43rd Avenue (Photo: Queens Post)
Nov. 8, 2017 By Christian Murray
The DOT has plans to remove 158 parking spots along Skillman and 43rd avenues as part of a grand plan to install protected bicycle lanes and increase safety.
The ambitious plan, which was presented at Community Board 2’s Transportation Committee Meeting Monday, also involves eliminating a car lane from portions of both avenues.
The plan was prompted, in part, by two bicycle crashes that took place at the intersection of 43rd Avenue and 39th Street in April, which included the death of Gelasio Reyes, 32, who was killed when he rode through a red light and was struck by a drunk driver. Ten days later another cyclist was seriously injured at the same location.
Soon after, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer held a press conference at that site and called on the DOT to install protected bike lanes on both avenues.
Nicky Carey, a senior project manager at the DOT, said Monday that the comprehensive plan would protect cyclists, reduce speeding and increase safety. Carey emphasized that the plan focused heavily on pedestrian safety, noting that 74 pedestrians were injured on the two avenues between 2010-2014, six seriously. There were no fatalities.
Carey said that the addition of the protected bicycle lanes would complete a western Queens network since there are protected lanes on Queens Blvd and by the Queensboro Bridge.
“This is the only real gap…and if 43rd Avenue and Skillman could be upgraded it would be great for the neighborhood and awesome for western Queens,” Carey said. “How exciting would it be to have a continuous 7 ½ mile route that is protected and people feel comfortable riding on.”
The protected bicycle lanes, however, would be the primary source of the lost parking spaces. The bicycle lanes would be installed flush against the curb, with the parking lane pushed more toward the middle of the avenues.
“We want to flip the bike lane with the parking [lane],” Carey said. “The protected bike lane would go along the curb.”
With the proposed bike lane going in behind the parked cars, motorists would be less able to see cyclists when they turn right onto side streets, Carey said. In order to increase visibility, he said, the DOT would remove parking spaces near the turns. The number of lost spaces to protect cyclists from turning cars would total 118 spaces. An additional 40 spaces would be lost on Skillman Avenue between 39th Street and the Queens Blvd Bridge since the road would be reconfigured for the bicycle lane.
Proposed configuration (Photo: DOT)
The DOT said that now is the time for protected bicycle lanes since the number of cyclists that use both avenues is up significantly. Carey said that on each weekday from 7:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. more than 1,400 people cycle on the two streets combined.
The installation of bicycle lanes would also reduce the amount of space for motorists, which in turn would discourage speeding and calm traffic, Carey said. Pedestrian islands would also be installed next to the bicycle lanes that would also shorten the distance for pedestrians when they cross the street.
However, the use of bicycle lanes as the primary means to increase traffic safety was questioned by board members.
“Traffic-calming measures don’t always have to come aside with bike lanes. There has to be other things we can do,” CB 2 Chair Denise Keehan-Smith said during the meeting. “Losing 158 spaces, I’ll be honest with you, I think is highly unreasonable.”
Loss of Lanes
Carey said that the DOT conducted an extensive study of traffic volumes along Skillman and 43rd avenues.
He said that traffic volumes are relatively light on Skillman Avenue toward the Roosevelt Avenue end, an area where motorists tend to speed.
The DOT proposal calls for one lane to be scrapped on Skillman Avenue from 49th Street to 56th Street.
“[Our] suggestion is to drop a travel lane and the advantage is that it discourages speeding and makes the protected bike lanes wider and more like the standard protected bike lanes you see in Manhattan,” Carey said. Furthermore, it would be safer for pedestrians since they would not have to cross such a wide street, he said.
The parking lane would also be larger which would allow vehicles to get around double-parked vehicles, he said.
Reduction of a lane in sections of Skillman and 43rd Avenues (Photo: DOT)
Some of the board members expressed concern that trucks are already double parked on that section of Skillman Avenue and that they could potentially block the street.
The DOT said that it has been conducting a truck study in the area and is working with businesses to get loading zones. The agency said that it has talked to business owners in the area who have had no complaints about the plan or potential parking issues.
Keehan-Smith said that the creation of loading zones would further deplete the number of parking spaces and she said the plan would have the biggest impact on residents in any case.
“Sunnyside is about apartments and there is no place to park…and people are going to be frustrated about this,” Keehan-Smith said. She insisted that a public hearing be held to allow residents to voice their opinion. At the committee meeting Monday few attended, although there were a handful of people from Transportation Alternatives, which advocates for bike lanes.
Slip lane by park would be gone (Photo: Queens Post)
The plan would also lead to the loss of a lane on 43rd Avenue between 32nd Place to 38th Street, another area that the DOT deems to have low traffic volume.
Another change on 43rd Avenue would be the closing of the slip lane from 43rd Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue near 52nd Street, adjacent to John Vincent Daniels Square.
The DOT said that the slip lane is not used by many motorists so it creates the opportunity to extend the pedestrian area around the park. Furthermore, it makes it easier to extend the protected bike lane through 52nd Street and Queens Blvd.
