Photo: QueensPost
Aug. 15, 2014 By Christian Murray
Is Sunnyside a bike-friendly neighborhood?
One transportation advocacy group thinks so and is planning to celebrate the fact on August 23 with a bike tour around the neighborhood—which encompasses a visit to a number of bike-friendly businesses.
Transportation Alternatives, a group that is advocating for safer streets, has declared Sunnyside a “Bike Friendly Business District.” The neighborhood is the first to be bestowed with that title in Queens, and will join just two other bike-friendly businesses districts across the city.
There are 70 businesses in Sunnyside that Transportation Alternatives views as “bike friendly”—a number that led it to give the neighborhood its own designation. The 70 businesses were deemed “bike friendly” for supporting Transportation Alternatives’ campaign for a safer Queens Boulevard.
Transportation Alternatives is calling on the Department of Transportation to study—and ultimately—redesign Queens Boulevard and has been soliciting the help of local businesses and the community board. In 2013, six people were killed on Queens Boulevard and more than 150 pedestrians and cyclists were injured.
The Sunnyside bike tour will kick off at Bliss Street Plaza (46th and Queens Blvd) at 2 pm (August 23) and bicyclists and pedestrians are invited to tour six pre-selected businesses that Transportation Alternatives deems “bike friendly.” Those businesses include: Café Colombia, Bar 43, Go Natural, Arriba Arriba, Jack’s Ale House and Aubergine Cafe.
“We want to showcase the neighborhood and introduce people to businesses that are bike friendly,” said Celia Holl Castellan, the Queens organizer, for Transportation Alternatives.
Sunnyside Shines and Sunnyside’s Boulevard Bars are sponsoring the event.
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29 Comments
This should be interesting. But hey, it’s progress.
Transportation Alternatives should work with the local restaurants about explaining the rules of the SIDEWALK.
Unless you are a lil kid, STAY OFF THE DAMN SIDEWALK. Pedestrians should not have to wear helmets.
Get E-bikes registered, require a license of some kind, plates, etc.
I grew up in Sunnyside and I rode a bike as a kid, a lot. 30+ years later, I still ride a bike a lot. According to some of you, I must be a terrible menace to society. Some of the complainers on this page just need to ride bike – put a smile on your faces, you can do it! Sure, pedestrians jay-walk and cross without the light, drivers speed and fail to yield, and cyclists salmon(ride against traffic) and often treat red lights as yields(“Idaho stops” – totally legal in Idaho for cyclists since 1982). Wish more people – pedestrians, drivers and cyclists followed the law and were more considerate of others. I’d love to know why most of the rancor gets directed towards cyclists. Cars are infinitely more dangerous. Ride a bike, have fun, burn some calories, smile. 🙂 Imagine that.
Transportation Alternatives is all about banning cars in NYC.
I got hit by a cyclist going the wrong way on Skillman and 49th about a year and a half ago. I think he was stoned. I regularly see cyclists in our neighborhood riding AND texting with headphones on. I NEVER see them stop at red lights. Seriously, they think the rules don’t apply to them. Why would they? There’s zero enforcement of any rules.
It’s nice to see that public opinion is changing, that Sunnysiders, after years of discussing the pros and cons of people riding bicycles throughout the neighborhood, are beginning to see the light. Sometimes, you can present lots of good reasons and tons of evidence to back up your idea, but people just ignore it and stick with the same silly notion. but when it comes to the benefits of bike riding, Sunnysiders are beginning to show some real open-mindedness!
It’s my understanding that a dedicated bike lane, with a barrier, is planned for Queens Blvd, 43rd St. and Greenpoint Avenue. This is great news, for bike riders and pedestrians. Slowing down traffic is making our streets safer, and getting people out of cars and onto a bike or their feet will make the streets cleaner, quieter, and much more pleasant. If only pedestrians would pay attention and wait on the sidewalk until they have the light! That would really be nice.
I am an old man and I like to wear short shorts. Don’t be prejudiced.
Because you and your views are racist and idiotic.
Why is someone so obsessed with DOV PINCUS?..It’s a pen name like countless others use on this forum..Do you find the name offensive for some odd reason?…Would you prefer RAJ Ghandi or Wing Foo?..Maybe Carlos Danger?..What exactly is your problem?
I just had a bike pol installed on my sidewalk. Such things are done by asking permission by DOB.
I inquire with Queens boro. president Melida Katz.
