Bayside Bike Lanes Should Be Removed, City Told

BAYSIDE, QUEENS – The controversial bike lane lining Northern Boulevard in Bayside should be ripped out, state assemblyman Edward Braunstein has told the city's Department of Transportation.

Braunstein, D-Bayside, announced on Tuesday that he is asking the DOT to remove the bike lane recently installed along Northern Boulevard following a slew of complaints from community members that the lane is unsafe for both bikers and drivers.

“It is clear that the bike lane on Northern Boulevard was poorly designed and hastily constructed and is unsafe for motorists and bicyclists alike," Braunstein said.

The DOT argued the bike lanes were installed along Northern Boulevard between 223rd Street and Douglaston Parkway with pedestrian safety in mind after a cyclist died on the "high-crash stretch" of the corridor. Just last year, 15 pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicle passengers were injured along the stretch, according to the DOT.

"Given the NYPD’s 2016 crash stats, and given that none of the recent incidents Assembly Member Braunstein cites has resulted in injuries, it is important to give roadway users time to acclimate to the new traffic-calming measures."

Braunstein first hinted he would ask for the bike lane's removal in a letter penned to the DOT in September, where he outlined the safety concerns from the community about the proposed bike lane. He said in the letter that because of the project's low cost, he would ask the DOT to immediately remove the bike lane if the concerns proved true.

Such appeared to be the popular opinion of Community Board 11, whose members voted to get rid of the bike lane along Northern Boulevard and replace it with a widened sidewalk that they deemed a safer alternative, Patch previously reported.

In an annual budget committee meeting on Nov. 1, board president Christine Haider called the bikes lane unsafe, claiming they had resulted in several accidents since being installed in a resurfaced westbound traffic lane in October.

"We felt when it was first brought to us it had flaws," Haider said. "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. Now we've had five accidents that I'm aware of."

Community Board 11 District Manager Joseph Marziliano said the board has since been working with Braunstein's office on what it considers a safer alternative to the current bike lanes. Braunstein requested the DOT do a feasibility study on a plan the board previously proposal to expand the sidewalk on the westbound side of Northern Boulevard while keeping the roadway unchanged.

A DOT spokesperson said the department remains committed to working with the community, monitoring the project and making adjustments, if needed.

Braunstein said his request to remove the bike lanes comes after the DOT "continues to offer ineffective changes to fix the glaring defects in this project.

"We can't allow our roads, especially a major artery like Northern Boulevard, to be turned into an experiment where people are put at risk," he said. "DOT can try to spin the accident statistics, but the pictures don't lie -- numerous crashes have occurred specifically due to the bike lane and it needs to be removed as soon as possible."

Lead image via the Office of Assemblyman Edward Braunstein.