The DOT also plans to shut down a second lane on Skillman Avenue between 33rd Street and 39th Street for most of the day. The second lane, deemed a “rush hour lane,” would only be in use between 7 am -10 am. How the DOT shuts it down outside these hours was not discussed.
In addition, the streets will also be reconfigured on Skillman Avenue from the Queens Blvd Bridge through to 32nd Place. With the installation of a two-way protected bicycle lane the angled parking area has to be changed.
Speed of Process and Resident Feedback
Jason Banrey, Deputy Commissioner for the DOT in Queens, told the board that he wanted them to approve the changes by January so the DOT could start the redesign next spring.
“I want to make sure everyone understands: Somebody died here, somebody got seriously injured,” Banrey said.
But Keehan Smith said that it was not reasonable to expect the community to approve such a comprehensive plan without allowing the public time to weigh in and for the board to comb over it.
“I still hear about the Queens Blvd [redesign], people saying that they didn’t have a voice…so I don’t want that situation again.”
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150 Comments
It’s a great news to all bike owners
How about we make the process of getting a license more performance/skill oriented so people who operate motor vehicles are safe instead of just letting every person who thinks driving is a right have a car and operate with an entitled, irresponsible attitude. Driving is a privilege. I ride bicycles, motorcycles and I drive my car. I likewise take public transportation. They all serve different functions and should all be embraced. Drivers, bikers, and people that ride public transportation all have the potential to be idiots.
Let’s just keep adding more cars and more cars and more cars. Traffic will be worse, it will take you longer to get to where you’re going and you’ll block emergency vehicles. The population continues to increase and with it the number of cars but that’s cool because we can’t increase the number of parking spots or capacity of the roads to accommodate those cars. Let’s not offer ANY alternatives to cars. If we have to diminish the quality of our lives to hold on to our cars I’ll be happy. Well, I won’t be happy because I’ll be stuck in traffic but I just can’t think outside the box.
If you become a Street Bum like me and Bruno you wouldn’t have to worry about owning a car or a bike. Just grab yourself a refrigerator box and set up shop. You get some free Lattes and cake pops from the passing hipsters. There’s still a few prime sidewalk spots left on Greenpoint Avenue. Contact DeBozo for his vacancy list.
Make your voices heard and say NO to this terrible idea by emailing or calling your representatives.
We have a car and we also bike and walk. This is great news. So what if we lose that many parking spaces so that people aren’t being killed and injured? And also encourage even MORE people to bike so we have fewer cars and need that many spaces anyway?
150 parking spaces is basically nothing, it’s like a smidgen of 1% of all the parking spaces in Sunnyside. All will be fine. Parking isn’t free anyway! It comes at a cost to society. And as taxpayers we all own the streets. So we should be able to make them work better for all. If nearly 1500 cyclists per day are using this corridor during the daylight hours, that is certainly enough to require a protected lane!
If you think a reconfigured street is going to stop bicyclists from getting killed you’ve been sniffing too many bike seats. You want = treatment? Ok. Make bikers pay registration and inspection fees. Make them get insurance. Give out more tickets to the 90% that routinely break the law on their toys. You drive around a major urban center with no shell around you…you’re gonna get hurt. Wise up.
Last time I checked my taxes entitle me to use of the road like everyone else. I’ll happily share the road with you. I am not possessed by the idea that because I drive a car that I own the road. I don’t even believe that I own the sidewalk. Everyone on a bike is one less person in a car and in a bus or subway. That’s a good thing.
2 people killed in a year. If you do the math on the highly questionable 1400 bikers per day using that corridor….it comes to 2 deaths out of over 500,000 trips. Not enough to blow up the neighborhood.
I am an avid bicyclist and have used this route many times, but I am also someone who drives my employer’s car for work and has visitors from out of town who have the utmost difficulties finding parking for almost an hour at times, especially after 7 PM. I have to agree that the amount of fellow cyclists which disobey traffic laws is appallingly high. I always shake my head when they carelessly zoom past red lights (and WITHOUT helmets!) I was super appreciative when this bike lane appeared, but I truly believe that if this is such a pressing issue, then the developers and designers can truly find alternatives to taking away parking spaces. Residents in Sunnyside have had this complaint for years, particularly when the city frustratingly decided to install muni meters at spots along 43rd avenue. I really wish, as someone who both loves my bicycle and safe lanes, that this would be presented as a proposal for Sunnyside residents to vote upon. It’s not fair that legislation constantly neglects the residents who face the daily infrastructure issues. I also agree that there are far more concerns we should confront. Lastly, it’s ignorant to implore people to cycle as the only method of travel. Some people physically are NOT able to do so.
If you ride your bike to work you must be a smelly sweaty mess when you get to work. P U ! ?♀️
You need to make adjustments when riding a bike – like having a change of cloths when you get to work but it’s not anywhere as bad as you seem to believe. Besides, cars are dirty, kill over 35,000 people per year, pollute the air, destroy the environment, have ruined cities over the past 75 years….. I could go on an on so I’m not so sure if a little sweat is al that bad.
