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CB2 Transportation Committee Overwhelmingly Votes Yes For Protected Bike Lanes on Skillman, 43rd Avenues

At Community Board 2’s Transportation Committee meeting on June 4. (Photo: Nathaly Pesantez)

June 5, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez

The majority of Community Board 2’s Transportation Committee voted in favor of the city’s safety improvement plan for Skillman and 43rd Avenues last night.

The Department of Transportation’s proposal, mainly involving the installation of protected bike lanes through the two avenues while eliminating roughly 120 parking spaces, received five votes in the affirmative, with two votes against the measure, during the committee’s June 4th meeting.

The vote comes after the DOT amended its controversial plan three times since its initial iteration was released seven months ago. While many supported the plan in all its forms, outcry was mainly due to the number of parking spaces needed to be eliminated, and its potential effects on businesses and residents.

The committee’s vote will serve as a recommendation for Community Board 2 during its final meeting before the summer break on Thursday, where the 49-person board in its entirety will vote on the city’s proposal.

The 5-2 vote was met with surprise from many on both sides of the issue, as it was believed that the transportation committee would steer away from supporting the DOT’s proposal.

Pat Dorfman, the former executive director of the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce, and an outspoken critic of the plan, said she was shocked by the outcome, believing that the five people who voted for the proposal, led with a motion by committee member Jordan Levine, went against “the strong opinion” of the majority of the neighborhood.

“We expected Levine to support the DOT measure, as he has been forthright in support all along, but those four, confidently in favor of something so upsetting to so many here, blew us away,” Dorfman said.

Dorfman, who recently formed “Queens Streets”, a group that advocates for parking spaces to be retained in the neighborhood, claims to have “hundreds of pages” of signatures from people and neighborhood organizations against the plan.

Juan Restrepo, Queens organizer for Transportation Alternatives, the activist group at the forefront of the case for protected bike lanes and other safety measures, said the vote was a “good sign,” and shows that there are many people who haven’t been vocal about their support.

“A lot of times, the main board goes based off the recommendation of the subcommittee,” Restrepo said. “That’s not a sure bet, but a 5-2 decision is very one-sided.”

He said that the Thursday meeting, which will be attended by DOT technical experts who will explain the proposal’s goals, will be another chance for the public to understand that the redesign is about enhancing safety for everyone.

“I think a lot of people, not just community board members, will come in under one impression, and are going to be very surprised that all along, this is what we’ve been talking about,” Restrepo said.

Denise Keehan-Smith, head of Community Board 2 and its transportation committee, largely spoke to several facets of the plan she and the community have taken issue with during the majority of the two-hour meeting. She also read out suggestions that were collected during the board’s public bike lane workshop two weeks ago.

Keehan-Smith, who voted against the DOT’s proposal along with committee member Jeremy Rosenberg, asked why the protected bike lanes couldn’t be moved to Northern Boulevard or Queens Boulevard.

“I am opposed to this plan,” Keehan-Smith said. “I don’t like most of it.”

In another motion, both Keehan-Smith and Rosenberg voted to have the protected bike lanes go on Northern Boulevard instead. The five committee members who voted for the DOT’s proposal–Jordan Levine, Claudia Chan, Osman Chowdhury, Steven Raga, and Santiago Vargas–voted against this measure.

Northern Boulevard, Keehan-Smith said, is in need of more traffic calming, given the number of accidents that have taken place there recently. Protected lanes on Queens Boulevard, she added, would satisfy requests from LaGuardia Community College faculty and students made last week, when the DOT presented its plan for Thomson Avenue.

But Nicole Garcia, DOT Queens Borough Commissioner, said a plan has already been conceived for Skillman and 43rd Avenues that can be implemented as soon as this summer. The agency, she added, has already made changes after the incidents on Northern Boulevard, and is continuing to look at the stretch.

