48 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • JULY 18, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Courtesy of John Choe, The Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce
TOUR DE FLUSHING
Hundreds of bike enthusiasts pedal across NE Queens
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
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 diff erent
parks.
Th e 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.
Assemblywoman Nily Rozic and State
Sen. John Liu (Courtesy of John Choe)
“Th e 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.
“Th e 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.”
Th e 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.
(Courtesy of John Choe)
With more than 200 riders fi nishing
the tour, local business owners in downtown
Flushing made thousands of dollars
from tour riders. Th e Tour de Flushing
was sponsored by Vaccaro and White, representing
injured cyclists and other accident
victims.
Th is year’s ride featured a bike dedicated
to the memory of Allison Hope Liao,
who was killed by a motorist fi ve years ago
on Flushing’s Main Street. A unique street
sign dedicated in her name was ridden on
a bike, in her memory.
(Courtesy of John Choe)
John Choe, executive director of the
Flushing Chamber of Commerce, off ered
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.
Th is year’s route also featured an optional
four-mile leg in Douglaston, making it
the longest route in Tour de Flushing history
at 19 miles long. Th e optional leg featured
newly installed protected bike lanes
on Northern Boulevard, allowing dozens
of riders to safely get to Douglaston and
ride through the beautiful, hilly neighborhood.
A water break station and information
about diff erent 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 and bicyclists.
“Th e 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.“Th e 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 eff orts 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. Th e 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 off er — 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.
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