APRIL 15, 2022 www.qns.com RIDGEWOOD TIMES
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Civic group proposes alternative plan to install Citi Bike stations
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
The Juniper Park Civic Association
came up with its own draft plan
for the installation of 45 Citi Bike
stations that will not take any parking
spaces away from the community, unlike
the original plan proposed by the city’s
Department of Transportation (DOT).
DOT planned to install 52 Citi Bike
stations across Community Board 5 just
before summer. This draft proposal
included stations on both the sidewalks
and streets, which would take up at
least 100 parking spaces throughout the
community.
Christina Wilkinson, secretary of the
civic association, said that their community
simply cannot afford to lose parking.
“Because we’re a transit desert, parking
is very scarce,” Wilkinson said. “We didn’t
want homeowners and businesses who are
looking for parking to be inconvenienced.
We want Citi Bike to be a part of the community,
but in a way that enhances the
neighborhoods and doesn’t impose.”
The civic association’s proposal would
only install stations on sidewalks mainly
in commercial areas, without jeopardizing
any parking. Their plan also cut
down the number of Citi Bike stations to
45 instead of 52 after determining some
of DOT’s locations were unnecessary.
“We thought there were some that were
in locations that weren’t very realistic,”
Wilkinson said. “They were locations
that people wouldn’t really want to get
to. And if they were close to another station,
we don’t feel we need so many so
close together.”
Anthony Nunziato, president of the
civic association, has been a business
owner on Grand Avenue for over 40
years. Nunziato stressed how detrimental
it would be for small businesses if any
parking spots were taken away.
“The parking is limited,” Nunziato said.
“Businesses need parking for people to
shop in those locations. We’re being accommodating
to Citi Bike but they have
to accommodate our community. We
can’t give up our parking spots and take
away from private enterprises.”
DOT told the civic association that they
would take a look at the proposal and
plans to end the community feedback
period by the end of April.
“Maintaining our Citi Bike station density
is vital to ensure Queens residents
have access to convenient and reliable
service,” DOT spokesperson Vincent
Barone said. “We are always looking to
strike the right balance and appreciate
the feedback on our proposal, which we
are reviewing.”
Councilman Robert Holden shared the
same concerns as the civic association,
saying that installing Citi Bike stations
in streets would have a huge impact on
the neighborhood’s quality of life.
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
A teenager is in critical condition
after smashing into an MTA bus
while driving an electric moped
in a Queens crash last week.
The 15-year-old boy was driving a Baodiao
scooter heading west on Seneca Avenue
in Ridgewood when he struck the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
people mover heading south on Gates
Avenue at 1:11 p.m. on April 6, cops said.
Paramedics brought the youngster to
Brookdale Hospital in critical condition.
The bus driver remained on scene and
police did not make any arrests as the
incident remains under investigation.
A police spokesperson couldn’t say
who had the light at the time of the
collision.
There have been 18 crashes at that
Photo courtesy of Citi Bike
intersection since 2011, injuring 21
people, according to data from the website
NYC Crash Mapper.
“A lot of the stations unnecessarily take
away parking,” Holden said. “In an area
that has poor public transportation, for
the DOT to just randomly and unnecessarily
take up parking with these bike stations
is irresponsible and wasteful.”
Holden said that he supports the civic
association’s plan since it will save parking
spaces across the community.
“Parking is at a terrible premium in
the neighborhood as it is, especially
because we have so little public transit,”
Holden said. “There must be a balance of
the interests of cyclists, motorists and
pedestrians in our city.”
Teen scooter driver critically injured after
hitting MTA bus in Ridgewood crash: NYPD
Photo via Google Maps
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