Furthermore, both Queens Boulevard and Northern Boulevard would have to be studied to see if protected lanes are feasible, which could take several months or years. At the request of the majority of the committee, however, Garcia said the agency will look at whether the two throughways, including Thomson Avenue, can also accommodate protected bike lanes.

“We’d have to do a study, and obviously just like Skillman and 43rd, there are trade offs, and I don’t know what those trade offs are going to be,” Garcia said.

Other questions Keehan-Smith raised include whether Skillman and 43rd Avenues can get signals that give preference to pedestrians and cyclists, enforcing no thru-truck traffic on Skillman Avenue, and adding speed cameras near the two schools also on Skillman Avenue.

While Garcia said she will take back the questions to the agency, the DOT’s proposal is most likely the final design.

The full vote will be taken on June 7, but as the community board serves an advisory role, the outcome of Thursday night’s meeting may not have a major impact on the plan.

Mayor Bill de Blasio overruled a 2016 Community Board 4 vote against protected bike lanes on Queens Boulevard, with Council Member Daniel Dromm also expressing support for the plan. And recently, the DOT said at a Community Board 6 meeting that it would not require the board’s vote to move ahead with Phase IV of the Queens Boulevard redesign, citing mayoral priority.

“We want to implement projects with the support of the community boards we’re in,” Garcia said at last night’s meeting. “Community board votes are advisory, but we find that this discussion, your feedback, always makes for a better project.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com

104 Comments

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John O'Reilly

Harbinger of things to come on Skillman/43rd Aves? The owner of Ben’s Best Restaurant, a 73 year old iconic Jewish Deli on Queens Blvd in Rego Park, just announced the restaurants is closing effective June 30. The owner for the past year has been publicly saying the bike lanes are killing his business, and it turns out he was right.

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Gordon

Except that more likely it’s the changing tastes of the people in the neighborhood.

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Tony

dont let it distract you from the fact that fewer people care for that food as demographics change and hes selling $20 sandwiches and $30 boiled chicken dinners

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anonym

maybe owner should have a ‘bike through’ lane like ‘drive through’ for bikes – maybe bikers then would stop in for a sammich. justathought

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Anonymous

Remember all this next time Jimmy Van Bramer is looking for your vote His silence is conspicuous.

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Lennie

I think we need a little more room allotted to the parked cars. Make the driving lanes all just a teeny bit smaller. That way the car has a little more room to swing open the door, and hopefully no more deaths caused by this action.

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anonym

I think parked cars are the way of the future we could just live in them too then maybe build machines to stack car spaces on top of each other then we don’t need houses anymore two birds one giant stone!

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Preserve Democracy

Kudos to Mike T…
Skillman Ave. and 43rd Ave. are one way avenues that would be reduced to one active lane. The elderly comprise a significant portion of our demographic beyond the normal aspects of what first responders face daily. These elderly also don’t use the internet and I’m certain aren’t informed in proper numbers as to what is proposed here.

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Anonymous

I was at the last community board meeting regarding the protected bike lanes. People sat in groups at tables to discuss the situation and come up with alternatives. Jordan Levine was at my table. There were six of us total. Five of us, Sunnysiders of varying ages and residencies, were anti-bike lane and Jordan alone, was pro bike lane. That’s 83.33% anti-, and 16.67% pro, an overwhelming majority against the protected bike lanes, a sentiment echoed throughout the room. Yet Jordan voted for the protected bike lanes proposal. He did not in anyway vote the way the community would have voted. On his Facebook page he stated that he is very busy with his new gig as Northeast communications lead at OFO, a leading dockless bike company. It makes one wonder, whom is he voting for? Does he represent the community or his own business interests at our expense?

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Barbara

Why does he have so much power Does he live in Woodside or Sunnyside? Why is a person who has a job at a biking company be allowed to have a vote? He has a financial incentive!!

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Gardens Watcher

I wasn’t at the CB2 meeting, but heard the Transportation Committee vote was changed afterwards to vote AGAINST bike lanes. Oops, their bad.

