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6 The Courier sun • october 8, 2015 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com DOT proposes more bike lanes to CB 5 District BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport Cyclists in Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth and Ridgewood may soon have more lanes for pedaling. Phase two of the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) plan to bring a comprehensive network of bike lanes to Community Board 5 (CB 5) began implementation on Oct. 1. After that phase, even more bike lanes could be on the horizon with a potential phase three. Representatives from the DOT proposed a third phase consisting of three bike lane options to expand the network around the CB 5 neighborhoods during the board’s Transportation and Public Transit Services committees combined meeting on Sept. 29. “What I would like to discuss tonight are three different ideas on how to continue to expand this network, to make connections into other neighborhoods and to improve mobility options for cyclists,” said Aaron Fraint, DOT project manager. The three corridors the DOT has proposed in this third phase are 69th Street from Eliot Avenue to Maurice Avenue; 80th Street from Juniper Boulevard North to 57th Avenue; and Juniper Boulevard North from Lutheran Avenue to Dry Harbor Road. Each of these corridors require their own unique type of bike lanes. The strip of 69th Street that the DOT has identified as a potential bike lane route has varying widths, requiring the DOT to implement a series of bike lanes, parking lane stripes Project manager for DOT, Aaron Fraint (standing right), proposed three new bike lane paths for the CB 5 area. and shared lanes along the roadway. For 80th Street, DOT is proposing adding a bike lane in both directions, keeping both travel lanes, having an 8-foot parking lane and adding in a 4-foot flush median. The DOT has put forth two options for the proposal of the Juniper Boulevard North section: creating a standard configuration of a bike lane in both directions or adding a parking protected two-way bike path along the edge of Juniper Valley Park. However, the two-way bike lane option does come with a caveat. “Anywhere that we have a bicycle path where motor vehicle drivers are allowed to cross the path, we have to do something called a mixing zone,” Fraint said. “Basically it’s about five car lengths where you remove parking and you sort of adjust the sight lines of the motorist as well as the cyclist, and you give them space to cross over and safely negotiate the space at the same time.” The two-way bike lane would intersect with 80th Street and Dry Harbor Road, requiring two mixing zones. This would cause the loss of approximately 10 parking spaces to accommodate THE COURIER/Photo by Anthony Giudice both mixing zones. The board can choose between either option, or decide that no bike lanes should be installed at this location. This proposal is still in the planning phase and will not see any implementation until phase two of the plan is complete and the committees sign off on the changes they would like to see. JAMAICA MAN GETS 22 YEARS IN JAIL FOR REVENGE BAR SHOOTING IN 2013 BY THE QUEENS COURIER STAFF editorial@queenscourier.com @QueensCourier A 54-year-old man will now spend more than two decades behind bars for the fatal revenge shooting of a man in a Jamaica bar two years ago, according to authorities. Reyes Manzueta pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this year for the shooting and on Sept. 28 was sentenced to 22 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision. According to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, on Dec. 23, 2012, Manzueta visited the El Nuevo Café Latino on Jamaica Avenue when he came across the victim, 27-year-old Jony Gonzalez, sitting next to a woman at the bar. Manzueta then hit he woman in the back of her head and she responded by throwing a bottle at him, Brown said. The 54-year-old then went after the woman but Gonzalez intervened to protect her and the two men fought before others at the bar separated them. Manzueta then left the bar. Two weeks later, on Jan. 5, 2013, Manzueta returned to the bar specifically looking for Gonzalez, according to court records. He then approached the victim, pulled out a 9 mm handgun and shot him several times, striking him in the chest, back, abdomen, leg and arm. Gonzalez died at the scene; a second man was also hit by the gunfire but survived from his injuries. “Manzueta has now been sentenced for the senseless killing of a 27-year-old man in a bar,” Brown said in a statement. “The defendant had argued with the victim weeks earlier, but instead of letting it go, he returned to the establishment seeking revenge. He will remain behind bars for a lengthy term to protect society and to punish him for this brazen crime.”


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