WOODSIDE — Queens Community Board 1 wants the city to alter its proposal for a new bike lane on 31st Avenue, to include a detour off the roadway for a five-block stretch of the street that board members say is too dangerous for cyclists.
The Department of Transportation wants to add a bike lane along 31st Avenue that would run from the waterfront at Vernon Boulevard through Astoria, Woodside and into East Elmhurst in Community District 3, where it would connect to the Flushing Bay Promenade.
While CB1 was generally supportive of the plan, they voted Tuesday to ask that a detour be added to the route so it would bypass a stretch between 55th and 60th streets, which board members said is prone to heavy traffic and double-parked cars.
"I'm not against the bike lane. I've pretty much approved that right from the start, but I am terribly concerned with that area," said Bob Piazza, head of CB1's transportation committee.
He said those five blocks see a lot of truck traffic as well as cars that line up on the street for service at the Honda dealership at 58th Street.
"I don't believe it's safe enough for you to put bicyclists through there," Piazza said. "I think they'll be in great danger."
The board wants a detour on the bike path that would take cyclists off 31st Avenue by having them head south on 55th Street to get onto 32nd Avenue instead, where they would continue east for several blocks before turning back onto 31st Avenue by way of 60th Street.
But cyclists who support the DOT's plan say they'd rather the bike lane remain on 31st Avenue, saying a detour would end up being more dangerous because riders would have to make several turns to take it.
"It's actually going to be more dangerous to have to take that turn than to just go straight and deal with whatever double-parked trucks there may be," said Juan Restrepo, an Astoria resident and a member of Transportation Alternatives' Queens Committee.
The DOT is reviewing CB1's comments, according to a spokesman. Queens Community Board 3 already approved the portion of the proposal that runs through its district last week.
Officials say the bike lane would be a vital East-West connector for cyclists, linking several parks and green spaces in western Queens. It would not remove any traffic lanes or parking spaces, according to the DOT.
Nick Carey, a project manager with the DOT, said 31st Avenue is already being used by cyclists — the city did a count in November and found that about 200 riders were using the street on an average weekday and nearly 300 on weekends.
"Even though it's not a designated bicycle route, there's already a lot of people riding bicycles on 31st Avenue," Carey told the board. "But there's nothing out there to tell them where to be...There’s no guidance for them whatsoever."
He said the DOT has analyzed data around other bike lane projects that have been installed in CB1 since 2007 — including those on Vernon Boulevard, 35th Street, 34th Avenue and Hoyt Avenue — and found that they decreased overall traffic injuries by 7.4 percent.
Sergio Peçanha, an organizer with the Queens Bike Initiative, said the 31st Avenue bike path would only improve safety on the street, since cyclists are using it anyway.
"When you put a bike lane in place it makes the road safer for everybody," he said.