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Bunny

I was also at this meeting. There were a lot of good ideas thrown around. But now it seems like the meeting was just for show, to placate and pacify, and that they never really intended to consider other options.
There are not that many beautiful tree-lined streets left in our area. Skillman is one of them. Why destroy it? It has a painted bike lane. Why not just flip that? Put the cars on the outside and the bikes on the inside so they will be protected by the parked cars. Northern Boulevard is already a concrete jungle, put the concrete protective barriers there.

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annonymus

What is the purpose of landmarking a neighborhood if if a few people can change the landscape of it to satisfy a few bikes. This area doesn’t resemble its original look.

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In the majority

She said the neighborhood, not the geography. And it was not forest as far as The history books show it. While upper Skillman and 43rd are on high ground, Sunnyside north of Queens Blvd. was swamp, essentially. The Newton Creek extended all along what is now the LIRR tracks. The ground above the embankment was once part of its bed. The earth there is the kind of heavy, heavy clay that repeated flooding from hillside runoff, heavy tidal basin flows and underground springs create. Think Mississippi delta silt. Trees mostlyon the highlands.

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Samuel

NYPD hardly ever enforces traffic rules anyway. Speed limit on Q.B. was 30 mph – people drove 55+ mph. Speed limit is now lowered to 25 mph – people drive 55+ mph. Bikes lanes? At least once an hour some maniac loses his/her patience and blasts thru the “protected” bike lanes in their car/suv, passing and getting ahead of all the law abiding drivers. Usually then a few other will follow – monkey see monkey do. And what about cars making super dangerous illegal left turns from the service lanes? And the police vehicles that simply go around them and continue on driving? ENFORCEMENT ZERO is in effect.

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Chelsea

Yes, we do need neighborhood leasing. It is supposed to be rolled out in October. I hope it works well.

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Tartine6666

Wow.
Why did the community spin it’s wheels and clearly say
NO?????
What was the use of all the meetings?

Only ONE TC member lives here…..Very disheartening.

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Anonymous

Insure, register and have a bicycle hang a license plate identifying owner or operator, just like a car! MAKE them just as responsible as vehicles and motorcycles! Share the roads, share the responsibilities! Put the issue up to a vote of all
registered voters in the community!

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Carbie Barbie

I agree with this idea for commercial (delivery) bikes.

But cars are far more dangerous than bikes.

Don’t you think that if we enforce the hell out of traffic laws and overall driving experience will get better for everyone–cars, bikes and pedestrians?

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Equal Responsibility

Bikers must be willing to go to a class and pass a licensing test, must have their vehicle inspected and registered and must have insurance. Those are the rules of the road. You want equality of access, you get equality of responsibility. P

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ann

The neighborhood is overwhelmingly opposed to this. Petitions signed by 2,000 plus every school and religious institution. That seems to count for nothing. No answer whatsoever about the danger bikers pose to pedestrians – radio silence. The fact is few bikers obey red lights, stay in their lane, or even go the right way. The bike lane could be put on a real thoroughfare, like Northern or Queens Blvd. Instead, DOT uses ham-fisted tactics to impose their top-down plan, hand in glove with Transportation Alternatives who pro-bike and anti-car and screw-everyone-else agenda is clear. DiBlasio is desperate, since he can’t manage to improve any other kind of transportation. News flash: most people are not going to be riding bikes.

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Carbie Barbie

What’s your evidence that the community is overwhelmingly opposed? Is it just the meetings?

Who keeps posting that most of the neighborhood does not own cars? What’s the evidence for that?

I imagine if that’s true, most people in the neighborhood would support the bike lanes, not oppose them.

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Barbara

Is everyone allowed to attend the Community Board Meeting Thurs 6/7 at 6 pm at Sunnyside Community Services 43-31 39th street Sunnyside? Everyone show up

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Murphy Sunnyside

What else is there to say at this point. Thank you Denise and thank you Jeremy. At least you heard us out.