Catherine Nolan office, Van Bramer . Community council #2 .
some encouraging words but the pol is still there
Please Remove it!
simon donikian
hipsta is right. old men, get some real shorts so we dont have to see your shriveling private parts
Screw these idiot bikers who dont wear helmets
This morning as I sat on one of the benches on Queens Blvd., I watched the bike riders.
One man, out of probably 40 bikes that went by, stopped at the traffic light. He waited for the light to turn green until he continued on toward the city.
The rest of them? They went flying through the intersections, barely slowing down while crossing the streets; some of them were riding on the sidewalks.
Many of the comments I am reading are talking about how people are so against the cyclists. Maybe if the cyclists followed the rules of the road, they wouldn’t be so looked down upon.
I remember when I was a kid, I would ride my bike everywhere. I remember the little sticker that had to be on my bike marking it as registered first of all, but also, you had to take a bike safety course before you could get that little sticker.
If you don’t want people complaining about you riding your bike, then follow the laws. Ride in the street, on the side of the street or in the bike lanes. Stop with traffic. Signal when you are going to turn; don’t just cut everyone off and then flip off the car drivers or the pedestrians when they yell at you.
If you want the attitude to change about the cyclists, the cyclists need to take some responsibility for their own actions.
Hey Dov/Ari:
Tell everyone who you really are and what you’ve done. Let them know.
I am an idiot and hate everything. I admit it but I love being that way. All I want to do is criticize. I contribute nothing to wherever I live!
Transportation Alternatives are bullies and thugs. Don’t let them help plan your streets. Their meddling messed up Kent Avenue in Williamsburg so badly it will take a decade to undo the mess they helped create.
sorry to say this but alot of motorcycles have no respect for cars nor do they have respect for people walking on the streets or crossing the streets — they zoom in and out of cars like crazy — if you are going to own a motorcycle know the rules and don’t think that you own the road — which YOU DO NOT —
JOR lots of luck. When it comes to bike riders its always a one way street, they’re green so f–k you.
Will this bike tour obey traffic rules? Require participants to wear helmets. That would be a change from the usual dangerous state of affairs with bikes in this city. Plus Transportation Alternatives- a highly funded group of bullies.
great, now more of these onoxious go pro wearing thuggs will be pedaling thru town. I can maybe take the “bikers are more supreme than the rest of society” attitude but what I can’t take is the crotch hugging lyca shorts on old men – you walk down the street and you catch a glimpse of some guy who looks like he smuggling grapes. Its freakin disgusting. And then i see your go pro and I just lose it.
CARS HAVE NO RESPECT FOR CYCLISTS OR BIKERS ANYWHERE
Off topic.
Who’s the idiot driving full throttle around sunnyside with his dirty clogged up in the butt sounding Harley. Mad annoying. ….
Cycling is fine, just not in Manhattan. People on Citibikes are the worst. People who know how to ride have their own bikes, they ride with the traffic and stop at the lights. Citibike users are morons
I encourage Sunnyside Shines, Queens Boulevard of Bars, and Transportation Alternatives to use this occasion to remind Sunnyside businesses that use commercial pedal bikes of their legal obligation to have a metal plate identifying the business and a unique number affixed to the bike, to require commercial bike drivers wear a reflective vest with the name of the business in lettering large enough to be read from a distance, to provide a training program to drivers, to maintain a roster of driver names with the dates of training, and to display prominently a poster informing bike drivers of their responsibilities.
Will Transportation Alternatives also recognize the widespread use of illegal e-bikes by Sunnyside businesses which zip through our streets any which way and up on sidewalks, ignored by local cops and traffic agents, who were authorized by 2012 legislation to confiscate e-bikes on sight?
don’t mind bikes at all but I do mind the bikers going the wrong way on a 1 way street or riding on the opposite side of the street where there is no bike lane OR running every red light and PLEASE don’t say it doesnt happen – license register & insure the bikers for paying for their fair share of the road and to be held responsible for their actions – good enough for cars good enough for bikes
Bike friendly? ..This is Sunnyside not Amsterdam!!!..Greenpoint ave, Queens blvd..Skillman ave?.Tow trucks from the lot at National Wholesale Liquidators flying up 48th street with no flashing lights!!.Gypsy cabs blowing stop signs left and right..Buses, fire trucks.garbage trucks etc..Speeding cars on all the avenues..Bike friendly? How absurd
Cycling is good. But it would be nice if cyclists could be aware of cross walks and red lights.
Oh no! Bikes were mentioned?
Here comes the shitstorm of extremely opinionated people opposed to cycling for some reason.