No parking space is the main reason I am moving out of Sunnyside. This is going to make things so much worse. We are trying to fit everything everywhere just to look cool. I am a biker and I also own a car. There were days I had to work overnight and come home exhausted to try to find a spot in the early mornings which was the worse part of my workday. It’s easy for many of you to say to drop the car and bike everywhere. Some of us have no other option but to drive to get to work.
What then happens when that whole corridor between 33rd-38th gets rezoned for high rises and the # of cars grows that much more? There will be be even fewer spaces to park. Not everyone has the option to ride their toy to work, we have to drive. This whole plan is overboard. Thus 1400 # is a joke. Not even close.
Take the subway, dopey. Get some kleenex for those crocodile tears .
I’m bike commuting to Manhattan on Skillman/43rd every day, like 1400 other cyclists during daytime and many more during nighttime who need to get to night jobs–I am tired of risking my life along this stretch every single day. If you look at a bike map of Queens, you will see that this East-West corridor is The Only Way to get to the Queensborough Bridge from Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, East Elmhurts, Corono, and other places further to the Northeast. We have such poor bike and pedestrian infrastructure in Queens that I think it is extremely modest to ask for better protection on the very few bike routes we do have, in order to get to work and back home safely to our families who are worried about us every single day.
Car drivers, please please take heart and recognize that pedestrians and cyclists experience the road very differently than you do from behind the windshield in a protected steel cage. We are very vulnerable, to us 4 tons of steel are a weapon that can kill us in an instant or maim us for life. The great news is that streets can be designed in a way that even the most vulnerable street users don’t have to pay with their lives if they make a mistake–as we all do.
As a bicyclist, I can tell you that car drivers go through red All The Time. I know this because I have to be extremey careful to calculate that into my riding behavior–I never can simply go at green b/c car drivers tend to speed to catch the light and continue through at bright red. So please please don’t be so heartless to suggest that Anyone deserves to be killed by a speeding, drunk, unlicensed driver even if they made a mistake–which at this point is nothing more than a rumor anyway, since unfortunately the NYPD is well known to lie about such things.
If you actually study the DOT plan, you will see that a large chunk of the car parking that would have to be removed is in the angled parking lot in the industrial area close to Queens Boulevard–which is pretty empty at all times I ride by–which is every day. The loss of other parking–to create mixing zones at intersections–is spread out over ~40 blocks if you count both avenues together, that is, ~ 3 spaces per block. Aren’t the lives saved and injuries prevented worth even that much? Is this really worth the hysteria and hate I see in this comments section? Are you really that heartless? I don’t want to believe that.
I personally participated in visiting Every Single Business along the corridor to discuss the dangers we face as pedestrians and cyclists, and to ask business owners to sign a support letter. Almost every business owner/manager signed a letter (not even a handful of exceptions), and did so enthusiastically, while telling us their own horror stories of crashes, near misses, and terrible injuries. In addition, an online petition for protected bikelanes has so far garnered 700 signatures with minimal effort: https://campaigns.transalt.org/petition/memory-gelasio-reyes-make-skillman-43rd-ave-protected-bike-lanes. Vulnerable street users are desperate for these changes! Please try to step out of the safety of your cars and try to put yourself in our shoes–or our bike seat. Please help us make Queens safer and less hateful for all.
You have a penchant for solipsism and tear-jerking. Speaking as a “most vulnerable street user” that you talk about (the pedestrian), I can say that I generally don’t harbor enmity between bicyclists and motorists despite the near-misses I experience while I technically have the right-of-way. But be careful what you wish for! Our infrastructure is on a very fragile balance as it stands. Beware the longer-term UNFORESEEN and/or UNINTENDED consequences that follows hasty forced changes (that includes this DOT’s proposal)
Another guy who’s writing a book. Tell your story walking qbc
Time to move out. I’m putting my Co-Op up for rent. My commute from Brooklyn(I drive everyday) is about an hour + add in in the 30 minutes i spend looking for parking. I think I’m throwing in the towel and giving this suburban living a try… Long Island here I come.
Bye , don’t come back either
Is Mass transit not an option for you? Curious as to why you would choose to drive from BK to Sunnyside?
I feel you. That was one of the reasons we moved to Middle Village. Lack of parking and expensive housing.
I’m more concerned about losing the one lane of travel. The proposal has Skillman and 43 going down to one lane… More bottlenecking, traffic, it’s really going to be a pain…
Boy, this is certainly a hot button issue. Is everyone looking forward to Thanksgiving?
Commenters should read the presentation. The parking spaces lost are all on Skillman in the industrial area in the 30s. I bet none of you park there and those spaces are rarely all taken.
Of course none of the Sunnyside residents will park there if they can help it – they’d all prefer to park closer to where they live and avoid paying the meter. But where do you think the industrial area employees will take up parking once their spots are eliminated? Having worked in that area (and one of the few that lived within walking distance), I can say that while it may not be a war-zone like underneath Queens Blvd., those spots are pretty well utilized during business hours in the workweek.
