11
QUEENS WEEKLY, JULY 21, 2019
Hundreds pedal across northeast in Tour de Flushing
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
More than 200 riders
completed on Sunday, July
14, the Tour de Flushing, a
15-mile bike ride through
the parks and streets of
eastern Queens.
State Senator John Liu
and Assemblywoman Nily
Rozic joined local residents
for the Tour de Flushing
that began and ended
in downtown Flushing,
passing through or along
seven different parks.
The tour highlighted an
immense network of park
connected bike paths in
eastern Queens, accessible
to all New Yorkers, and
the economic value of
creating bike connections
to business centers.
“The Tour de Flushing
is an annual invitation
to our beloved bike
community to ride the
borough’s expanding bike
paths and one-of-a-kind
parks, as one,” Liu said.
“The event has everything
going for it — fellowship,
the opportunity to share
how biking in Queens can
be made better, great food
from local businesses and
sophisticated organization
by community members
who understand the love of
bike riding. I look forward
to it every year.”
The Flushing Chamber
of Commerce collaborated
with Transportation
Alternatives and Eastern
Queens Greenway to bring
hundreds of New Yorkers
to participate in this year’s
Tour de Flushing.
With more than 200
riders finishing the tour,
local business owners
in downtown Flushing
made thousands of dollars
from tour riders. The
Tour de Flushing was
sponsored by Vaccaro
and White, representing
injured cyclists and other
accident victims.
This year’s ride
featured a bike dedicated
to the memory of Allison
Hope Liao, who was killed
by a motorist five years
ago on Flushing’s Main
Street. A unique street
sign dedicated in her name
was ridden on a bike, in
her memory.
John Choe, executive
director of the Flushing
Chamber of Commerce,
offered condolences to
Liao’s family.
“We pledge to do all we
can to honor her memory
and prevent similar
tragedies from occurring
in our community,”
said Choe.
This year’s route also
featured an optional fourmile
leg in Douglaston,
making it the longest
route in Tour de Flushing
history at 19 miles long.
The optional leg featured
newly installed protected
bike lanes on Northern
Boulevard, allowing
The Tour de Flushing highlighted an immense network of park connected bike paths in eastern Queens,
accessible to all New Yorkers, and the economic value of creating bike connections to business centers.
dozens of riders to safely
get to Douglaston and ride
through the beautiful,
hilly neighborhood. A
water break station and
information about different
local businesses was
provided at the Douglaston
Plaza by the Douglaston
Local Development
Corporation (DLDC).
Victor Dadras, vice
president of DLDC, said the
organization has always
been a strong advocate for
safe streets for all residents,
including autos, buses, and
especially for pedestrians
Photos courtesy of John Choe/Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce
and bicyclists.
“The Douglaston Local
Development Corporation
(DLDC) is proud to
participate, as a community
partner, in this year’s 3rd
Annual Tour de Flushing
bicycling event, sponsored
by Transportation
Alternatives and the
Greater Flushing Chamber
of Commerce. We are proud
to have Douglaston featured
as part of the cycling
potential of beautiful
Eastern Queens,” Dadras
said.“The Tour de Flushing
event will help connect
our northeastern corner
of Douglaston and Little
Neck to the ever-growing,
safe bicycle infrastructure
of the rest of Queens, and
in doing so will also help
accomplish our mutual
goals of revitalizing
local businesses, and
promoting a greater sense
of community, for all
our neighborhoods.”
Juan Restrepo,
Queens organizer
of Transportation
Alternatives, is
encouraging the city
to continue its efforts
to put more bike lanes
in downtown Flushing
and the greater eastern
Queens area.
“Each year, the Tour de
Flushing gives hundreds
of riders the opportunity
to ride the beautiful
greenways and streets
of Eastern Queens. The
parks are amazing to ride
on, but we are pleased to
see the city continuing
to put in more bike lanes
as well. Many of these
bike lanes were used on
the ride to help bring
riders young and old to
the parks.
Rozic said the Tour de
Flushing is an opportunity
to showcase all that the
borough has to offer — vast
parkland, growing bike
paths, and fun food.
“Congratulations to
everyone involved for
organizing a successful
third annual event
that continues to bring
Queens’ bike riding
community together while
commemorating all that
we still have to accomplish
to make our streets safe for
all,” Rozic said.
Participants ride on a bike carrying the street sign in memory of Allison Hope Liao, a woman killed by a motorist five years ago
on Flushing’s Main Street.