16 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 7, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Queens Boulevard bike lanes coming to Forest Hills
BY RYAN KELLEY
rkelley@ridgewoodtimnes.com
Twitter @R_Kelley6
Th e fi nal stage of safety improvements
along Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills is
set to begin in July, and the Department
of Transportation (DOT) is likely to
move forward with the project even if
Community Board 6 votes against it.
At a Board 6 Transportation Committee
meeting on May 23, Streetblog.com fi rst
reported, a DOT representative presented
the details of the fourth and fi nal segment
of Queens Boulevard — from Yellowstone
Boulevard to Union Turnpike — that will
receive bike lanes and pedestrian space
on the corridor’s service roads. As one
of the most signifi cant projects in Mayor
Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative, the
project has moved forward in the past
without community board approval.
On a call with the Courier on June
4, Board 6 District Manager Frank
Gulluscio confi rmed that the DOT made
it clear the project will be completed no
matter what, and the board may not even
vote on it.
“Th e committee will report that they
were given this information, and if someone
Photo via DOT
The bike lanes on Queens Boulevard seen here will soon be implemented in the Forest Hills section of the road.
Busy Jamaica intersection receives much-needed redesign
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
Th e Department of Transportation
(DOT) unveiled on Friday its redesign of
the streetscape and new public space at a
dangerous intersection in Jamaica.
Th e project, known as the Gateway
to Downtown Jamaica, created a new
public space at the east side of Parsons
Boulevard between Jamaica and Archer
Avenues and provided safer crossings and
an enhanced pedestrian experience.
Th e redesign, made possible with help
from Jamaica Now Leadership Council
and the Greater Jamaica Development
Corporation, was a part of New York
State’s Downtown Revitalization
Initiative, which awarded $10 million to
Jamaica.
“Under Mayor de Blasio’s Vision
Zero plan, last year was the safest ever
on the streets of Queens — helping us
bring down the number of citywide traffi
c fatalities for the fourth straight year,
bucking national trends,” said DOT
Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “But
the safety enhancements Commissioner
and connect to mass transit.”
we need to keep moving forward, and this
Garcia is unveiling today, as we will now
A recent study found that the Parsons
crash-prone spot in Jamaica where three
better protect the enormous number of
Boulevard corridor was in the top 10 percent
Vision Zero Priority Corridors converge
pedestrians walking through this vibrant
of crashes resulting in fatalities and
needed our attention. We are proud of
district to shop, go to school and work
serious injuries. Th e site had 70 crashes
with reported injuries happened at the
location, with nearly 30 involving pedestrians
between 2012 and 2016.
Th e redesign, which has been currently
done with interim materials, included
transforming a former road bed into a
26-foot sidewalk extension as well as adding
movable tables, chairs, planters and
granite blocks that will keep pedestrians
safe while elevating the look of the area.
Th ese designs addressed the community’s
feedback regarding poor pedestrian environment
and lack of adequate pedestrian
space, connections, seating and greenery
in the area.
Additionally, a commuter van hub
at 153rd Street — near the Parsons
Boulevard subway station — increases
the number of spaces available to commuter
van operators and their passengers.
“I think anything that can be done to
improve pedestrian safety while making
the streets easier to navigate for motorists
is a plus,” said state Senator James
Sanders Jr. “I look forward to watching
the enhancements to this bustling hub
improve life in the community, and I
thank the DOT for making this worthy
project possible.”
For more information, visit www.nyc.
gov/dot.
Photo: Shutterstock
from the board wants to call for a
vote they most certainly can,” Gulluscio
said. “But the bottom line is DOT and the
administration are on a mission to complete
this.”
The mile-long strip of Queens
Boulevard in Forest Hills will receive the
same treatment that Rego Park, Elmhurst
and Woodside saw before it. Protected
bike lanes and pedestrian space separated
from the road by plastic bollards will be
implemented along the median of the service
roads; curb extensions will be painted;
and stop-controlled slip lanes will
control mergers from the boulevard to the
service roads.
According to the DOT’s presentation to
the Board 6 Transportation Committee, a
survey conducted by the agency revealed
that 65 percent of respondents think the
project should be continued in Forest
Hills. In addition, the presentation shows
that cycling volumes in Rego Park along
Queens Boulevard increased by 127 percent
aft er the protected bike lanes were
installed.
Even though the community board’s
advisory role is likely to be ignored in
this case, Gulluscio said that the DOT
has promised to re-evaluate the safety
improvements based on any feedback
received aft er they have been implemented.
If there are any issues that arise, the
DOT said it will work with the community
to resolve them, according to
Gulluscio.
Th e fi nal stage of the Queens Boulevard
safety improvements will be presented
at the full Board 6 meeting on June 13,
beginning at 7:45 p.m. at 80-02 Kew
Gardens Rd. on the second fl oor.
link
link
/www.nyc