I stopped in at Pure on a weekday at 11, ALL the muni spots under the El, Skillman and 43rd were taken. When they get taken away, the people that work down there will come further up
I think this is a great idea. If there were protected lanes more people would bike to work instead of the subway which would help with 7 train overcrowding. For those who say 1400 people don’t bike this per day I ask you to sit there for an hour during rush hour and watch. It’s heavily travelled. Also I walk most of this route multiple times a day and most of the parking on Skillman in the more industrial areas sits empty.
This is a sensible plan, and I support it.
That’s typical of you.
People cry about jvb but they don’t vote him out. Hahaha. Sunnyside, all talk
today while I played the alternate side of the street game on 43rd Avenue and 40th Street for an hour I watched and counted exactly 10 bicycles one of which stopped for a red light and 3 went onto the sidewalk and we’re supposed to reward these irresponsible morons?
I watch cars go through red lights EVERY SINGLE DAY. In 2016 over 35,000 people died in car accidents. And we, I, am supposed to reward THOSE people.
If you do the math….which may be a struggle with your IQ level…you’d notice the # of bikers zipping thru red lights to be disproportionately higher than cars. I drive every day. It’s not even close. Get yer head outta yer arse and pay attn.
And YOU probably had to consult a dictionary to correctly spell “IQ” but regardless of your limitations we really need to come up with new alternatives to cars. We can’t just keep adding more and more cars to our already clogged roads. Bikes are only one option.
My sympathies to the residents Who own cars in that part of the neighborhood and for those who didn’t vote for Van bremer, deblasio or any other democrat. But for the liberal democrats who do own cars in that area, you got what you voted for. Liberals hate cars, always have. Everything for them is always in the word of safety. Now good drivers with clean records are going to have great difficulty finding parking in an already very tough place to park I live on the other side of the Blvd, the greenpoint Ave side. And they just eliminated at least 25 spots due to construction which really was not needed, and the idiotic plan to make bigger corner sidewalks Throughout greenpoint Ave. when I was a kid growing up in the once great old sunnyside over 20 30 years ago, we use to ride bikes all the time with no problem. And the drivers knew to get out of our way cause the bicyclists always have the right of way. No matter what, and there were never any bike lanes. And everything was just fine. Now their installing bike lanes and Cameras speed bumps etc all over the place. There’s always a need to promote safety, but this eliminating 158 spots is nothing more than a derelict mentality. And selfish ignorant citizens will continue to vote for these idiots. As idiotic as the RESCRUBLICAN party is, yes I wrote scrub cause they are scrubs, the democrats are The ultimate worst. The quality of life in sunnyside and all of nyc is now poor. And just wait when construction comes to that part of skillman via home construction or the ultimate worse, pipe work along those neighborhoods. And you know it’s coming since it’s rampamt everywhere else in the city.
The only winners in this are the liberals, and the parking violations bureau who will be making many $ off drivers who will be forced to park illegally and the bicyclist who need everything in the world for their own selfish convenience. And if that isn’t bad enough wait till they get massive snowstorms again, then what.
All this cause a drunk driver killed a bicyclist and some other incidents. Now good people who had nothing to do with incidents whatsoever are gonna pay the price.
Micheal savage was is right.
LIBERALISM IS A MENTAL DISORDER.
I thought he was joking, but didn’t realize that he wasn’t.
Marc- You live in a dream world. I have lived in Sunnyside all my life which started in the late 1950’s. I even hung out out at the old Dukes and White House over on that side of the boulevard (ask your parents). I have always owned a car and rode bikes with my 3 kids. I realized in the early 80’s that parking was an issue and vandalism an even larger issue so I started keeping my car in a private lot and haven’t parked in the street around here only to unload or pick up. Around this time I stopped ridding a bike around here and had my kids stop ridding their bikes in the street because of the danger. It wasn’t safe in the early 80’s and its even worse now.
Mac-do You still have the disco ball in your living room and your gold snort spoon hanging from your neck . Mac=old school
Please , character limit for guys like this
There are plenty of people who hate de blasio and agree that liberalism is a mental disorder who also want protected bike lanes. Bike infrastructure is an obvious and extremely cost-effective infrastructure improvement. It certainly be done better than they are doing but it can also be adjusted in the future. Once the space between curb and parked cars is secured and people are used to this being part of the street grid we can adjust it, tighten it up, etc. Bikes aren’t about climate change garbage, they are about quality of life and exercise. There is literally nothing impactful that can be done in this dense city of 9 million to reduce car traffic and increase parking short of getting rid of three million of those people. When you drive, you are traffic. Take a taxi if you are old and decrepit.
Finally NYC will start to look a little more like Italy, Spain and the Balkans with Motorcycles, Vespas and Bicycles outnumbering cars 🙂
Van Bramer could not care less about his constituents that drive cars. He is totally for bike lanes and congestion pricing. Watch him closely or next we will be paying tolls on the 59th St. Bridge and the other toll free bridges. This is a personal issue to him. It’s a shame that two term limits for City Council seats were grandfathered for a third term if you held office before 2010. Now unfortunately we are stuck with him for a third term. My guess is that he probably is picked up each day and driven to work in a official NYC car.
