Build Bike Lanes — Just Not On My Street, Some Baysiders Tell DOT

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Some Baysiders pushed back Thursday against a revised local bike lane proposal, saying they want to see more protected paths in the area, just not along the streets where they live.

Early this year, the Community Board 11 Transportation Committee drafted a map with a few, fully-protected bike lanes as an amendment to the Department of Transportation plan to bring bike lanes to the heart of Bayside. The amended map was approved by the full community board.

After reviewing the amended map, the DOT offered a counter proposal at a Thursday meeting that still angered some neighbors who, seemingly, want protected bike lanes in the neighborhood, just not where they live.

"I'm very disappointed that [neighbors in Bayside Hills] really don't want these bike lanes and you're just putting them right through the whole community," said Community Board 11 member Eileen Miller responding to the revised DOT plan which (per the original proposal) includes a bike lane on a stretch of 56th Avenue in Bayside Hills.

Miller, who didn't elaborate on the "several different reasons" why Bayside Hills residents oppose bike lanes in their part of the neighborhood, took issue with the path being shared with cars or only marked with paint — tactics that she said are not as safe for cyclists.

At the end of the day, though, she said that there are simply enough bike lanes in her part of the neighborhood.

"I still think we have more than enough bike lanes," she said.

Bike advocates have been among the loudest voices advocating for protected instead of painted bike lanes, but, as the DOT pointed out at Thursday's meetings, protected lanes often require concessions that drivers in Bayside have vehemently opposed, like parking or traffic lane reductions.

As proposed, the original and revised DOT bike lane plans in Bayside do not eliminate any parking. Still, neighbors who opposed the plan Thursday cited concerns over parking.

"When I go back to my members they're going to be extremely concerned about the parking," said board member Jena Lanzetta who lives on 33rd Avenue, where the DOT has currently proposed a "calm corridor" — essentially a shared lane with bike lane markings and low vehicle speeds.

Lanzetta said she is trying to keep an open mind, but is "very extremely opposed" to having a bike lane on the street where she lives.

"I do want to let you know there's going to be pushback by the residents of this street," she said.

Other neighbors, though, voiced support for the revised proposal. Community board member Ben Turner, for instance, described the street calming plan for 33rd Avenue as "really what our neighborhood is trying to do."

"It seems to serve everybody," he said, noting that the plan won't cause parking loss on the avenue, but is aimed at making the street safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Thursday's proposal marks a months-long effort between the DOT and Community Board 11 to bring bike lanes to Bayside.

The DOT first proposed adding bike lanes in the heart of Bayside — where there are virtually none — in October of last year, saying the paths would connect locals with the greenway abutting the area as well as local parks, public transit and Queensborough Community College, the agency said.

Neighbors who took issue with some aspects of the proposal, like parking and street safety (as proposed, the plan did not eliminate any parking, but had many shared and painted bike lanes), proposed an amended plan to the DOT early this year. As proposed, the plan included fewer lanes overall, but more with permanent safety barriers.

Thursday's proposal aimed to take that feedback into consideration, according to the DOT.

"It's not every day that we get the level of feedback that you gave us," said Albert Silvestri, Queens Deputy Borough Commissioner at the DOT, thanking Community Board 11. "With that detailed feedback you gave us.... we will be presenting a really robust plan for strong bike connections in Community Board 11."

"The plan that we previously brought to the community, it's possible it could have been implemented already, but it was more important to this community and us to get it right," he added.

Asked when the bike lane proposal will become concrete, Ted Wright, Director of Bicycle and Greenway Program at the DOT, said parts of the plan could be implemented at the end of this year.

"The heavier protected bike lanes will take a little longer," he said. "I would say the faster we get through this process the faster we can [get the lanes]."