Business community opposes bike lanes on Queens Blvd.
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The Department of Transportation’s effort to install bike lanes on Queens Boulevard between Yellowstone Boulevard and Union Turnpike isn’t going over well with the local business community.
In fact, there is a Change.org petition and upcoming meeting happening. The business community is looking to prevent the bike lanes in Forest Hills.
Read more about their opposition to the bike lanes on the Forest Hills Times website.
What are your thoughts? Are you in favor of the bike lanes? Not in favor? Share your opinion in the comment section below!
Frankly, I’m all for bike lanes there if it trims traffic. I’ve lived in the neighborhood to see how destructive all this unregulated business development has occurred. We have get rich quick developers and landlords hoping for a quick buck regardless of the degradation of the neighborhood. Trying to walk Austin Street as a pedestrian is simply dangerous, all because of bad drivers from neighborhoods other than Forest Hills trying to find parking. I’m sick of decisions made to benefit people not from the neighborhood, including both shoppers and the landlords that live in other places.
Build the bike lanes, build barriers to stop all traffic in the neighborhood actually. The people who live there don’t want or need more unregulated business for people who don’t live there.
Yes to bike lanes! Let’s make Forest Hills more attractive for bikes and for pedestrians. It will vastly improve the attractiveness of the area. Parking is important, but it does not have to be right in front of each store. Develop some parking lots on the perimeters of the area instead.
I’m in favor of traffic abatement and inclusion of bike lanes along with pedestrian improvements. In FH we need to have a larger conversation about safety of our streets in addition to arguing over cars sharing the road with other forms of transport. Especially on the ‘boulevard of death’!
Drivers casually blow through stop signs, only grudgingly yielding the right of way to pedestrians at best. Parents taking their kids to school, school bus drivers and even the police are all exhibiting the worst driving habits. So who is to rein in bad driving?
I’m sure that business owners fear any change and parking is an issue if you drive to Austin St.; however, the more we improve FH for everyone who lives there, the more business will come and they might not drive. The safer the elderly or parents with young children are when crossing Queens Blvd., the more trips they will make to go shopping. Drivers and business owners need to come to understand that the roads are meant to serve everyone, not just them. Even though they are often treated as the only stakeholders, nothing could be further from the truth.