If Jimmy Van Bramer and his husband Dan (who on the board of Transportation Alternatives) want to slash parking spaces, let’s see JVB give up his Parking Placard and try to find parking like the rest of us little people. Maybe he can ride his bike to city hall instead of driving!
No, he should take the subway. If he drives to city hall he’s adding to the problem.
being born and raised in Sunnyside I just hate this f*** the biycle people im all for saving the environment but now your taking parking spots. Horrible plan I hate this councilmen I hate this plan seriously if you want to ride a bike do it at your own risk!!! Horrible plan don’t support it
You hate him but did you vote? I bet you didn’t ! Yup yup yup I bet you didn’t vote. Next time vote. Sunnyside, all talk, no action. Sunnyside people sucks.
Yes, I did vote and not for this fake politician f*** this guy and everything he stands for, I really do hope these bicycle people gets what coming to them.
but these guys bike up the street in the wrong direction
surprised that no one has killed me yet ( the ones on two wheels )
I see bikes break laws all the time, but who’s ever heard of a NYC motorist going faster than the speed limit or rolling a stop sign?! It’s never happened!
NYC is getting overcrowded with cars, traffic gets worse every day. Instead of wasting money on “alternatives” we should just complain about cyclists on a message board.
Since 1990 the population of NYC has increased by about 1.25 million people. That number alone would represent one of the top ten cities in the US. We can’t continue to allow more and more and more cars on roads that can not increase capacity to hold cars. We need more and better mass transit, and bikes to accommodate more people. No one should break traffic laws but we can’t just keep adding cars and think that is the solutions. Commercial and emergency vehicles need to be able to get from point A to B. The population of NY continues to increase. How much pain and suffering and loss of time are you willing to put up with until we demand more and better options?
Is this Bruno again
They go way too far. They obviously only want rich young and healthy people to live here. It is embittering to have given so much to this neighborhood for a lifetime only to be told in a thousand ways that you are no longer needed, drop dead.
Rich? Bikes cost far far less than cars.
ATT::Anonymous– what have you given in the lifetime your speaking about ? How long are you talking about ? 1000 ways told your not needed? I don’t get it, Im asking .
I notice this story comes out AFTER the election. We are being professionally screwed. Shameless. And the man is mean. He is all mr nice guy outside but he poisons his enemies behind the scene and an enemy is anyone who doesn’t kiss his ring at least once a week.
JVB only cares about JVB always has and will never change — he is useless as tits on a bull —
Van Bramer is in love with Transportation Alternatives and bicycle lanes.
His husband is on the board of Transportative Alternatives. His name is Dan Hendrick. No wonder we have bike lanes on Queens Boulevard and this mess is coming.
His own husband is lobbing for this.
https://www.transalt.org/staff/board-of-directors
Van Bramer should worry more about putting in more red lights along Skillman 43rd Avenues between 39th St & 48th St so that cars do not speed through those streets & cause accidents with other cars, bike riders, & pedestrians. By the way bike riders do not respect the laws of the road along Skillman & 43rd Avenues. They go through red lights, they go through stop signs & they ride in the wrong direction.
Yeah follow the big bicycle money! Everyone knows how powerful the two wheeler lobby is.
isn’t this a conflict of interest with his husband –
Hmm. He may also own a car. So it’s all mixed up!
What kind of drug were you on when you hallucinated this “bike lobby”?
Why don’t they have the same last name if they’re married?
Because not all spouses change their name when they get married. Didn’t you know this????
Let’s be honest sunnysidepostville….how many cyclists do you see stopping at red lights? Stop signs? Few. Too many are on our sidewalks, fail to give right of way to pedestrians, drive the wrong way in the bike lane. I see close calls caused by bikes every day. Tickets should be given out more frequently. If you want to play the the big boys you gotta pay….
FYI, the 108th precinct is ticketing bicyclists all the time on this stretch, while I’ve never seen them ticket any car driver who parks or drives in the bikelane. The 108th precinct’s statistics show clearly that bicyclists are ticketed disproportionately.
Not enough. For every 1 biker stopped at a light 50 blow through it. Gimme a break. More get busted because more break the law.
Time for neighborhood placards so that Sunnyside residents can park in their own neighborhood. Spaces taken up by people coming in from LI, etc. Also, adults should be forced to register their bikes. City could use the funds. They are using the roads and should pay just like car owners do….inspection, registration and more tickets to those that break the law.
All of these protected bike lanes to & from 59 Street bridge How about a protected pedestrian lane on the bridge? Currently there is a painted line between pedestrians & bikes on the bridge Cyclists zoom across the bridge like they are in the Tour de France passing each other & constantly swerving at pedestrians. Heaven forbid they may have to slow down & ride behind another cyclist Anyone who walks across that bridge knows what I mean
YES! I have pictures of a motorbike and of bikes on both sides coming at me while I was walking. They cannot even follow rules on the bridge, sorry I am not confident in them and that’s why they should be held to some standard. They certainly don’t yield to pedestrians….but yes EVERYONE should yield to them
There’s no way 1400 bikes use that stretch of road. 140 maybe. Now you will have 158 more cars on the road driving around looking for spots. Thus creating more opportunities for accidents. Dumb plan.
