You Can Now Improve Bus Routes, Bike Safety On 21st Street: DOT

ASTORIA-LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Astoria residents, and people who commute through the neighborhood, now have the chance to weigh in on their experiences traveling on 21st Street, thanks to a newly launched study from the New York City Department of Transportation.

The NYC DOT study, which the agency has titled the 21st Street Bus Priority and Safety Study, is focusing on improving bus routes, as well as pedestrian and bike safety, on a section of 21st Street bordered by Queens Plaza North in the south, Hoyt Avenue North in the north, Vernon Boulevard in the east and Crescent street in the west.

The NYC DOT is asking community members to use an interactive map of the area to identify issues related to transportation use and safety — from spots with dangerous left turns, to damaged sidewalks, and crowded bus stops.

In order to make a comment you choose an issue from a dropdown menu, and then pin it on the map or write the specific location on the form, and then add a comment on the issue, including what happened and when and where.

This map is just the first in a series of public engagement opportunities, including a Community Advisory Board and community outreach, that the NYC DOT says they will incorporate into their study.

This segment of 21st Street was chosen for the study since it’s part of Queens’ contentious borough-wide bus redesign plan — which is now slated for completion in 2020, according to the MTA website.

Five bus routes run through the area, three south of 35th Avenue and two north of 35th Avenue.

It was also chosen after being named one of the city’s most dangerous streets for pedestrians and bikers under Mayor de Blasio’s citywide pedestrian safety plan, Vision Zero, after an increase in pedestrian deaths.

So far there are 61 comments, 16 of which are comments about places that don't have a crosswalk but need one.

You can read the project overview here, and add comments here.