Cyclists Show Support For Controversial Bayside Bike Lanes

DOUGLASTON, NY -- Not everybody is opposed to the controversial bike lanes running along Northern Boulevard through Bayside and Douglaston.

Nearly 80 cyclists met at Peak Bikes in Douglaston on Sunday for a celebratory eight-mile bike ride through protected bike lanes recently installed along Northern Boulevard. The event was a show of community support for the bike lanes, implemented by the Department of Transportation, at a time where voices opposing them - some even calling for their removal - continue to grow louder.

Ilana Teitel, executive director of the Douglaston Local Development Corporation, told Patch the organization partnered with Peak Bikes and the Transportation Alternatives Eastern Queens Committee to show there is still excitement over the bike lanes, despite recent criticism from those who say they make Northern Boulevard more dangerous.

"We support the Department of Transportation proposal that was originally voted on by Community Board 11," Teitel said. "We think it makes the streets safer for everybody, and that just having a bike line and a safe route is an amenity for everybody in the community."

The DOT recently installed the lanes along Northern Boulevard between 223rd Street and Douglaston Parkway, taking away a lane of westbound traffic and resurfacing it. Community Board 11 initially approved the DOT's plan to install the bike lanes in June but rescinded that vote in September citing safety concerns.

The board has since pushed to get rid of the bike lanes, claiming they've caused more accidents along the roadway. They proposed an alternative plan to expand the sidewalk along the north side of the boulevard into a wider pathway for pedestrians and bikers.

"We felt there was a safer way to do it, we found the safer way to do it, we presented the safer way to do it and they thumbed their nose at us," Board President Christine Haider said at their annual budget meeting in October. "Now we've had five accidents that I'm aware of."

But DLDC Vice President Victor Dadras told Patch that while the bike lanes do need to be improved, he believes they will eventually make Northern Boulevard safer and, in some ways, already have. The bike lanes help calm traffic on the stretch of road from Bayside to Douglaston, one of the most dangerous in New York City for decades, he said.

"It's really about making Northern Boulevard safer - that's the only reason this money was allotted to even try to do this traffic calming," he said. "If people disagree that this makes things safer, I don't know what to say. "

DOT numbers appear to back Dadras' claim. The department's 2104 study on protected bike lanes in New York City saw a 22 percent drop in pedestrian injuries and a "minor" decrease in cycling injuries, while bike traffic increased "dramatically" in areas where protected bike lanes were installed.

Dadras argued the board's alternative plan to put bikes on the sidewalk does nothing to address the "fundamental" issue of calming traffic on Northern Boulevard.

"The DOT has done this all over the city with great success," Dadras said. "Whether or not this is the perfect design, I'm not saying, but we appreciate that they are coming here. If they need to make some revisions, we'd love to work with them."

Teitel argued the bike lanes also helped bring new business to local businesses in Douglaston and Bayside. To prove that point, they wrapped up Sunday's eight-mile bike ride at the Douglaston Station Plaza and encouraged bikers to dine in nearby restaurants.

"This kind of traffic calming is very good for businesses," Dadras said. "The 80 people who did participate from all over the community patronized the stores for lunch."

Lead photo via Victor Dadras.