I am pretty certain this is totally illegal what he is planning on doing — what should happen is people from Sunnyside should be calling for a Town Hall meeting regarding this with JVB present of course and the Mayor and DOT and Marcia Kramer all should be involved — TOTALLY ILLEGAL –
Illegal? How so?
This is terrible for motorists in Sunnyside and the post election day timing is very irritating. You cut 158 spots and the parking situation is going to be completely insane, there aren’t enough spots as is. They gotta create a locals only lot to compensate for this.
Living in Sunnyside for over 25 years has been basically affordable because I have been able to park. I cannot just “buy a bike” and ride it to work. Work is in various boroughs and I have to carry equipment as a specialized teacher. I am dedicated to my work and not ready or able to give it up yet because someone thinks I could just use the train or bike. I contribute my shopping and recreation spending to this community, my taxes and community spirit. Reducing the parking would be total anxiety. I appreciate the speed reduction for cars that has been put in place and wish that all who pass through, bike, mopeds, cars, and yes, pedestrians would follow the traffic laws. This would make it much safer. Making a “rush hour lane” on Skillman would only encourage drivers to pass through our neighborhood too fast. Queens Blvd. and Northern is adequate for this car traffic. Making it safe does not mean taking away something many in Sunnyside really do need.
Lets be honest….How often do you see a bicyclist obeying the rules of the road? Stopping at red lights. Giving pedestrians the right of way, staying off the sidewalk. Going the wrong way on a 1 way street. Too often. Let’s reward them!
Too many spots lost. Needs to be scared back quite a bit. 1400 cyclists a day on those streets? BS. 140 maybe. Neighborhood parking placards should be issued to compensate the driving community.
If you want to ride your bike on a public street you should have to register and be required to display a License Plate like cars and motorcycles. This way the bike is easily identifiable for Red Light Cameras and for police who can pull the cyclist over and issue tickets when they break the rules. This way they can pay for their very own special lanes.
Cyclists already pay for bike lanes through this thing called “taxes,” you might want to look it up. They also pay for the road repairs caused by the cars they don’t drive. Cars damage streets dramatically more than bicycles do, so by your logic motorists should “pay for their very own special lanes” right?
YUP, YUP, YUP!!! THATS RIGHT THATS RIGHT.
I frequently cycle this way. Honestly a protected bike lane is great for cyclist but it seems to be solving a problem that doesn’t really exist. If there is a car in the bike lane, I slow down and go around it. A protected bike lane would not have saved either of the cyclists who died. Both were killed at the intersection.
But…but….that’s common sense. We can’t have that. We need to blame and spend.
Plenty of studies show protected bike lanes prevent accidents. To be fair, you do have an entire anecdote though.
Don’t fret about the lost parking spots! I have a primo one for rent in front of my building on 39 Place.
I’ve lived in Woodside for 22 years and it saddens me that these hipsters come in and believe they can rezone and “pamper” the Queens we all know and love. 3 years ago this problem of bike and car was never a priority until now. They implemented this same idea on Queens Blvd. Now the intersection of Woodhaven and Queens Blvd is a mess getting to Queens Center from the west and that damn bike lane is never used. How many of you hipsters plan on skiing Queens Blvd with your bike in the snow in the middle of January? I bet none of you.
I love that now “hipsters” are working for the DOT. Priceless!
Bike/Bus lanes are unnecessary and are just causing delays and slowing the traffic flow. Thus causing more pollution and lateness. Lifelong Queens resident its obvious DOT. mostly making things worse.
This spot also comes with 24/7 valet parking done Rachel Maddow, Jake Tapper and Don Lemon.
It’s good that he has those employees parking the cars so the Snowflakesiders don’t get offended.
one time a cyclist almost hit my pomeranian
Take him bowling, rent him shoes
Almost? Well I think that the answer is to ban all bikes. There is no other choice as I see it.
i thought by now we’d have flying cars we could leave hovering outside our window instead of parking. Im really disappointed in 2017. In fact, the whole “future” was a REAL DISAPPOINTMENT when you look at it.
Except for maybe George Foreman Grills
I Shouldn’t have read all those Ray Bradbury books. Got my hopes up for nothing!
I am a crossing guard and these bicyclists do not obey any signals or me. They have almost hit me numerous times and just missing a child. This idea is the worst. None of these designers live around here do they??
So all the people disliking this comment are n favor of bicyclists running over crossing guards. Good on ya hipsters.
This is horrible! Why protect them if they don’t obey traffic laws? I picked up my daughter from school @ PS 150 on 43rd Ave, as we were crossing the street a bicyclist completely disregarded the red light and hit me! Thank goodness my daughter was on my left side because she would have gotten hurt really bad and the whole neighborhood would have heared me!
This is exactly what I have told DOT and JVB’s office…Nothing.
It’s wrong when bicyclists hit people but isn’t it JUST as wrong when cars hit people as well? If we punish all who engage in a type of behavior because some people abuse the laws then all are punished weather they are guilty or not. Over 36,000 people died in car accidents last year. Do we ban all cars? I don’t think so. I know people who don’t put their dogs on leashes and that can cause problems. Do we ban all dogs? I know people who abuse drugs. Do we ban all medicine?