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Mythoughts

This is good for pedestrians, cyclists, and straphangers who might ditch the 7 for a bike if safe. That said the concerns about parking are fair. Is there anywhere else in the neighborhood where we could add parking spots? Could that be studied?

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John O'Reilly

The hidden parties who will benefit the most from installing the bike lanes are bike ride shares companies, the biggest of which was started by the former DOT official in charge of the bicycle ride share program who just sold an interest in his company for $200 million to Uber. DOT is run by TA acolytes who fund raise to help TA carry out the wishes of Uber and China based ride share companies. It also helps to have folks closely tied to TA make campaign contributions to politicians directly affected by the bike lane issue. The truth of the matter is that when you can find actual numbers and not the misleading percentages promoted by DOT, the data shows that after years of installing bike lanes all over the City, the number of people who commute by bicycle to Manhattan over East River bridges actually declined in 2017 versus 2016 and that number was already tiny, about one-half of one percent of the residents of the City. The Transportation Committee decision is folly, and an almost complete waste of municipal resources when viewed in the light of societal costs to the Sunnyside community.

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Born here, but moving ASAP.

Thank you for your careful analysis. The TA flunkies are passionate fools who don’t know that the answer always is, “Follow the money.”

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seamus

These are people with an ideological bent. They don’t drive so you can’t drive. Next will be banning meat or dairy products or limiting the number of showers you can take…. Their vision of some socialist utopia should be your vision as well. It is tyranny by the minority and is becoming all too familiar in our everyday lives. If I’m hit and seriously injured by a cyclist….what is my recourse? Also how about cyclists riding while intoxicated or high on marijuana. What is an injured law abiding citizen to do? It also raises the question of undocumented aliens ….can’t sue them….they’re immune. No insurance is required. These ( some to be fair not all) cyclists have repeatedly raced down Skillman Ave not stopping for red lights or to let pedestrians cross. I have almost been hit twice in the past year. How about the businesses that will be affected on Skillman. Do any of these advocates own a business? Do they know what it is like to invest your money, hire people, pay taxes, comply with all the rules and regulations of City and State agencies….who is advocating for them? Jerks….you are complicit in destroying the very tax base that this City and Community needs to fund it’s survival. The sad part is …you will be gone soon enough but the damage you did and continue to do will affect this community irreparably…..and you will never be held to account.

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Jimmy Van Dreamer

Thank you Seamus..it’s refreshing to see someone with a real common sense viewpoint!

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Mythoughts

Long term bike lanes will be good for business. Brings people who might otherwise pass by on the train to the doorsteps of these businesses.

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Born here, but moving ASAP.

No. People commuting to NYC do not stop on the way for groceries. They get in and out ASAP. Especially when you have to pedal them home. They don’t even stop for coffee and a newspaper. Can’t enjoy either on a bike.

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Carbie Barbie

People commuting around the neighborhood do.

And seems to me most of the car owners drive out of the neighborhood and spend their money at Costco or wherever else.

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Equal Responsibility

Not true. I drive all the time but spend most of my money in the neighborhood. My deli, laundry mat, grocery store, independent pharmacy, coffee shop, hair cutter, nail salon, cleaners, 99 cent store and takeout places get my consumer dollars. I even go to the local thrift stores for household goods and clothes before I go online or to the mall. I take a pocketful of quarters and shop in Sunnyside and Woodside. Went to the AT&T store in Astoria. Used to go to the Curves on 46th St. Use the gas station on Roosevelt and 50th. If there were a decent place big enough I would have my wedding here. I’m a member of my tenant’s association, community association, artist’s association, chamber of commerce and my church. This is where I spend m6 money. Mostly I earn it elsewhere, but I’m starting a micro business and employ a local man giving local people a good deal on the service I provide. I own and use a car almost every day. Several of my friends rely on me for their car needs, too. I am not alone in this.

