Review Ave. and 37th St. in Long Island City. Via Google Maps
Oct. 29, 2024 By Shane O’Brien
Queens Community Board 2 has said that the city has an obligation to build safe streets after a Queens judge halted plans to build a bike lane along Review Avenue in the industrial heart of Long Island City.
Construction on a Review Avenue bike lane was scheduled to begin this fall as part of the Department of Transportation’s plans to build a “Blissville Greenway,” which will improve bike connectivity between neighborhoods on both sides of the Newtown Creek separating Queens and Brooklyn.
The DOT aims to redesign Review, Borden, and Starr Avenues as part of the Blissville Greenway, informing CB2 that 15 people were injured or killed in the area between 2019 and 2023, including two cyclists.
However, a Queens judge has halted plans for the bike lane, placing a temporary restraining order on the DOT after local business LeNoble Lumber filed a lawsuit against the DOT in the Queens County Supreme Court.
The lawsuit alleges that the plans to install a bike lane would “arbitrarily and illegally” narrow Review Avenue, stating that the plans would ruin over 40 local businesses.
The project would narrow the Review Avenue roadway from 52 feet to 37 feet in order to make room for a two-way bike lane and buffers and LeNoble argues that the project will make it impossible for tractor trailers to safely pull in and out of industrial driveways.
The lawsuit further alleges that the DOT failed to conduct a traffic flow study to determine the impact of the bike lane and additionally accused the DOT of ignoring concerns raised by impacted businesses.
It also alleges that the DOT failed to provide any environmental or safety reports for the project and argues that Review Avenue is located within the industrial business zone, an area with minimal to few residents.
Local businesses stated that the bike lanes would create a safety hazard for cyclists on Review Avenue, a road predominately used by large trucks.
They also proposed an alternate site for the bike lane on the “scantily used” sidewalk on the north side of Review Avenue, bordering Calvary Cemetery.
NYC DOT
The DOT presented its plans for the Blissville Greenway to CB2 in May, pledging to build a robust bike network for the growing number of cyclists in Long Island City and Blissville, a small section of LIC bounded by Newtown Creek, Calvary Cemetery and the Long Island Expressway.
Anatole Ashraf, chair of CB2, said the decision to halt plans for a bike lane on Review Avenue appeared to be the result of local business owners prioritizing their own concerns over the concerns of the local community.
“This blockage seems like an unfortunate result of certain business owners prioritizing concerns at the expense of voices in the community where they want to do business along with some of their own employees,” Ashraf said in a statement. “We are the ones who live here and would be potential customers, and the lack of a Blissville Greenway makes it that much harder for us to reach and give these folks our business.”
Reilly Owens, chair of the CB2 Transportation Committee, said the Blissville Greenway will help form important connections between different neighborhoods, adding that members have long requested the DOT’s redesign of the area of the local community.
“The safety and environmental improvements will protect pedestrians and cyclists already here and invite more New Yorkers to explore the vibrant neighborhoods and businesses in our district,” Owens said. “In similar projects in our district, we’ve seen the DOT take care to account for all stakeholders, and fears of increased traffic, perilous endangerment, and lost business have been unfounded. The city has an obligation to build safe streets and we look forward to this project’s realization.”
Tom Mituzas, second vice chair of CB2, said the greenway would provide safety for all road users, including pedestrians, motorists, public transportation riders, cyclists and delivery workers as well as trucks that travel through Blissville.
“Residents of Blissville, residents of our district who traverse through Blissville, workers who commute to Blissville and delivery workers who use the streets in Blissville have all called for measures that would make the streets and in many cases sidewalks safer,” Mituzas said. “Many businesses have also called for safety; acknowledging the dangers associated with truck traffic, forklifts and the like.”
The DOT will have a chance to lift the temporary restraining order at a hearing next month.
DOT Press Secretary Vincent Barone said the department would defend the project in court, stating that the Blissville Greenway addresses needs for all road users on an unsafe corridor.
“This project addresses critical safety needs for everyone by narrowing lanes on an unsafe corridor and protecting cyclists on a highly traveled route between Brooklyn and Western Queens,” Barone said. “Our proposals utilize common design elements found on streets across the city and we will defend our work in court.”
Long Island City Partnership President Laura Rothrock said the city should evaluate the impact that the bike lane would have on its industrial business zone.
“As New York City’s most mixed-use area and its geographic center, LIC’s Industrial Business Zone plays a key role in the city’s logistics and industrial sectors. We believe it’s crucial for the city to carefully evaluate and study the impact of this bike lane plan, balancing the needs of cyclists and truck traffic to support everyone who lives, works, and operates in our community,” Rothrock said.
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