Can’t someone design this without losing any parking spots? I believe when they build/design these things they deliberately take away parking space. Figure it out! Build it without losing the spaces!!! I can’t be impossible….
100% on purpose they take away the parking space to discourage drivers. You absolutely can design this with out losing the space. Hell you could probably design it and ADD parking space. They throw in that BS about safety with buffer zones and turning lanes! its all nonsense. Damn NYC used to have true grit…now it’s just sad
Driving should be discouraged. Cars ruin our quality of life. They’re noisy dangerous and dirty.
Learn how to drive you loser
Move back to Indiana then
Where there are way more cars and no infrastructure for alternative transportation?
You didn’t really think out that tired rehashed insult did you?
Come back in the future when electric cars are not polluting. What about diesel-fuel buses & trucks. Go find a safe bike lane to ride your bike this is NYC and businesses and residents need parking spaces.
Do they really think that frustrating drivers with less parking spaces and narrow lanes is the best way to protect bikers?
I feel like city is making it harder to park around here, only to eventually build an expensive parking lot and charge people more money for parking. They still don’t enforce speed limits or people blowing red lights on a daily basis. Stop trying to impress bikers. I don’t know the real reason behind all this but it sounds like Citibank might be behind this. They must be getting ready to put Citibike in sunnyside.
Make the bikers pay for the lanes and require license and insurance. Then we’ll talk bike lanes and narrow roads.
Parking is luxury that you do not pay for. This space belongs to everyone in this city.
We all pay for the streets with our taxes. Drivers don’t own the street. Every bike is one less car on the road. That’s good for all of us.
if you feel that way then register your bike with the DMV and get a license plate and get insurance end of story —
You disagree? Do you believe that drivers own the roads? I’m willing to share the road with drivers. Maybe bikes should be registered and inspected and licensed. If that’s what it takes to be taken seriously then that’s fine. I’m for it.
he waited until after the election to say this — he did not have the B___S to say it before
But he had the balls to have two people outside the voting yesterday giving out his pamphlets to vote for him which is completely unethical and out right cheating.
I hope all the people that voted for him now see what a phony no good politician he really is.
Don’t matter when he said it if you don’t vote dopey
Bad idea. It makes it that much more dangerous for pedestrians and children especially near the park. Cyclists constantly go through the lights. I teach my children to only cross at the crosswalks and when it says to walk. These people have missed my children and I by a hair. It’s ridiculous. They did this type of lane over in Astoria by Coned and it’s a mess.
I see cars go through red lights every single day. I believe that if your children were hit by cars they might be injured ALMOST as bad as if they were hit by cars. Maybe I’m wrong.
Your statement has nothing to due with reality. So since there are bad car drivers we should have bad bicyclists forced upon us? To make things even? Of those “1400” bicyclists seen, how many were the same 7 delivery bikes?
No, I’m not saying BECAUSE drivers go through lights you deserve ANYTHING NEGATIVE. I’m saying that all are guilty of violating the laws so there is no reason to point to bikers as if THEY alone are responsible for illegal activities. As for how many bikers there are there are tens of thousands per day right now and if we expand CitiBike or bike lanes we will have more and we will have fewer cars – that’s even good for drivers. Even pedestrians cross against the light. You can’t stop everyone.
20 Ave from 37Street- Shore Blvd. a head on accident in the making, and just waiting for a snow storm to bury all these bike&bus lanes.
A cyclist rides through a red light and is hit by a drunk driver, yet you punish sober, responsible car drivers. What about a speedbump to slow traffic? And what about just addressing that intersection where both accidents took place? No, you have to jump in with blanket bullshit and ruin everything for everyone else.
Exactly! I’ve been asking for speed bumps on 1 block by skillman park and keep getting shot down BUT this? So how many more people need to get hit by the park before JVB will have a press conference???
Are you Lily from the grave or a different random Lily?
How convenient that this was posted the day after election day Jimmy.
Yes Susan JVB publishes the Sunnyside Post when he’s not holding press conferences, planning and attending rallies, meeting with developers, casting votes at City Hall, campaigning, attending civic affairs, visiting the senior centers, etc.,etc…This is one amazingly busy man but you got him this time Susan.
and now JVB is in Puerto Rico —
You could have voted for another candidate I guess. You probably don’t live in the district
How true!!! Jimmy should take a look at what Ben Kallos does for his district. I can’t believe Jimmy got elected again for doing absolutely nothing but pose for photo ops. Oh, yes, he did get new garbage cans but they all must be where he lives because there’s none on 41st street and Greenpoint.
You people have your Heads so far up your Hind parts it’s ridiculous. This isn’t Europe, you want to be like Europe, move there.
It’s a shame that people got hit by cars and died,but the 1st cyclist ran the light. I know the Driver of the car was Intoxicated but the cyclist blew the light At least that’s what the article said.