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Barbara

Have been nearly knocked down twice in the past 2 weeks on skillman by cyclists going thru a red lite

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Carbie Barbie

It’s true that some cyclists drive like a-holes. I’m all for better traffic enforcement–including cars.

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True American

Seamus I agree with you 100%.. We need like Donald Trump who can drain the swamp like those politicians who don’t care about real good people who work and pay taxes and try to do good for customers and for society..

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Bicycle Baby

The same “progressives” that demand democracy in the Trump-era are celebrating a blatant, fixed vote in favor of a proposal that 90% of this neighborhood opposes. Fast forward to cb2 & JVB getting over-ruled by Blahzio.. hypocrisy at its core. Ya’ll have a fleeting moral high ground.

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Woodside Resident

I think you’re making a lot of assumptions here. For one, how did you determine that 90% of the neighborhood opposes this proposal?

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Anonymous

You are correct in that I’m assuming 90%. What we know for sure is every school admin is opposed.(111, 150,pre-schools) Every place of worship is opposed. Every business is opposed(except for Toms cleaners). The full board of our Chamber is opposed. “Hundreds of pages of petitions signed” If you’ve been to the last few cb2’s, the majority voicing opposition is local. So yeah, a large majority of our neighborhood is opposed to this plan. Read the FB comments- all local opposition with a few outside people that are for it. 90% could be a stretch, but it could certainly be true. The only honest way is for a neighborhood vote, but dot would never agree to that for obvious reasons. Do your politics agree with the mayor trumping a neighborhood vote?

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Mythoughts

Why not put it to a neighborhood vote and get the real numbers? I have a feeling there are many more in support than you realize.

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Born here, but moving ASAP.

I disagree. Your “feeling” is meaningless.

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Anonymous

Mythoughts – it’s safe to say that everyone in this neighborhood would love a neighborhood vote. But the dot/deblahz/ta would never ever want that. Think. They’ve been overruling community boards to put these in. They know it’s not popular but they push on, despite the voices of the neighborhood.

Jimmy Van Dreamer

More tax dollars being spent to accommodate illegal immigrants,,,Let’s face it they are the ones who are commuting to their restaurant jobs in the city via Skillman and 43ave ..They can’t afford a monthly metro card and once again the middle class stuff pays the price

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Bicycle Baby

Terrible thing to say. Please be mindful of the rational people that are opposing these lanes. These kind of statements do not help and just add fuel to the fire. You’re either planting this from TA or you are just an asshole.

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more proof

Thanks for giving us MORE evidence that Trumpeters just vote based on their racism

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Anonymous

These bike lanes are a tragedy to impose on this community. They don’t protect seniors, infants in strollers, people with disabilities or other pedestrians. They only protect law breaking bikers who do not observe red lights, stop signs and other traffic laws.

The five Community Board members who voted for them are a disgrace to this community and all have connections to politicians. Jordan Levine once worked for Jimmy VanBramer and now works for a bike share company. Talk about conflicts of interest! Our elected representatives are not representing their constituents.

DOT should be maintaining streets and curbs which are not repaired in an efficient and timely manner, not wasting money on bike lanes, which they also do not properly maintain.

Transportation Alternatives acts like an Urban Terrorist organization. Who funds their activities against tax paying citizens?

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Woodside Resident

As a resident of Woodside and a strong supporter of the DOT proposal, I’m sorry you feel this way but I strongly disagree. I wonder if you were able to attend the town hall meeting or have had a chance to read the powerpoint they’ve posted online? To my mind, the DOT presented a convincing case for how this plan will in fact protect seniors, infants in strollers, people with disabilities, and other pedestrians. Drivers and car passengers too, for that matter. For example, they explained how pedestrian islands would significantly reduce the distance to cross the street at some intersections. They also explained how the narrowed roadway discourages speeding, which makes everyone safer. I know both “sides” of this debate are focused on bicycles, but let’s not forget that there were 283 traffic injuries (61 pedestrian and 34 cyclists) from 2012-2016 on Skillman and 43rd Aves. Slowing cars down, reducing crossing distances, and other measures are important benefits for all of us.

