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Forest Hills and Rego Park to Get 40 New Bike Racks

 About 40 new bike racks will soon be installed around Rego Park and Forest Hills.
About 40 new bike racks will soon be installed around Rego Park and Forest Hills.
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DNAinfo/Nikhita Venugopal

QUEENS — Queens cyclists will soon be on a roll.

The Department of Transportation has proposed installing about 40 new bike racks in Community Board 6, which covers Forest Hills and Rego Park — dramatically increasing the number of parking spots for cyclists in the neighborhood, officials said.

While there are some bike racks already in the area, bike enthusiasts said there is a need for many more, especially for the growing number of residents who ride to the subway or Long Island Rail Road to get to work.

“I see more and more people biking in the neighborhood so we need infrastructure to support it,” said Peter Beadle, a member of Transportation Alternatives Queens Activist Committee and the Community Board 6 Transportation Committee.

Beadle said last year about half a dozen bike racks were installed on 63rd Drive in Rego Park and about two months ago another bike rack was put in place near the 63rd Drive subway entrance. There are also some bike racks and a bike shelter on 71st Avenue in Forest Hills, Beadle said.

Bike racks installed around transit hubs are “jammed with bikes” as a growing number of people use their bikes to get to the subway or LIRR stations, he noted.

Most of the new proposed locations were suggested by local businesses and residents and new locations can be requested through the DOT website.

Beadle said he recently requested additional bike racks on 63rd Drive and on Queens Boulevard near subway entrances.

The Department of Transportation said it sent the list of proposed locations to the community board members and the agency is now awaiting feedback.

The locations of the proposed racks were not immediately clear.

The agency expects to complete the installation of new bike racks within eight weeks.