It’s hard enough finding parking now,forget about it if they implement this Idiocy. They should concentrate on cracking down on Cyclists that don’t follow traffic laws.
The parking spaces they’re removing are metered spaces that people from Long Island and eastern queens use. Our neighborhood is just a pit stop on the way to manhattan (via a free bridge) and we all pay the price.
There aren’t any meter parking on Skillman and 43rd
The majority of the metered parking spots are clustered west of 39th Street, but there are a handful of metered spots dispersed in the 40’s (usually near storefronts) on both Skillman and 43rd.
from 39th street to the bridge on Skillman are all meters
Shifty- I’m against the loss of spots and own a car but have to say you’re the one who has his head up “your hind parts” and pretty far up at that I may add. NYC has more in common with Europe like limited space and high petro tax and higher degree of health consciences than Montana, Texas or Wyoming, wide open energy states with high obesity and diabetes rates, large amounts of land and dirt cheap gas. Maybe you should move to one of those places instead having people who disagree with you move to Europe. Its much easier to move out west than to Europe, those western states take anyone.
Wow. Crazy news. I’m all for it. I’m for anything pro bikes and less cars. I’m sure people will go bananas when they find out there will be even less parking in the neighborhood though. Maybe those people need to sell their car and get a bike?
Ok van bramer
Here we go again with sunnyside whining once again you guys rather have a car which causes claustrophobia rather biking local, shopping local and losing weight for once in your miserable lifes !!!
Your bike friendly neighborhood woodside
Same. I’m waiting for the pro-car lobby to break the comments section, though.
If they can get CitiBike into Sunnyside to correspond to the protected bike lane roll-out that would be an enormous help.
Additionally, you need some northt-south lanes. A properlly protected route between Sunnyside, Greenpoint, and Dutch Kills/Astoria is OBVIOUS.
Maybe we can park illegally on 51 street in the fire lanes and on the sidewalks the way the Fire Fighters at the fire house does. I do not understand how a fire fighter’s car can have the trucks go in and out but the truck can not go in or out for a non-fire fighter? It is the same size and metal, not fairy dust. Thanks 108 Pct. the Fire Captain of the 51 street fire house and NYC for allowing this.
Couldn’t agree with you more and if you ever ask any of the firemen about it they take such an attitude towards you. They are a total bunch of douche bags.
At any given time we have 11 guys working at a time. At a change of tours there can be at worst 11 more cars trying to park in the limited parking we’re afforded. Four right by the firehouse and whatever we can find down at the triangle. However, anyone with a placard (be it EMS, PD, Housing) parks there. So what you end up seeing is us having to park in our zone and the sidewalk.
So mind you, these rigs are rather large and don’t turn on a dime and no amount of fairy dust is going to remedy that. Sorry if we don’t come across as friendly if you’re parked in the zone when we’re responding or returning. I’m sure you wouldn’t want us delayed if we were coming to your emergency.
Believe it or not, we try not to park in a regular spot.
Now tell me about this attitude when you’ve tried to talk to one of us.
I live in Sunnyside, but not near the 51st Street. I respect the public service that you and other firemen provide. I don’t understand, however, why 22 grown men need to all drive to the station. Most of us in the city take public transportation, why can’t you? Your tour is something like 24 hours followed by 48 hours off, right? It’s not like you have to commute 2x per day/5 days a week like the rest of us.
They should move that fire house near the old Pulse gym. 3804 48th St, Sunnyside, NY 11104. This is where they want to have a PS high school or something. 2 way traffic… big lanes. Less residents.
22 grown men need to drive to work because sometimes we have to get detailed out to work in another fire station in maybe another borough! And we have to carry 50 lbs of gear with us and have a certain amount of time to get to there.
Solutions always sound so good on paper. Easier said than done. Did you realize the firehouse has been there since 1939? It’s not something you or the city can just pick up and move.
Additionally, the majority of guys have side jobs which they commute to/from. So the solution of an easy peasy mass transit commute isn’t logistically feasible. And john, no. We don’t just work 24 hours with 48 hours off. It varies. We actually commend you all that we see making that 9 to 5 trudge to and from the train every day. Many of us have been there and done that.
FIREMEN ARE HOT. I BUY THE FIREMAN CALANDER EVERY YEAR! I LOVE THEIR 6 PACK ABS
So how about we FINALLY get neighborhood parking permits so Long Islanders can’t park in Sunnyside and take the 7???
So why don’t they just switch the parked car lane with the bike lane… why constrict the flow of cars and create traffic?
Because divide et impera – the city obviously has money to waste (or at least think that they do) despite feigning poverty. This will be yet another city government shenanigan ramrodded through that will eventually come back to bite everybody remaining in the city at the most inopportune time. I’m sure most people reading this have better ideas of their own to address more pressing local infrastructure issues and/or improve the quality of life of all existing residents without courting nearly as much controversy and division.
Wait a minute. 158 spots? That’s bull. If a car averages 10 feet long, that’s 1580ft plus a 12″in space in front and behind the car, which adds 2′ – 12 x 158 , that’s 1896′ ft of lost space that’s longer than most blocks. F’off bollocks