WOODSIDE — Residents are divided about Queens Boulevard's new bike lanes, with some hailing the paths as a lifesaver for cyclists while others blame the redesign as the cause of more congestion on the roadway.
The lanes were installed this summer on Queens Boulevard — nicknamed the "Boulevard of Death" — between Roosevelt Avenue and 73rd Street, the first phase in a $100 million re-design of the street and a cornerstone of Mayor Bill de Blasio's "Vision Zero" initiative.
While a national cycling group dubbed the new bike lanes among the best in the country this year, some Queens residents are far from happy, arguing the addition of the bike paths have narrowed Queens Boulevard's service lanes, creating more congestion.
"You took from one group, the car drivers ... to give to the bicyclists," William Kregler, a Woodside resident, said at a Community Board 2 meeting Thursday, where the bike lanes dominated much of the discussion.
"The congestion is ridiculous," said Nicole Flores, who lives along the boulevard and says she worries about pollution caused by the slow-moving cars, as well as how traffic could impact emergency vehicles traveling the street.
"During the day, anytime from like 3 to, I would say 7:30, 8 o'clock at night, you're not going to get through," she said.
But more than half a dozen people came to the defense of the bike lanes at Thursday's meeting, saying the lanes have transformed the notoriously dangerous street.
"The bike lanes on Queens Boulevard have made my life so much easier that I can't even really put it into words," said one man, who told the board he works as a bike messenger.
Another cyclist told board members that he'd previously "feared for his life" while riding Queens Boulevard, but now uses the street all the time.
Jason Banrey, a representative from Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer's office, said the lawmaker and other local leaders met with members of the Department of Transportation earlier this week to discuss ways to ease congestion on Queens Boulevard.
Potential fixes include adjusting traffic signals, adding signs and painted lines at certain locations to help keep traffic moving, Banrey said. The city is also looking into restoring some parking spaces that were lost during the redesign, Banrey said.
The DOT said it's taking the feedback from that meeting to look into potential adjustments it can make.
"The changes made on Queens Boulevard last year were significant improvements to calm traffic and improve safety and livability for all users on this corridor that has been for too long used as a highway," a spokeswoman for the department said.
Jessame Hannus, a cyclist and member of advocacy group Transportation Alternatives' Queens Committee, said that while there might be "logistical things that need to be ironed out," with the redesign, the bike lanes are ultimately good for anyone who uses Queens Boulevard.
"If we make it safe to walk and bike, maybe fewer people would drive. Maybe more people will get on their bicycle, leave the car at home and there would be less traffic and there would be less congestion," she said.
"If they make it so that people can use their bike instead of their car, it's going to make it better for everybody."
