WOODSIDE — The most notorious roadway in Queens is set to get safer.
The city will make improvements to Queens Boulevard — famously nicknamed the "Boulevard of Death" — in the coming years, one of dozens of dangerous streets to be targeted next for safety upgrades under Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero plan.
The Department of Transportation this week held the first in what it says will be a series of workshops on how to improve the thoroughfare, with more than 100 people turning out to P.S. 11 in Woodside to share their ideas, according to those who attended.
"What was very interesting was how unified the group was," Rachel Beadle, campaign coordinator with the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, said of Wednesday's workshop, which focused specifically on the stretch of Queens Boulevard between Roosevelt Avenue and 73rd Street.
Common suggestions at the meeting included the addition of bike lanes and bus lanes, she said.
"I think that it was a very good array of people," said Lisa Yma, a coalition coordinator with Transportation Alternatives. "The general consensus was definitely on getting improvements that would increase safety for pedestrians, and generally transforming Queens Boulevard."
The organization has been fighting for several years for safety improvements on the roadway, where it says 10 people were killed and hundreds injured in 2013 and 2014.
They are advocating for Queens Boulevard to be a "complete street," according to Beadle — a road that has a space for people using all types of transportation, including bicycles, cars, public transit and those on foot.
Improvements they would like to see include the use of protected bike lanes, designated bus lines, and the addition of greenery and other pedestrian-friendly upgrades.
"Queens is really growing, and this is a major road through Queens that cuts through so many neighborhoods," Beadle said.
De Blasio targeted Queens Boulevard in a speech last week about his Vision Zero initiative, calling it one of the most "notorious" streets and among 50 locations the city will focus on this year for safety improvements.
"We're going to bring Queens Boulevard into the 21st century. We're going to make sure it is safe," the mayor said, according a transcript of his speech online.
In a statement, the DOT said it will be sharing the results of Wednesday's workshop with Queens Community Board 2 and is looking to implement changes on this first section of Queens Boulevard later in 2015.
Other segments of the roadway will be looked at in workshops to be scheduled later this year and into 2016, a DOT spokesman said.
