24 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 29, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Title: Biden administration approves controversial
LaGuardia AirTrain project
Summary: The federal government has given the green
light for the $2.1 billion LaGuardia AirTrain project in
which a light rail system will be constructed to connect
the airport to the Willets Point transportation hub near
Citi Field.
Reach: 3,615 (as of 7/26/2021)
Safe pedaling for all
New Yorkers are riding bicycles
at a high rate, according to
the Department of Transportation.
Cycling surged during the pandemic,
and as the city reopens, the trend
doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Th e expansion of Citi Bikes across
the city has made cycling a much
more attractive option for residents.
Th e city needs to implement more
protected bike lanes in an eff ort
to protect cyclists. Oft en, there are
streets where cyclists are forced to
ride in the midst of traffi c, which
puts them at risk of getting hurt.
Th ere’s a contingent of drivers
who blame the bicyclists themselves
for breaking the law on the road. We
get the frustration, but at the same
time, not all drivers are angels on
the roads themselves — and getting
hit by a driver operating a speeding,
2,000-pound vehicle is far more
serious than getting struck by a 200-
pound person pedaling a bicycle
that weighs 40 pounds or less.
Bicyclists, therefore, need more
areas to safely pedal, and the city
plans to add 30 miles of protected
bike lanes by the end of the year. Th e
increase in cycling has, however, led
to more accidents, as there just aren’t
enough protected lanes in place yet.
E-bikes have been an issue in particular.
Citi Bike has increased its
fl eet of e-bikes and so have deaths in
the city involving e-bikes. In 2019,
there were only six deaths involving
e-bikes. Th at number jumped to
20 in 2020.
On the fl ip side, bicyclists, e-bikes
and e-scooters need to be better regulated
so that users of these modes
of transportation understand that
they also need to follow the rules of
the road.
Brooklyn State Senator Simcha
Felder proposes a new state law that
would mandate that riders of bicycles,
e-scooters or e-bikes wear helmets.
It also creates a system where
bicyclists are required to get licenses
to operate a bicycle, register their
devices and purchase liability insurance.
Th ese are good ideas, but the
state must be made careful not to
add fi nancial burdens for bicyclists
— a number of whom are lowwage
delivery workers, or otherwise
cannot aff ord the expenses of
car ownership or even a monthly
MetroCard.
A lot has been done over the past
several years to make the city more
bike-friendly, but there is still plenty
more to do to make it safe for
everyone.
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