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Pol: Queens 'Boulevard of Death' needs bike lane

By Marlene Naanes | mnaanes@am-ny.com

5:59 PM EDT, July 27, 2008

Even after safety improvements, about 100 people a year are still injured on the so-called Boulevard of Death in Queens, underscoring the need for more aggressive steps to protect pedestrians, advocates and elected officials said yesterday.

Councilman James Gennaro (D- Fresh Meadows) and a Queens mother called for a protected bike lane on Queens Boulevard at a rally held on the spot where 22-year-old bicyclist Asif Rahman, of Jamaica, was fatally struck in February. A protected lane would physically separate the several lanes of traffic with a lane of parked cars or other barriers.

"If Queens Boulevard had a bike lane, Asif might still be with us today," said the man's mother, Lizi Rahman, in a statement.

At a news conference, the councilman and advocacy group Transportation Alternatives also called for safer pedestrian crossings, including adding crosswalks and adjusting walk signals for more time to cross.

"It's still a street that's designed to move cars and little else," said Transportation Alternatives spokesman Wiley Norvell.

Gennaro also sent a letter to the mayor's office Sunday, asking for safety improvements along the boulevard.

"We as a city owe cyclists like Asif, who contribute to a healthier environment by not driving automobiles, a better infrastructure of protection as they try to traverse the length of the Borough," Gennaro wrote.

The Department of Transportation has added fencing along Queens Boulevard to prevent jaywalking, lengthened medians and extended the time of several walk signals.

According to department stats, there were 17 pedestrian fatalities in 1993; by 2005, that number had fallen to two; two in 2006; and one in 2007.

Before Rahman's death this year, the last the last bike fatality was in 1996, according to the statistics.

"Safety is our top priority across the City and we will continue to build on the safety enhancements we've made along Queens Boulevard, which have led to a dramatic decrease in accidents," said Ted Timbers, spokesman for the Department of Transportation.