’s restrooms.
Through our robust PIP
inspection program, and
park management and
staff oversight, we closely
monitor the conditions of
each of our 690 comfort
stations. Our reporting
shows that they are open
on average 94% of the time
during the season.”
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by email at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
Motor Pkwy. study
approved in Albany
/QNS.com
/schnepsmedia.com
