Forest Hills Residents Livid Over Bike Lane Separators, Car Accidents

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS – “And it begins!!,” reads a Facebook post showing a car stuck on top of a bike lane separator on a Forest Hills road.

New Yorkers across Queens are becoming increasingly angry over the bike lane expansion in Forest Hills, Rego Park, and other areas amid car incidents involving lane separators.

The increasing bike lane shoulders in Forest Hills are part of the city’s safety program aiming to reduce traffic fatalities on Queens Boulevard, once known as the “Boulevard of Death.”

Still, some residents have expressed anger over the new bike lanes because they have replaced parking spots and have created congestion. Some New Yorkers are flocking to Facebook groups to express their anger over bike lane separator incidents.

“Bike lane barriers pose a risk and I have a feeling that, over time, they will contribute to additional accidents because the lanes are very small,” said Michael Perlman, a resident in Forest Hills.

A picture posted on Facebook on Monday shows a car stuck on top of a bike lane separator located between 66th Road and Queens Boulevard. Another image in a Forest Hills community Facebook group shows the same type of incident in Rego Park, near 93-10 Queens Boulevard.

Protected bike lanes reduce all crashes with injuries by 15% and reduce pedestrian injuries by 21%, according to the Department of Transportation. Nearly 900,000 New Yorkers ride a bike regularly.

"DOT presented the project to the community board last year and we are excited to complete this work for the community’s benefit," Vincent Barone, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, told Patch.

Advocates of the safety program, known as Vision Zero, think the bike lane separators are necessary to guarantee bikers’ safety.

“These barriers become necessary because drivers won’t obey the rules,” said Peter Beadle, an attorney living in Forest Hills. “Drivers insisted on parking in the bike lanes because of other drivers that insist on double parking.”

Beadle said, "though it's unfortunate someone's car became stuck on the barrier, the fact it happened shows why the barriers are needed."

The DOT considers 62nd Drive a "high-crash corridor," which has marked 13 serious injuries in a five-year period.