After years of community pushback, the first phase of a controversial bike lane along 31st Street in Astoria, Queens, officially opened today, according to a report by Eyewitness News. People against the project argued it would threaten public safety, while advocates claim it will bring order to one of the most dangerous routes in the borough.
A group of cyclists gathered in Astoria to celebrate the addition of the new bike lane along the busy thoroughfare. "We're a city of commuters. We're a city of workers. We move around and we deserve to be able to move around safely," one supporter said.
In the last year alone, one person was killed on 31st Street and roughly 200 more were injured, according to the report. Supporters point to those figures as the reason the project is urgently needed.
Advocates maintain the project is an easy fix that could save lives, allowing cars, people and bikes to move very differently across the corridor. They frame the new lane as a practical step toward safer streets.
The corridor is a difficult one to navigate. It is home to transit hubs and schools and serves as a feeder to main highways, according to the report. An elevated train also runs above the street, and its pillars block the view both when crossing and when making a turn.
For one supporter, Julie, the cause is personal. Seven years ago, her father, Kim, was behind an oversized commercial vehicle that sheared off the underdressing of a bridge construction project, and the debris pierced through his windshield and killed him.
The next phase of the project, which at this point is still to be determined, looks to expand the bike lanes from the current stretch all the way to 20th Avenue, according to Eyewitness News.