New Long Island City Protected Bike Lanes Coming This Year, City Says

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Three major Long Island City streets will get upgraded, protected bike lanes later this year, the city said this week, to cheers from cycling advocates.

The plans come three years after neighborhood groups began pushing for a network of connected bike lanes following the death of Robert Spencer, who was killed by a driver in March 2019 at the intersection of Borden Avenue and Second Street in Hunters Point.

On Wednesday, the Department of Transportation revealed their plans to Community Board 2, saying protected bike lanes will be installed on 44th Drive between Vernon Boulevard and 23rd Street; 11th Street from 44th Drive to Jackson Avenue; and Jackson Avenue between Vernon Boulevard and the Pulaski Bridge.

All three of those stretches currently have unprotected bike lanes that leave cyclists vulnerable to traffic. About 100 total parking spots will be removed to build them, Streetsblog reported.

Work will begin late this summer or in the early fall, DOT spokesperson Vin Barone told Patch.

Meanwhile, DOT is also surveying Borden Avenue between Center Boulevard and Jackson Avenue — a stretch that includes the intersection where Spencer was killed — in hopes of making safety upgrades in the future.

Many of the new lanes will be parking-protected, while some will be protected by an unspecified "vertical element," according to Laura Shepard, a Queens organizer for Transportation alternatives. Shepard reported that the committee voted to recommend building the lanes.