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Barbara

This Does Not Work as stated above in the city.
Our fragile community could be severely impacted asnoted in all above comments

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Fix is in

Van Bramer appoints the community board people. Ask him if he appointed Levine and other transportation committee people.

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Carbie Barbie

Tragedy is a bit strong.

Cars are far more dangerous than bikes.

Urban terrorists? That’s silly. They’re advocating for bikes, not bombs. Don’t be a doofus like that.

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Equal Responsibility

Doofus? Are you kidding? Your disdain comes through again and again.

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Carbie Barbie

Please, calling a cyclist organization terrorist is the act of a doofus. You can’t seriously deny that.

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LIC Concerned

Just remember not to vote for JVB when he runs for borough president. He did not protect us when our neighborhood was being overrun by the homeless shelters, he did nothing for LIC, but found the money over $3 million to purchase the old Phipps playground in the gardens in sunny side.

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Sally G

Sunnyside residents need to publicly campaign for the opponent. That will send a real message to the rest of Queens.

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Woodside Resident

We’ll see how this all plays out, but as a constituent who strongly supports this plan I just wish Council Member Van Bramer had publicly come out in support of it. I vote and I care deeply about living in a safe, sustainable, and walkable community. I know this issue is divisive and I understand why some car owners are upset, but it seems clear to me that this proposal is for the greater good.

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Born here, but moving ASAP.

Not good for drivers who do not have a choice about parking. I’ve been looking for a parking spot for two years because I saw this coming. Nada.

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Carbie Barbie

It sucks for many people I’m sure.

But is it possible you could save money by ditching the car and using one of the rideshares?

Insurance, tickets, hassle, gas prices, maintenance… factor all that in, and maybe you could do without the car.

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Mrsgarett

Oh yeah Cathie
Let’s have car shares for dates you fool

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Equal Responsibility

Car share is $17.00 an hour, I hear. That is not a reasonable option for me. I would rent a spot anywhere, but there are no spots available as far as I can tell and I have been asking.

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LIC Concerned

The fix was in indeed. Jimmy Van Bramer and his husband a transportation alternative supporter/activist pushed for this. Bet JVB in favor of the mayor’s crazy dumbing down of the NYC specialized high schools as well.

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Tree of Liberty

Prepare for it, the final vote will be yes for protected lanes. And if not, honeymooner in Cuba Deblasio will overrule. At least my pork fried rice with extra msg will be delivered quicker…

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Anonymous

Only one of the board members who voted yes actually lives in Sunnyside.

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Born here, but moving ASAP.

My anger at the committee members just tripled. How do we get rid of them?

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Born here, but moving ASAP.

I’m sick to my stomach. I’m beginning to thoroughly dislike every single one of the bikers I see. May what this does to all of us who were here before you one day happen to you. I have no more welcome left in my heart. I’m sorry I was kind to any of you. And Councilman, what can I say, you didn’t protect us.

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Carbie Barbie

Can I ask–what are you most angry about losing over the course of the changing neighborhood?

I’m not trying to taunt you, but it seems like you’re over reacting to some bike lanes. I know the community loses parking spots, but is that really worth being angry at your fellow human beings? There’s got to be more to it than just that.

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Barbara

It’s not changing If only one pro-bike person lives in the community, who gives them the right to take over our community!!

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Carbie Barbie

Partly, I don’t understand your comment.

But “take over” the community–that’s a bit much, isn’t it? It’s a bike lane. They’re not forcing anyone into a re-education camp.

There’s a good amount of support for it just here on these comments, let alone those who don’t read this site.

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Mike T.

What a joke! Let’s compare the amount of pedestrians hit by car as well. How about the amount of pedestrians hit by bike? Maybe we should have protected sidewalks as well.

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Declan

I get it—changes piss people off. But this will probably be fine. There will be some bumps and adjustments, but there has been a lot of Chicken Little “sky is falling” stuff on these boards. Pretty soon, we won’t be thinking too much about it.

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Born here, but moving ASAP.

In fact it is expensive and there are none to be had as far as I can tell.

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Declan

I used to have one. But in the city, why bother? It’s not worth the hassle if you can avoid it. I appreciate that some people feel they don’t have an option but to own one, but I think most (not all) of that is BS.

Between the high insurance, gas prices, maintenance, finding parking (even before the bike lanes), alternate side parking, getting tickets, feeding the meters, accidents and digging the damn thing out when it snows…

The money you save on not paying for all that crap could easily be a car rental budget for the year. That’s what I did.

So, no, I don’t have one. Because having one in the city kind of sucks.

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Mike T.

Some people, like myself, need a car to get places that are not possible to reach by bike or public transit. I have an elderly grandmother that I take care of and need to transport and a family that lives in the sticks. I cannot afford to purchase a parking spot AND live in Sunnyside with comfort. This is not fair to ANYONE in the community and only satisfy’s a few hundred bikers a day. After rent and utilities, my family spends at least $30,000 a year in local Sunnyside shops (restaurants, grocers, laundermats, etc.). Because of this, I will be looking to take my money elsewhere when my lease is up. It was a good run Sunnyside, bring on the Hipsters and their organic coffee!

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Declan

Mike–I hear you–some people legitimately need a car at some point. You could maybe get by with one of the car sharing services if you really look at your budget carefully. Obviously I can’t say for sure, but it might be worth looking at for you.

As for the fairness of the bike lanes, I don’t agree. On a basic safety front, traffic calming and fewer cars is better for everyone over all.

My sense (not scientific–of course–it’s hard to be sure) is that most the of people are fine with bike lanes and the narrow section of people who are most concerned with parking are the loudest and most agitated at the moment. Their energy and anger speaks louder than their numbers really reflect.

Moving is stressful. I hope yours goes well if you decide to go through with it.

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Mike T.

It’s not just the parking I am concerned about, it’s the fact that we are funding something so ridiculous when there are clearly other things in our neighborhood that should have priority over this. In addition, the narrowing of lanes will also cause much more traffic and also cause safety concerns with emergency responders. Can’t tell you how many times i’ve watched a firetruck or ambulance unable to get through the double parked cars now.

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anonym

I agree a few hundred bikers a day do not compare to the dozen or so auto owners who park their car and forget about it for hours or days at a time – NOT FAIR!!

whaah

The vast majority of residents here don’t have a car, and most that do have a driveway.

I’d be fine with getting rid of a travel lane and putting in 60 degree parking though.

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Carbie Barbie

Hey, what’s the evidence that the vast majority of residents don’t have a car? Are you going by gut feel or is there some proof of that? I’ve seen it a lot and wondered about the veracity.

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Ryan T

Many lives? Please tell me how many people in Sunnyside have been killed by a car while riding a big the LEGAL way? 1…. Let’s change the entire neighborhood and invest all this money into a bike lane that is rarely used. How about the side walks that I see people falling over everyday? What about the garbage that rolls up and down the streets. Priorities are all messed up in this city.

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Bicycle Baby

1 fatality in 7+ years – “Many lives will be spared?” Lol. Clowns.

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Fatal chain-reaction crash on Kosciuszko Bridge in Maspeth claims life of 75-year-old Texan: NYPD

New details have emerged into the fatal chain-reaction four-vehicle collision on the Kosciuszko Bridge in Maspeth that killed a senior and injured seven on Thursday morning.

The 75-year-old man who was killed during the pile-up has been identified as Shafiur Rahman of Euless, Texas. He was among several passengers riding in a 2021 Honda HRV that was trying to merge into the rain-soaked southbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.